the modern woman's divorce guide

Q. Dear Donna,
My husband and I have separated and will be divorcing. We have two children in elementary school. I have been the most hands-on parent but my husband is also involved in the children’s lives. The reason for the divorce is that I have fallen in love with someone else. I’m worried that my husband will use this to claim that he is the better parent and seek primary custody of the children. Should I be lining up witnesses who can prove that I am a good parent? ~Distressed in San Diego

A. Dear Distressed,
No doubt there are a lot of hurt and confused feelings in your family right now. Even though there was an affair, it would be a tragedy if this led to a “revenge” or punishment motivated custody battle, yet this happens frequently. All experts agree that… read more…

Q. Dear Donna,
I am having difficulty hiring a divorce attorney in my city because my husband is also an attorney. What should I do?~Blue in the Bay Area

A. Dear Blue,
It’s true that in some small towns, it seems that all of the lawyers belong to the same “club.” This can be challenging for a wife seeking an independent attorney for divorce, and if you’re married to the local judge, it’s a lulu! So, “What should you do?”… read more…

Just Ask Dear Donna is our new monthly column that is authored by Donna Beck Weaver (”Dear Donna”), a Los Angeles attorney with 30 years of family law experience. Dear Donna is the perfect person to answer your questions about the legal, financial and emotional aspects of divorce. Dear Donna is a veteran family law attorney and former litigator. A member of the prestigious American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), Ms. Weaver is a Board Certified Family Law Specialist, State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. Ms. Weaver practiced for more than a decade with the well-known Los Angeles family law litigation firm of Trope and Trope (Britney Spears’s former family law firm). Ms. Weaver left Trope and Trope to open a practice devoted to resolution of family law matters using innovative processes such as collaborative law and mediation.

Just Ask Dear Donna will be published on the first Friday of every month beginning today. Readers can submit their questions by completing this form. Dear Donna will choose one to three reader questions to answer each month and her answers will be published in her column on our website.

This is not legal advice. You should consult an attorney if you have legal questions that relate to your specific divorce. Technorati Tags: divorce lawyer expert donna beck weaver trope trope britney spears law firm legal answers child custody questions answers family attorney divorced marriage infidelity affair just ask dear donna women woman law