Divorce is one of three types of marital actions (legal separation and nullity being the other two), and is initiated by filing a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. It is not necessary to hire a lawyer to represent you in a divorce, and many people do proceed in propria persona (latin for "for oneself"; pro per for short). You can visit the California Superior Court's website for general instructions on filing for divorce. However, consulting with an attorney may be necessary to advise you of your community property, child custody, and support rights.

When seeking a court order for child custody, you should always be thinking, "What is in the best interest of my child?" Before issuing an order for child custody, the Court will typically require both parents to attend a mediation session to assist the parties in reaching an agreement on what arrangement is best for their child(ren), in their particular situation. One of our experienced attorneys can assist you in preparing for the mediation session, and preparing a plan for child custody. Should it be necessary, we also represent clients in litigating their child custody issues.

During a divorce case, either party may ask the court for temporary support. The goal of this support is to support a party until the court makes a final judgment in the divorce case or until the parties come to a settlement of all issues. The court is required to follow a guideline calculation, however the court may deviate from the guideline under special circumstances.

Collaborative Divorce is a different way for a divorcing couple to resolve their disputes. The spouses, their attorneys, and other professionals work together to negotiate a settlement that is optimal for their family. The parties and their attorneys commit to resolving disputes without going to court and sign an agreement preventing the parties' attorneys from representing the spouses in any disputed court proceeding. The focus is on constructive problem solving, rather than on adversarial bargaining and court imposed resolutions.

We can assist you with guidance on mate selection, household agreements, couples communication, reconciliation expectation agreements, traditional prenuptial agreements, traditional postnuptial agreements, and more.

If you're like most people, you probably don't wake up every morning and think about the complexities of estate planning. The attorneys of The Law Offices of Blaha & Perry, however, find estate planning to be both exciting and personally rewarding because not only does it allow us to be problem solvers, but estate planning has enabled us to get to know many interesting people, as well as assist thousands of families, individuals, and businesses.

When a loved one passes away with just a Will, or without any estate plan at all, his or her family is often required to put the estate through a court-managed process called probate. Probate refers to the process where a court oversees the administration of a deceased person's estate.

Trustees may find themselves in the often-confusing process of administering a trust after the death of a loved one. We understand that this can be a very difficult time for the surviving family members. We ensure that our trustee clients understand their fiduciary duties, as well as provide step-by-step guidance to assist a trustee in inventorying and valuing trust assets, providing notifications to the trust beneficiaries as required by law, selling assets when necessary, providing necessary accountings or obtaining waiver of accountings where appropriate, and distributing assets to beneficiaries.

Mediation is the process in which a neutral mediator facilitates communication between the parties to assist them in reaching an agreement. Drawing upon his past experience as Judge Pro Tem in the Alameda County Superior Court, Jerome A. Blaha has served as mediator in over 100 mediations. Please contact us to check Mr. Blaha's availability to mediate your case.