Dear Donna,
What exactly is a Quadro? Can the money from a Quadro be transferred directly into an IRA or bank account? ~Puzzled in Peoria

A. Dear Puzzled,
QDRO (pronounced ‘QWA-dro’) stands for Qualified Domestic Relations Order. It is a special type of order issued by a divorce court that allows the divorce court to… read more…

Q. Dear Donna,
I’ve been married for about 7 1/2 years and now separated for 4 months. We have a 6-month-old child. My husband left us and moved into an apartment stating he didn’t love me anymore. Over the last 4 months, I’ve come to the conclusion that our marriage is over for me as well. During this time, I’ve also met a man who I think could be very special. We both realize I’m not in a position to make any future decisions and there has been no pressure to do so, but I wanted to know if it’s advisable that I not date during the separation. ~Dilemma in Dallas

A. Dear Dilemma,
It must have been difficult to hear this message from your husband, especially with a newborn at home. Dating during separation is always a hot topic. The good news is that it… read more…

Q. Dear Donna,
My husband after 17 years of marriage has filed for divorce and is claiming that he can trace all funds used to purchase vehicles and the residence from separate property acquired before the marriage. The vehicles have been depreciated off against a business I solely ran. We filed taxes jointly. Could you please point me in the direction of the laws concerning separate property? How is property commingled? ~Robbed in Reseda

A. Dear Robbed,
Don’t panic! Claims are only claims, and often they turn out to be “wishful thinking” on the part of the claimer. If properly traced, California law does recognize separate property contributions to property acquired during marriage, but there are limitations… read more…

Just Ask Dear Donna is a 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 is published on the first Friday of every monthy. Readers can submit their questions by completing this form. Dear Donna will choose one to three reader’s 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 ask a lawyer legal answers dating during divorce questions answers family attorney divorced marriage separate property commingle tracing trace QDRO Qualified Domestic Relations Order just ask dear donna women woman law