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LONICH PATTON EHRLICH POLICASTRI
1871 The Alameda, Suite 400, San Jose, CA 95126
Phone: (408) 553-0801 | Fax: (408) 553-0807 | Email: contact@lpeplaw.com
LONICH PATTON EHRLICH POLICASTRI
Phone: (408) 553-0801
Fax: (408) 553-0807
Email: contact@lpeplaw.com
1871 The Alameda, Suite 400
San Jose, CA 95126
Located in San Jose, Lonich Patton Ehrlich Policastri handles matters for clients in northern California, specifically San Jose and Silicon Valley. Our services are available to anyone within the following counties: Santa Clara, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, and San Francisco. For a full listing of areas where we practice, please click here.
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What is Domestic Violence? How You Can Get an Emergency Protective Order
/in Family Law /by David PattonNote: People can tell what internet sites you have visited on your computer. Be safe, and use the internet at a local library, friend’s house, or at work!
Domestic violence is not just physical violence. It includes spoken, written, emotional, and physical abuse. It includes hair pulling, sexual assault, breaking into the victim’s home, stealing the victim’s property, etc. A verbal threat of physical violence or a pattern of harassing behavior is also considered domestic violence. Domestic violence is never acceptable, and it is also known as “abuse.”
In order to constitute domestic violence, the abuser and the victim must have a close relationship (i.e. married, divorced, separated, dating or dating in the past) or be related (i.e. parent, child, etc). Domestic violence is not only damaging to the victim, but it is destructive to children living in the home as well.
If you are in danger, ask a police officer to request an “emergency protective order.” You can ask for this order at any time – day or night. An emergency protective order only lasts for five court days or seven calendar days. Thus, before the emergency protective order expires it is highly suggested to seek a longer-term restraining order by filing the papers in family court.
If you need emergency shelter, or help with a restraining order, you can contact any of these local Santa Clara County resources:
24-hour crisis hotline (800) 572-2782
24-hour crisis hotline (408) 279-2962
24-hour crisis hotline (408) 279-2962
24-hour crisis hotline (408) 683-4118
24 hour crisis hotline 510-794-6055
For more information on how to protect yourself, or to proceed with a divorce, please contact our family law attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri. Please remember that each individual situation is unique and results discussed in this post are not a guarantee of future results. While this post may include legal issues, it is not legal advice. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Two Reasons Why Your Family Business May Need a Business Succession Plan
/in Estate Planning /by Michael LonichAccording to the Small Business Administration, about 90 percent of all U.S. businesses are family owned and controlled. Unfortunately, only about 30 percent of these businesses pass successfully to the second generation. What is worse is that only about 15 percent of those then pass to the third generation. A comprehensive business succession plan can ensure that your business continues in the family for generations to come.
There are two important reasons why you should have a business succession plan in place. First, a business succession plan provides liquidity for owners. While some business owners have sufficient savings to transfer their business to the next generation, others rely entirely on their business for income. For those relying on business income, it is important to ensure the company will be able to fund the owner’s retirement plan. If the owner desires to transfer the company to a younger generation, periodic gifts and sale of stocks to these individuals over the years should be part of their business succession plan.
Second, a business succession plan may allow a client to minimize the impact of transfer taxes. For example, if successors to the business include grandchildren, the federal generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax might be imposed in addition to the estate tax. As the tax implications can be quite large without a business plan, your family may be forced to sell off company assets in order to pay the transfer taxes. However, careful planning and use of estate, GST, and gift tax exemptions are essential to minimizing the aggregate affect of taxes on your business.
Please contact our firm, Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri, for more information on how to create a successful business succession plan. Please remember that each individual situation is unique and results discussed in this post are not a guarantee of future results. While this post may include legal issues, it is not legal advice. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship.
“Do It Yourself” Estate Plans Can Be Problematic
/in Estate Planning /by Michael LonichAre you a person who is intrigued by a deal? If so, you should understand that a “bargain-priced” estate plan may really not suit your needs nor save you money in the end. While there are many online templates for wills, you need to be very careful when creating an estate plan without an attorney. Each state has different rules and regulations on what makes a will valid and enforceable. In addition, the differing financial and personal goals of individuals call for unique estate plans.
The need for caution when looking for a “bargain” estate plan was expressed in an article by the Morgan Law Group that wrote that regardless of whom you designate as a beneficiary to your IRA in your estate plan, the proceeds of your IRA will actually pass to whomever the beneficiary is on your IRA beneficiary designation document. Although you may be able to create a trust online, in order for it to be effective, you must follow very specific steps to fund your trust.
For more information about estate plans tailored to your specific needs, please contact us. Please remember that each individual situation is unique and results discussed in this post are not a guarantee of future results. While this post may include legal issues, it is not legal advice. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Visitation Rights May be Affected by One Parent’s Decision to Move Out of the Area
/in Family Law /by David PattonParental custody and visitation can be a contentious issue in divorce proceedings. In general, the court will grant the noncustodial parent reasonable visitation rights unless it is shown that visitation would be detrimental to the child. Whether you have visitation rights or primary custody of your children, you should be aware of the implication a change in residence may have on your responsibilities to your children and your ex-spouse.
For example, if you have primary custody of the children and live near your ex-spouse and you decide to move away with your children, your responsibility for ensuring your ex-partner continues to have reasonable visitation rights will increase. The court has broad discretion to modify visitation orders to lessen the impact of the loss of contact with the non-custodial parent in these situations. For example, the court may choose to increase visitation rights for the non-custodial parent during school vacations. The court could choose to allocate the financial burden for paying for the children’s travel costs to you. The court could also deny the custodial parent the right to move at all.
However, let’s assume you have primary custody and your ex-spouse decides to move out of the area. In this case, the court may decide to modify the visitation schedule to provide for longer, but less frequent, visitation periods.
If you are interested in learning more about California custody and visitation, please contact us. Please remember that each individual situation is unique and results discussed in this post are not a guarantee of future results. While this post may include legal issues, it is not legal advice. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Sperm Donor Parental Status in California
/in Family Law /by Julia LemonAs artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization technology continues to rapidly develop, California law has been struggling to keep up with the times. Specifically, it is becoming increasingly important to protect the rights of mothers who conceive using donor sperm.
To date, the California Family Code has partially addressed this issue. The Family Code provides that a donor who has provided semen to a sperm bank, or to a licensed physician for insemination of a woman, is treated by the law as if he were not the natural father of the child conceived as a result. A recent news story illustrates the importance of the continued development of family law in relation to sperm and egg donation and usage.
Karen B., a writer in Los Angeles, California was looking for a sperm donor to help her start her family. She met the man who would become her sperm donor, Daniel C., on Craiglist after first seeking a donor among her group of close friends. Initially, they agreed that she would retain custody and would make all the parenting decisions while the donor would have visitation privileges. However, after Karen already became pregnant, Daniel began forcing himself into Karen’s life and sought custody rights. The court ruled in favor of Karen’s parental rights, but granted Daniel with twice monthly visitation privileges. However, because of this informal arrangement, Karen lives in fear that Daniel might someday abduct the child to his native Brazil. For the full article see ABC news.
As this particular story illustrates, it is important that California family law continue to develop to protect the parental status, custody, and visitation rights of parents and donors who enter into agreements to conceive a child. In addition, it is of utmost importance that the law continues to expand to serve the primary function of ensuring the safety, stability, and mental health of the child.
For more information about sperm donor rights, please contact us. Please remember that each individual situation is unique and results discussed in this post are not a guarantee of future results. While this post may include legal issues, it is not legal advice. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship.