The recent conviction of renowned surrogacy lawyer Theresa Erickson is a disheartening reminder of the vulnerabilities faced both by hopeful parents and surrogates who choose to pursue a surrogacy agreement.

The absence of federal regulation in the U.S. and surrogacy's patchwork, state-by-state legal structure exposes parents and surrogates...

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeal heard argument yesterday on whether the decision of Judge Vaughn Walker, who presided over the trial on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, ruling it unconstitutional, should be overturned. The argument, being advocated by so-called "pro-marriage" groups, and not by any governmental agency seeking to...

It seems that of late, Massachusetts is the state that leads the rest of the country when it comes to family law issues. After all, it was Massachusetts that enacted laws permitting same-sex marriage. That started somewhat of a domino effect on the East Coast. It also started a dialogue...

Much attention has been given in the last two weeks to the disclosure that former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger fathered a child with the family's housekeeper, and kept that information a secret from his now-estranged wife, Maria Shriver. Most of the focus in regard to this story has been about...

It seems today that there is no longer a stigma of having a child out of wedlock--not only a trend among celebrities, but also increasingly common amongst everyday couples. Not only a trend seen in the young and poor, it is a trend that has been illustrated across ages, income...

While not the most romantic of topics, prenuptial and cohabitation agreements have become increasingly important for couples planning to marry or live together. No longer only for the rich and famous, prenuptial agreements provide significant benefits for any couple--both for the financial well-being of the individuals and overall well-being of...

It seems the public can't get enough of Charlie Sheen these days. Every day seems to be another media interview, re-publication of alleged text messages, or re-publication of tweets that Charlie has supposedly sent out. It is almost as though Charlie, having attacked CBS and those associated with his long...

This week, Speaker of the House John Boehner is convening his committee intending to represent the government in court in defense of the various pending legal challenges to what is commonly referred to as "DOMA", or the "Defense of Marriage Act". Because of DOMA, the Federal Government does not recognize...

How many times have you heard someone tell you that they had "a failed marriage"? In colloquial terms, people often describe the fact that they have been divorced as a "failure". Others, referring to someone who has been divorced, commonly say "she had a failed marriage." The connotation is that...

The other day a client was in my office discussing the amount of child support he was paying. My client, who is in the entertainment industry, makes a large amount of money. As a result, he pays a fairly significant amount of child support to his ex-wife for their two...

Yesterday a federal appeals court granted an injunction sought by our government against the lower court's order abolishing the armed forces' "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The injunction was sought by our Justice Department. Although much will be written about the fact that our president (elected after campaigning with the...

This past Monday's visit by President Obama to Los Angeles only served to highlight the need for our elected officials to finally take some action to address the problem of traffic in Los Angeles and surrounding cities. This one event, which resulted in a various street closures between Beverly Hills...

Assume the following hypothetical situation for the purposes of this discussion: One of the violent drug cartels based in Mexico takes over the City of Tijuana. The Mexican government has no apparent ability to change this fact by force or otherwise. Our American government, in an effort to continue its...

You don't have to be a Constitutional scholar to know that one of the basic tenets of our governmental structure is separation of church and state. The framers of the Constitution were well aware of, and fearful of, the curtailment of individual rights if the religious institutions were allowed to...

This week marked the commencement of the San Francisco Federal Court case over the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California. For those who do not recall the particulars of the legislation, the proposition was supported by various conservative and religious groups who raised over $40...

In her October 31 Wall Street Journal article, Jennifer Levitz discusses the ongoing movement in some states to place limitations on the amount of alimony someone can receive in a divorce. She provides examples of how the law regarding spousal support often results in inequitable outcomes for people who are...

The gay marriage debate in this country continues to rage on. As the California example demonstrates, rights are granted, rights are taken away. A similar battle rages in Maine. While some states have legalized gay marriage, others continue to debate the legality of it. Ironically, in Washington DC, gay...

Yesterday I sat in court with my client, while opposing counsel sat with his. We waited patiently while the judge handled various other cases. Eventually, she called us and we started to present our case. About half-way through, the judge told us to step back as she had a case...

If I get divorced in New York, the documents pertaining to my divorce remain confidential. If my spouse and I cannot agree on issues and we end up in court, the court proceedings that take place are not open to the public. If I get divorced in California, the documents...

I am in the midst of negotiating the settlement of some issues in a case on behalf of my client. My client and the soon-to-be-ex have been together for 17 years and have two very young children. There is a substantial amount of property involved. There are businesses, a residence,...