CLE Courses

Divorce and Death

Peter M. Walzer and Marc M. Stern address crossover issues in estate planning and marital dissolution, including the estate planning issues that arise during a divorce and the family law issues that affect the estate planning.

How to Win on Characterization, Transmutation and Reimbursement

Most property issues in a divorce are governed by a complex set of statutes. In this webinar, Christopher C. Melcher unravels the secrets of characterizing property, proving a transmutation, and dealing with reimbursements under Family Code section 2640. The presentation provides simple and easy to follow approaches to tackling these issues in our daily practice.

COVID-19: Effects on Child Support

This presentation addresses the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the handling of support issues by the court and attorneys. Commissioner Scott Harman and Melissa Harman, Esq. discuss the implications of certain provisions of Federal and State emergency relief, including the CARES Act, California Emergency Rules of Court, and local/county responses to the COVID-19 crisis. These topics are discussed from the court’s perspective and the litigant’s perspective.

Virtual Hearings, Making It Real6

Get ready for conducting family law hearings by video with this interactive webinar.  The presenters demonstrate live the best (and worst) practices.  From cross-examination, to impeachment exhibits, to subpoenaing third party witnesses to a video hearing, they cover it. The presenters Christopher Melcher and Steve Mindel are joined by Walzer Melcher Team Members Steven K. Yoda and  Cynthia J. Ponce; FMBK team members Taylor B. Wallin, Alex Grager, Tin T. Le, and Chelsea Stevens; and privately compensated temporary judge Commissioner Gretchen W. Taylor, Retired.

COVID-19 QDRO Topics

This presentation by David T. Ruegg and John C. Madden covers the CARES Act impact on retirement accounts, drafting marital settlement agreements properly for fixed dollar awards, understanding the impact of valuation dates, actuary reports, discount rates, separate property tracings and how volatile markets should impact your analysis of these concepts.

Returning to the Office: What California Employers Should Know

Employers are encouraged to review employment practices and policies to account for the new employment landscape created by COVID-19.  This webinar will discuss important issues for employers to consider such as: complying with local, state and federal workplace safety and reopening requirements; establishing comprehensive return to work protocols; managing legal risks with temperature checks and other tests; providing employees with time off work and legally required leaves of absence; managing employees who refuse to return to work; providing employees with expanded workers’ compensation benefits for COVID-19; and preventing anticipated employment litigation. Join Procopio Labor and Employment Team Leader Marie Burke Kenny as she shares practical guidance so that your business will be ready to confront anticipated challenges as you prepare for success in 2020.

What Family Law Professionals Can DO About Gun Violence

The current pandemic crisis has a variety of implications for families and their attorneys. Stay-at-home orders have increased isolation for those living with domestic violence and created significant psychological and economic stress for many. The intersection of this current crisis with another public health issue—gun violence—has particular challenges for families. This webinar covers critical issues related to gun violence prevention and gun safety legal issues during this challenging time and addresses what family law attorneys can do to help increase safety and decrease risk for themselves and their clients. Julia Weber, a California attorney and social worker, is the Implementation Director for Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Dealing with Business Interests During the Economic Crisis

Before the economic crisis, closely held businesses were valued and nearly always awarded to the operating spouse. Now, it may be impossible to value the business and the liquidity for a buy-out has dried up. Deferred division may be the new normal, requiring spouses to continue their co-ownership. In this discussion led by Christopher C. Melcher, he explores the legal challenges, tax issues, and valuation problems when exes have to stay in the business. This was a Zoom Presentation.

An Open House at 2640 Family Court: How to Properly Present Your Neighbors- The Epstein, Watts, Moore, Marsden, Branco Grinius, Hanes, Delaney & Duke Families: At Trial Part Four “Orders in the House: Fiduciary duties”

Mortgage Financing Strategies in Divorce

This presentation covers what you need to know about mortgages in the divorce settlement process such as leveraging the mortgage as a settlement tool, key lender guidelines and creative workarounds, MSA verbiage, and case studies. This presentation also addresses key mortgage considerations during divorce, characteristics of divorce specific lender guidelines, and loan approval strategies to help your clients obtain financing and provides guidance on topics such as: identifying the 3 primary loan buckets and key distinctions; implications of recent tax reform; how support structuring impacts loan qualification and the ‘qualified borrower’; case studies highlighting strategies for navigating lender requirements and utilizing the mortgage as a settlement tool; and Marital Settlement Agreement language to ensure successful financing. Ross Garcia, CDLP, and Jason Crowley, CFA, CFP, CDFA.