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Your family lawyers are here to lend a helping hand when the times are difficult.
Our Experienced Family Law Attorney Offers Full Support
Hollimon Family Law, APC is here to help you through the many difficult challenges divorce and family law issues present. Our attorney, Michelle Carlisle Hollimon, is a skilled negotiator and litigation attorney with extensive experience handling many different types of family law cases. She works with you, and the unique facts and circumstances of your situation, to help you try and achieve the result that is best for you and those important to you. Michelle Carlisle Hollimon and her team provide comprehensive support through all the stages of your proceedings. Whether we are negotiating an agreement or representing you in court, Hollimon Family Law,APC is dedicated to protecting your interests.
Helping You With All Different Aspects Of Family Law In North County
Hollimon Family Law, APC provides assistance across Solana Beach and other communities of North County, San Diego with the many different issues that arise in the area of family law. Attorney Michelle Carlisle Hollimon can provide professional legal assistance with all aspects of your entire case, allowing you to focus on your loved ones and the new chapter of your life that awaits. Attorney Michelle Carlisle Hollimon creates a tailored approach to each divorce and family law case, whether your case involves a new divorce, post-judgment issues, distribution of property and assets, child custody, child support, spousal support, paternity or domestic violence. Michelle Carlisle Hollimon will help all along the way, protecting your rights and advocating for your best outcome.
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We Offer Assistance Every Step Of The Way
Hollimon Family Law, APC takes a comprehensive approach when providing assistance with your divorce or other issues of family law in North County, San Diego. You can count on our help through every single step of the process. Whether you’re fighting for custody of your child, attempting to divide your property and assets through a divorce, looking for legal protection in a domestic violence case, or attempting to establish child and/or spousal support, you can rely on the assistance of Hollimon Family Law, APC that includes:
First, Attorney Michelle Carlisle Hollimon will explain all the important details regarding the process you’re going through. Understanding what you can expect from your case and knowing how to best deal with the circumstances is an essential initial step that gives you peace of mind and a firm belief that you’re moving toward a successful resolution.
Hollimon Family Law, APC will work with you on assembling all the necessary documentation vital to your particular case and trial. We focus on establishing a solid foundation for your legal situation by performing comprehensive preparation that covers all the important aspects of your case.
Michelle Carlisle Hollimon will carefully assess all the important facts and circumstances surrounding your unique situation, both from a legal and a personal standpoint. The goal is to not only provide the most detail-oriented family law services available, but to also make sure you experience a seamless transition into the next chapter of your life.
The main goal of our family law firm in Solana Beach is to advocate for the best possible result for you and those that are important to you. Hollimon Family Law, APC will tirelessly represent your best interests, whether negotiating a settlement agreement or litigating an issue in court. We want what you want-the best outcome possible for you and your family.
Our Attorney Is Here To Give You A Voice
Michelle Carlisle Hollimon
Attorney
Alex Lugo
Paralegal
Sarah W
Administrative Support
Frequently Asked Questions
What does family law include?
Family law in Solana Beach and other areas of North County, San Diego include several different areas, such as:
- Divorce
- Settlement Agreements
- Child Custody and Visitation
- Move-Away Requests
- Child Support
- Spousal Support (Alimony)
- Property/Asset/Debt Division
- Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements
- Paternity Matters
- Domestic Violence Restraining Orders
How are assets divided in a divorce in California?
California is a community property state. In very basic terms, what this means is that all property that has been acquired during the course of the marriage belongs equally to both spouses, regardless of in whose name the property was acquired. There are some exceptions to this general rule, such as property that is inherited during the marriage.
On the other hand, the property one spouse acquires before entering marriage or after their permanent separation from the other spouse is considered his/her own separate property and is not subject to division. Like above, here are some exceptions to this general rule as well.
There are other rules that apply to the division of assets, such as reimbursement for contributions made from one spouse’s separate property to community property purchases.
Division of assets can be a complicated issue and Hollimon Family Law, APC would be happy to assist you in determining your rights with regard to the division of assets in your matter.
How is child custody decided in California?
Child custody is one of the most difficult areas of family law. Parents must either agree with how they are going to share their children, or the court will make orders for them if they are unable to agree. Child custody is made of two primary components, as follows:
Legal Custody: Legal custody addresses the right and responsibility to make decisions regarding various issues that affect a minor child, such as education and medical issues. Parties can share joint legal custody or one parent can be awarded sole legal custody.
Physical Custody: Physical custody addresses with whom a child lives. One parent can have sole physical custody (meaning the child only resides with them), primary physical custody (meaning the child resides more often with them), or joint physical custody (meaning the child resides with both parents equally).
The court decides what legal and physical custody arrangement is in the best interests of a child based on various factors, including:
- The age of the child
- The health of the child
- Any history of domestic violence and/or substance abuse
- The emotional ties between the parents and the child
- The parents’ respective abilities to properly care for the child
How long does spousal support usually last in California?
The duration of spousal support depends to some degree on the length of the marriage. Generally, spousal support lasts for half the length of a marriage that lasted less than ten years. If a marriage lasts for more than 10 years, the marriage is considered a “long-term marriage” and there is no set duration for spousal support. In all cases, the court has the discretion to order support for a longer or shorter period of time.
Spousal support also ends if a court order ends the payment of support, if one of the parties passes away or if the person receiving support remarries.
There are two types of spousal support that can be awarded:
- Temporary: This type of support is awarded before a divorce is finalized, typically more toward the beginning of a case. It is meant to maintain the status quo and provide some financial support to the lower earning party. This type of spousal support is based primarily on the needs of the person requesting support and the ability of the person being asked to pay support to pay for it.
- Permanent: This type of support is awarded at the end of the divorce matter, and is made part of a final agreement between the parties or ordered by the court at a trial. There are many factors the court must consider when ordering support, including the income and assets of both parties, the age and health of both parties, and the marital standard of living.
Spousal support awarded in a divorce can be modified based on a significant change of circumstances that occurs after the orders are made, unless the divorce agreement strictly prohibits changes to the spousal support amount.
How Is Paternity Established In California?
If parents are married when a child is born, the law presumes that the married couple are the child’s parents. In those instances, paternity is “automatic”. If parents are unmarried, paternity needs to be established.
Paternity can be established by signing a voluntary declaration of paternity, often done at the hospital immediately following the child’s birth. Another way to do so is to file a case with the court to establish paternity. The court can then make a legal order establishing who the parents of a child are. Establishing paternity will allow the court to make custody, visitation and support orders that would otherwise be part of a divorce case if the parents had been married.
What Is Considered Domestic Violence In California?
Domestic violence in the state of California is abuse or threats of abuse by someone with whom you are in an intimate relationship or to whom you are related by blood or marriage. Abuse can be physical but does not necessarily have to be. Threats to harm someone, harassing or stalking, or destroying someone’s personal property also qualify as abuse.
If someone has abused or threatened to abuse you, you may qualify for a domestic violence restraining order. A domestic violence restraining order can require the person that abused or threatened to abuse you to not contact you or come near your home or place of work/school. Child custody, visitation and support orders can also be made as part of a domestic violence restraining order.