We are in the midst of the holiday season. In my adult years, as the holidays approach, I have tended to think, “Here we go again. What’s the big deal?”   Now that I have kids, I am reminded how magical the holidays are for children. Christmas trees, lights, Santa, and oh, the gifts… It all makes...

Last month’s article focused on “Angry in Anaheim,” a Dear Amy letter. The “Angry” author was furious with her brother for “tearing the family apart” by insisting that the doctors follow dad’s “do not resuscitate” instructions in his advance directive. She wanted the doctors to listen to mom and keep...

Dear Amy, My father is 91 and has dementia.  I learned he gave an advance directive with a “do not resuscitate” order to my brother several years ago. I told my brother that giving the DNR order to the doctor was condemning Dad to die and that we should follow Mom’s wishes to keep him alive. How...

“How shall we live, knowing we will die?” When Henry David Thoreau sat in his little cabin in the woods, he wasn’t receiving counsel from his attorney about his flight from eighteenth-century objective truth. Free from such meddlers, Thoreau mused about existence, the art of living deliberately “…to...

“I learned years ago never to wrestle with a pig.  You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.” – George Bernard Shaw In the midst of conflict, we want to be right.  When Jason and Judy separated, Judy insisted Jason’s work-related distractions were the reason the marriage...

As a divorce attorney, my emphasis is on resolving the big issues a couple faces when splitting up: Spousal support, child support, custody, parenting plans. The end goal is to have a legal judgment or agreement spelling out everything known at the time. Although this is the “end goal,” for many couples...