Family Law
Introduction:
The Family Law Department at Perry, Johnson, Anderson, Miller & Moskowitz
is the largest in the North Bay, specializing in all areas of this field. There
is an attorney, or attorney team, in our Family Law Department can handle any
level of family law case, from a simple divorce to a complex business valuation
matter.
Cases are handled in a unique manner in our firm. We have a team approach which utilizes the expertise of each team member to best serve the client’s interests in an efficient and cost-effective manner, and includes, depending upon the complexity of the case, a paralegal (forms, factual/document assimilation, etc.), an associate (research, drafting pleadings, some court appearances, etc.) and a partner (research, writing, depositions, negotiations, trial).
The manner in which a family law matter is handled within our Family Law Department depends upon the facts and circumstances of that particular case. We can handle any family law case in an efficient, effective and high-quality manner.
Two of our partners, Larry Moskowitz and John Johnson, are Certified as Specialists in Family Law by the State Bar of California. Larry Moskowitz is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
Collaborative Law:
Collaborative Law is a process in which the parties agree to
resolve their case through transparent, interest-based negotiation, rather
than through the courts. Each party is represented by an attorney who advises him or
her, and who helps facilitate a settlement.
Larry Moskowitz practices Collaborative Law. He has handled approximately 20 Collaborative cases since 1999. Most of these cases have resulted in settlements that have satisfied both sides, and that have stayed in place for a considerable period of time. Mr. Moskowitz is a charter member of the Collaborative Council of the Redwood Empire (CCRE). CCRE holds monthly meetings and conducts training sessions which enable the participants to increase their Collaborative knowledge and skills.
Mediation:
Two of our partners, Les Perry, and Larry Moskowitz, also serve
as mediators in family law cases, handling such matters as child custody
characterization, valuation, and division of property and debts, child
support and spousal support. Both Mr. Moskowitz and Mr. Perry
have received formal training in mediation techniques, and have been
serving as mediators for many years. They each bring extensive
family law experience and legal knowledge to the process.
Litigation:
The successful litigation of a family law case requires (a)
early assessment of the case, (b) discovery of key information, (c) exhaustion
of all reasonable efforts to settle the case, and (d) quality trial advocacy. Our
primary trial attorney is John Johnson. Mr. Johnson has almost unparalleled
experience in family law litigation. His experience includes:
- Over 1,500 depositions,
- 30 Jury Trials,
- 100+ Court Trials,
- 100+ Contested Arbitrations,
- 100+ Settlement Conferences/Mediations,
- Expertise in the Discovery Act and Evidence Code, and
- Teaching litigation, business valuation, and custody to family law lawyers.
Larry Moskowitz has also handled approximately 100 court trials. He teaches Community Property and Family Law at Empire College School of Law, and he has also taught attorneys on marital property issues (including business valuation and division of stock options), child custody, child and spousal support, and domestic violence issues.
Our litigation team offers a unique blend of attorney ability and experience with technology and personnel resources to successfully try the most complex and involved family law matters. A complex family law matter with enough at stake to justify significant preparation and work (the end must justify the means) could include any of the following:
- Extensive discovery of documents;
- Depositions of parties, percipient witnesses, experts, etc.:
- Staff available for research, writing, witness preparation/coordination, preparing court exhibits, etc.;
- Scanning facilities for all pertinent documents (sometimes approaching or exceeding 10,000 pages) and litigation material so that they can be more effectively searched, referenced and copied, and a laptop computer which the attorney has available at counsel table during trial.
- In the larger matters, where the advocacy and abilities of the attorney can result in up to or more than seven figure swings in the outcome of a case, John Johnson and Larry Moskowitz would try the case together, providing the client with Larry Moskowitz’s brilliant legal mind and the courtroom abilities and experience of John Johnson-a very formidable combination on a statewide basis.
We utilize technology to better serve our clients. Examples of our use of technology are: (a) email communication with clients, including the transfer of documents electronically, (b) scanning all documents via use of four scanners situated throughout our office, (c) full use of a laptop with all documents loaded onto it, power point and state-of-the-art projection equipment at trial, and (d) 60" monitor for depositions in the event financial or accounting records, etc., need to be discussed during deposition.
Research Resources:
We have unparalleled research resources, including: (1) West Law (on
line), (2) LexisNexis, California Family Law Practice & Procedure, (3) Hogoboom & King,
California Practice Guide: Family Law (The Rutter Group) on line and on disc,
(4) Adams & Sevitch, California Family Law Practice, and (5) Jurisearch.
Accounting and Other Software Resources:
The Family Law Department also has full use and knowledge of software packages
such as Quickbooks, Quicken, Excel, Dissomaster and Propetizer etc.
You may be assured that our family law attorneys will handle your matter professionally and with the level of expertise needed to reach a fair, expeditious and cost-effective resolution.
Attorneys:
- Deborah S. Bull
- Glenda R. Carvalho
- John E. Johnson
- Marla D. Keenan
- Lawrence A. Moskowitz
- Leslie Perry
- Sheila A. Schaeffer
- Mary Jane Schneider
- D. Anthony Wheeldin
