Welcome to www.calbar.ca.gov/famlaw
The home page of the Family Law Section

• Webinar: The Application of Parentage Presumptions to Same-Sex Couples Practitioners, December 16, 2009
• Webinar: Calculating Guideline Support, April 20, 2010
• Join a Family Law Section Standing Committee
• Other News

Webinar: The Application of Parentage Presumptions to Same-Sex Couples

1 Total Participatory MCLE Credits, 1.0 of which may be applied toward Legal Specialization in Family Law (No Ethics) 

Wednesday, March 17, 2010
12 noon  to 1 p.m. Pacific Time.

With same-sex couples having children in ever-increasing numbers, and with the legal recognition afforded these couples changing frequently, it has become increasingly challenging for family law attorneys to analyze legal parent-child relationships of children born to these couples. Do marital presumptions apply? If so, when are these presumptions rebuttable? How does Family Code section 7613 apply to same-sex couples? How should known sperm donors, egg donors and/or surrogates be treated? Speakers: Deborah Wald and Paul Thorndal.

To register, see The Application of Parentage Presumptions to Same-Sex Couples  or go to www.calbar.org/online-cle and select Tele-Seminars and Webinars.

Webinar:Calculating Guideline Support

1.0 Total Participatory MCLE Credits, 1.0 of which may be applied toward Legal Specialization in Family Law (No Ethics)

Tuesday, April 20, 2010, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific Time.

Calculating a guideline child support order is supposed to be simple process, since we have computer software programs which make the calculation for us. Still, parties and the court oftentimes come up with different numbers for child support, depending on whether the information is entered correctly. This webinar will show family law attorneys how to calculate child support according to the guideline. The presentation will include simple shortcuts and tricks, and over a dozen actual support calculation examples to highlight key points. It will also include an example of a paystub reconciliation that ties directly to a support calculation. Speakers: Kenny Pierce .

To register, see The Calculating Guideline Support or go to www.calbar.org/online-cle and select Tele-Seminars and Webinars.

Join a Family Law Section Standing Committee

Your time, expertise and input are urgently needed! The Family Law Section of the State Bar has no fewer than ten statewide and regional standing committees that report to and contribute specifically to the success of FLEXCOM (i.e., the Family Law Executive Committee of the State Bar) and generally to the Family Law Section. Practitioners in the areas of children's issues, dependency, financial issues, domestic violence, adoption and everything in between are needed. The committees are looking for practitioners who are newly admitted to experienced family law attorneys.

Given standing committees start their work in earnest in January and February of each year, now is the perfect time to join a committee. The vital work standing committees perform ultimately affects family law legislation that becomes law, thereby impacting our practice and the lives of our clients.

For more information about participating on these committees, please contact the chairs or contact FLEXCOM's Standing Committee Chair, Sherry Peterson.

Survey Announcement from the Elkins Family Law Task Force

The Elkins Family Law Task Force, a Judicial Council task force aimed at improving family law is seeking input from California lawyers. Lawyers from around the state are encouraged to go to the survey Web site, www.elkinssurvey.com, and provide answers about their experiences in family court. In addition to including questions about attorneys' practices, the survey asks about the challenges attorneys face in practicing family law, solicits suggestions for improvement, and seeks information about aspects of family law that attorneys believe are working well.

The goal of the survey is to collect data and suggestions from attorneys throughout the state that will help the courts in achieving efficiency and fairness in family law proceedings and ensure access to justice for all litigants. The deadline for completion of the survey is January 16th at 5 pm.

Thanks in advance for your participation in the survey.

Member Benefits for the State Bar Family Law Section

This is a great time to encourage new members to join the section. In addition to discounts on programs and top line continuing education, what better way to keep up with the dynamic world of family law? Members get current coverage on new legislation, Judge Burke's thorough monthly case studies, the quarterly Family Law News publication and periodic ENews bulletins. Better yet, anyone who joins after November 1, 2008, will get the remainder of 2008 and all of 2009 included in the same price, a great economic opportunity.

