A Dissolution or Marriage, or Divorce, involves resolving critical issues on a timely basis. Such issues include:

• Child custody, support and visitation
• Spousal support
• Property division
• Business or private practice valuation

At the Law Offices of Stephen Jay Kaufman, our approach to every matter is to first pursue all settlement options and resolve as many issues possible amicably and with minimal cost. We prepare every issue thoroughly and aggressively and are ready to litigate if a settlement is not possible. Thorough preparation repeatedly has put our clients in the strongest negotiating position.

Settlement

Our goal is to spare our clients the potential trauma and costs involved with litigation. At The Law Offices of Stephen Jay Kaufman, our attorneys take great professional care in working with our experts, discussing the facts with clients and exploring the issues with all possible witnesses. Our exhaustive preparation helps us obtain the strongest possible position for our clients.

Litigation

If after exhausting all possible settlement options litigation becomes necessary, our clients can be certain that the attorneys at The Law Offices of Stephen Jay Kaufman are among the best in Southern California. With nearly two decades of extensive courtroom experience, we stand second to none in the skills essential to litigating successfully – extensive preparation, legal analysis and oral presentation.

Whether our client knows very little about their marital assets or their spouse’s income or controls the marital property, We are prepared to argue any set of circumstances. Our attorneys have extensive experience in valuing private businesses, professional practices and alternate streams of income. We maintain the utmost discretion and protect your privacy at all costs throughout this difficult time.

Determining child custody, visitation, support and parenting responsibilities can often be the most sensitive issues faced by divorcing couples who have children.

At The Law Offices of Stephen Jay Kaufman, our attorneys work with all parties in partnership with our clients to negotiate workable parenting plans. We have found that negotiated agreements between the parties often result in better agreements than having a court make these critical decisions.

However, when our clients’ and children’s best interests cannot be served through amicable agreement, we aggressively proceed to the courtroom. Our primary concern is being sensitive to the individual needs of our clients and their children.

Our experienced attorneys are well prepared in high-conflict custody cases and well versed in the most complex areas of the law. Our experience with interstate and international jurisdictional issues as well as situations where one party seeks to relocate the children leave us well prepared for any situation.

Regardless of whether our clients’ situation presents complex or simple legal issues, we treat this area of the case with the highest degree of compassion. Like you, our concern is making sure that the children’s best interests are met.

Child Support

The Law Offices of Stephen Jay Kaufman obtains the maximum child support amounts available for our clients through a detailed cash flow analysis and a comprehensive understanding of child support laws.

Our initial investigation determines the cash flow available for child support, including identifying all income sources both domestically and internationally. In addition, we thoroughly analyze all income deductions to determine if any amounts may be overstated. Finally, we search to discover any factors that would justify a deviation from California’s statutory child support guidelines.

Spousal Support

Spousal support may be awarded to spouses who are unable to support themselves at the marital standard of living provided, that the higher earning spouses are financially able to contribute. Duration of the marriage as well as each spouse’s earnings potential are among the many factors that contribute to a spousal support determination.

At The Law Offices of Stephen Jay Kaufman, our primary goal is to maximize our clients’ net monthly income. Our attorneys have particular expertise in structuring possible spousal support outcomes. Whether we represent the party in need of spousal support or the higher earning party, our attorneys consistently reach satisfactory results. We also have unsurpassed knowledge of complex financial structures and critical, long-term relationships with tax attorneys and forensic accountants – all of which help maximize our clients’ results.

The Law Offices of Stephen Jay Kaufman’s attorneys handle our clients’ financial matters with the highest degree of professionalism, skill and privacy. Skilled with complicated, high profile cases that demand extensive preparation and deep financial knowledge, our goal is to help our clients obtain the most favorable division of marital property.

Our work often goes beyond simply dividing the assets to more complex issues such as identifying undisclosed assets, international investigations, evaluating fiduciary duties, and exploring potential tax implications.

Business Valuation

The Law Office of Stephen Jay Kaufman has significant experience in valuing complex asset classes. From multi-state and multi-national business valuations where one spouse is self-employed, an entrepreneur, or a partner in a profitable privately held business to valuations of private medical or legal practices, our attorneys understand the financial valuation techniques that will yield the most appropriate result. We also work closely with our clients and draw upon our long-standing relationships with forensic accountants to resolve technical intricacies that require both legal expertise as well as knowledge of business, finance, and accounting principles.

The Law Offices of Stephen Jay Kaufman represents clients in post-judgment modifications when custody or support needs to be addressed because one party's income, location, or living situation changes after divorce. We apply the same diligence and professionalism here as in the original divorce.