Practice Areas

Bankruptcy  


Filing for Chapter 7 is a good solution when your debts are overwhelming to you and the creditors are constantly calling.  With our firm's help, you can regain control of your finances and begin again to establish better and wiser choices when it comes to your credit.  We are here  to help our clients permanently eliminate the debts you can't pay, put you on a new track to improving your credit score and allow you to keep certain assets including your home and your car.  

Chapter 7 will eliminate repossessions, personal loans, medical bills and credit cards.  Wage garnishments can end, judgment liens can be removed and bank levies can be recovered.  Once the Chapter 7 process has commenced, there will be no more harassment or worries about being evicted, having your wages garnished, or other negative consequences of large debt.

Wills and Trusts


If you own a home and/or you have children, regardless of your assets, you should have a revocable living trust, a trust certification, and a pour-over will prepared at the very least. Just the basics can save you thousands of dollars in probate and other administrative fees and allows you the peace of mind that when you pass away, your loved ones will know exactly how to carry out your wishes. If you would like to have a health care directive prepared authorizing an individual you trust to make health care decisions for you if you become incapacitated or put on life-support, our firm can assist you with that document as well. 





 

Family Law


Regardless of the facts relating to your divorce, we will bring understanding and empathy to the dissolution process so that you will not have to feel alone.  We encourage our clients to make informed decisions by educating them on the law so that when they do have to make an important decision, they can do so with confidence.  It is our job to keep our clients informed so they do not feel overwhelmed or lost during their divorce.  Often times divorce can be contentious but it does not always have to be.  We are dedicated to being problem solvers, not problem starters.  We keep our fees very reasonable and at times, will work on a sliding scale with you.

Divorce

We know that going through a divorce is a very difficult thing to do.  Regardless of the facts relating to your divorce, we will bring understanding and empathy to the dissolution process so that you will not have to feel alone.  We encourage our clients to make informed decisions by educating them on the law so that when they do have to make an important decision, they can do so with confidence.  It is our job to keep our clients informed so they do not feel overwhelmed or lost during their divorce. 

Mediation


The firm also does mediation and uncontested divorces.  When you know what you want as far as taking care of your children and you know how you want your assets and debts divided, you may want to consider mediation or an uncontested divorce.  Cathy Hersch is a certified mediator and is very experienced in mediation.  Her skilled negotiating tools assist her in bringing many cases to full settlement without ever going into the court room.    Her objective is to empower her clients to make their own choices regarding their families while she educates them as to how their decisions relate to the law.  Her goal is to equip her clients with an ability to take care of his or her family not only currently but in the future as well.

Modifications

Sometimes orders have to be changed or modified.  Especially when there are children because the court has jurisdiction over children until they are eighteen, graduate from high school or are nineteen years old.  That could be a long time.  The court will consider a modification of an existing order whenever “circumstances change.” This could mean an increase/decrease in income, lost job, a change to a custody order that is no longer working, remarriage or some other event which would warrant a modification.  It happens often and Cathy Hersch can help you with this.

Prenuptial/Postnuptial Agreements

Prenuptial Agreements are becoming more and more popular, especially because people are waiting longer to get married and have accumulated their own separate property they want to protect or because they are in their second marriage and have separate property awarded to them from their first marriage that they want to give to their children and not their new husband.  Prenuptial and Postnuptial (after marriage) Agreements are contrary to California law (but still legal), and if you want your marriage with certain terms that are not consistent with our family laws, you may want to consider doing a Prenuptial or Postnuptial Agreement.