Barbara Klein, Attorney at Law, PC, provides experienced and compassionate legal counsel in all California divorce and family law matters.

Ms. Klein’s primary goal is to help navigate her clients through what can be one of the most difficult times in their lives by providing clear, insightful counseling in order to help them understand their legal rights in light of their individual and family needs. She works tirelessly to help every client achieve an outcome that minimizes financial and emotional costs and benefits them both financially and personally.

SETTLEMENT RESOLUTION

When choosing an attorney to represent you in a divorce or family law matter consider what type of attorney will best advance your interest. I am Barbara Klein. I started practicing family law over 25 years ago, with my main purpose, to help each client get through a very difficult time, with the result of a positive outcome. Divorce, and the breaking up of a family, is a stressful time, both emotionally and financially. As a small office, I am able, to maintain a select case load, which allows me to personally either litigate or settle, each and every case. When you hire my office, you hire me. You have contact with me, you speak with me, personally, and are informed and consulted in every aspect of your case.

My goal in each and every case is to settle the case. In the matters which cannot be settled, the case is prepared to go to trial and during every step of the way, you, the client, is informed of the strengths and weaknesses of the case, as well as the law which supports your position. I find when the client is actively a part of preparing the case for settlement or trial, it saves the client money and promotes rational analysis of the client’s position.

A divorce in California can be straight forward. California is a community property state and each party is presumed to be entitled to one-half of property acquired during marriage. A divorce becomes more complicated when there are issues of characterization or valuation of property. If characterization or valuation of property is an issue in your divorce it is important, at the beginning of proceeding, to collect all facts and evidence to support your claim.

Divorce becomes a battle when the parties do not focus on the issues, such as division of assets; support payable to or by a party; or the custody and parenting of children, but allow their attention to be motivated by feelings of loss, getting even, or hate. I emphasize, to each client, approach his or her divorce as a business transaction. A transaction of a partnership, which is breaking up, and dividing the assets acquired during the partnership.

Along with assets, parties going through a divorce may have children. Children of the relationship deserve their parents to approach their family splitting up by putting his or her feelings aside and truly looking at what is best for the children. The children are not divorcing his or her mother or father and, in most cases, have a relationship with both parents. California courts, when deciding custody and visitation determine the relationship each parent has with a child and to strive to preserve the relationship, as long as it is in the child’s best interest. It serves a parent, as well as the child, to truly consider what parenting plan is best for the child, as opposed to what is best for the parent.