Be sure to keep your e-mail address up-to-date on My State Bar Profile so you will continue to receive alerts from the Section.

For a complete listing of all benefits, including the Family Law News and discounts on books and software, click HERE. Pass this on to your colleagues who are not yet members of the Section!

Save money with CEB

Continuing Education of the Bar, California (CEB) is extending some special discount offers to our section. As a member of the Family Law Section, you're eligible for:

• 10% off selected CEB print or online books
• A rebate on your section dues that can be applied to the cost of a CEB Gold CLE Passport or a CLE program ticket

A complete list of the products eligible for a discount is available on a CEB web page accessible through our Members Only Area. Information about the section dues rebate program can be found on the CEB Web site.

Free Access to Attorney's BriefCase OnCall™

As a membership benefit, State Bar Family Law Section members have free access to BriefCase OnCall™, an online updating service from Attorney’s BriefCase® Legal Research Software. OnCall™ provides the following features:

• Indexed summaries of all cases going back approximately six months relating to California Family Law, Juvenile Law, Evidence and PreTrial Adjudication.
• Full text of all summarized opinions.
• Week in Brief: An at-a-glance summary of all new cases by case name and holding in the four practice areas. (Week in Brief is also available by email as described below.)

For the details of the offer, see Attorney's BriefCase in the Family Law Section's Members Only Area.

"Your Legal Rights"

The Family Law Section is a sponsor of the radio program 'Your Legal Rights' which is hosted by Chuck Finney in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The show is broadcast on KALW 91.71 in the San Francisco Bay Area or on streaming audio at www.kalw.org .

FLEXCOM assists in funding this public service radio program. FLEXCOM members are regular contributors.

You can listen to some past programs on the Family Law Section's Web site.

• Listen now to "Divorced Parents and Issues of Alienation and Estrangement " - aired on May 20, 2009.
• Listen now to "Family Law: Spousal Support for Husbands" - aired on February 4, 2009.
• Listen now to "Basic Family Law Issues" - aired on September 3, 2008.
• Listen now to "Juvenile, Family & Domestic Violence Court Services " - aired on October 8, 2008.
• Listen now to "Domestic Violence" - aired on August 13, 2008.
• Listen now to "A Look at the State's Child Support Services Agency" - aired on June 18, 2008.
• Listen now to "Same-Sex Marriage and Other Family Law Issues" - aired on May 28, 2008.
• Listen now to "The Legal Aspect of Gifts Between Spouses" - aired on February 13, 2008.
• Listen now to "Family Law - Community Property v. Separate Property?" - aired on September 20, 2006.
• Listen now to "Spousal and Partner Support: How Much and How Long?" - aired on April 26, 2006

Members Only Area

Family Law Section members can access back issues of the Family Law News, special discounts for Section members and legislative tracking through My State Bar Profile. You can access this information at any time by signing into your State Bar Profile and clocking on Family Law Section - Members Only Area. Or go directly to the Members Only Home Page. If you haven't yet set up your State Bar Profile, see. Accessing the Members Only Area Area.

Consumer Education Pamphlets Available for Purchase

The State Bar of California's "Get the Legal Facts of Life" Pamphlets are available for purchase from the State Bar. These pamphlets are both educational and informative for your clients.

For more information, see Consumer Education Pamphlets or call the Education Pamphlet Hotline: 888-875-LAWS (888-875-5297).

Online and Self-Study CLE from the Family Law Section

View Family Law Section programs over the internet for participatory MCLE credit . Choose from hundreds of hours of official State Bar of California MCLE programs. For more information, see streaming audio and video, and select Family Law Be sure to check out CLEtoGo , downloadable podcasts you can listen to on the BART, or on the drive in or from the office.

Versa-Tape Company has a large library of CDs and DVDs of educational programs sponsored by the State Bar of California and all of the State Bar Sections. To see Family Law Section sponsored programs available through Versatape, visit www.versatape.com, select MCLE Self-Study Tapes and search by your area of interest. For more information, call 626-791-8907 or 800-468-2737.