Criminal Defense and Family Law in San Bernardino, Orange, and Riverside Counties
The Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer are a family law and criminal defense attorney's office serving San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange Counties. Attorney Matthew J. Singer has many years of experience in criminal defense and family law. He was trained under the only attorney in the State of California dually certified as a specialist in both criminal and family law. Matthew J. Singer is a family man and a good neighbor. He is a southern California native and cares about the community that we all share. With Matthew J. Singer as your attorney, you will be able to build a lasting relationship. He will be around to defend you, fight for you, and give you good advice.
Our goal is to provide you with the best possible representation, and our mission is to find our opponent's mistakes.
The Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer are prepared to represent you in issues of Family Law and Criminal Defense.
|
|
Family Law
We recognize that family law issues can be emotionally and physically taxing. Hiring a good attorney may be the only thing that can prevent a disastrous outcome for you, your children, and your property. Let the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer shoulder the burden of your case for you. Some of the areas we can help you with are the following:
|
Criminal Defense
The Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer understands that people accused of crimes deserve a good criminal defense attorney. Defenses include, but are not limited to the following:
- DUI Offenses,
- Theft Offenses,
- Drug Offenses,
- Crimes of Violence,
- Weapons-Related Crimes,
- Sex Crimes,
- DMV and Traffic-Related Offenses,
- White Collar Crimes, or
- Cleaning Up Your Record.
|
DIVORCE
Divorce cases are first and foremost about the lives of the people involved. Divorce means permanent changes for both spouses and children, which leaves many important issues to address. The Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer understands the outcome of your divorce will affect the quality of the rest of your family's lives. We focus on assisting husbands and wives in these challenging decisions with regard to home life, property, and parenthood. We are committed to helping our clients through these challenges with compassionate yet uncompromising representation. If you are considering filing for divorce, contact an experienced dissolution of marriage attorney; contact Matthew J. Singer for an initial consultation.
We confidently handle any type of divorce from straightforward uncomplicated divorces with no children and little property to complex dissolutions involving significant assets and contested child custody issues. Our firm tries to provide clients with a realistic perspective of their case and the potential outcomes. We work diligently to achieve our clients' goals, within the bounds of professional and ethical representation. We'll start by sitting down with you and listening to your needs. We will make sure you fully understand how each decision you make will impact your family. We won't let you rush into emotional decisions to fight for settlement details that will cost you money in court, but might have a negative impact on what your life will be like in the future. We believe that mediation and negotiated settlements are almost always the better alternative to courtroom litigation, but we will fight aggressively for your rights when the other side doesn't want to play fair.
Divorce Representation:
• Contested and uncontested divorce
• Child custody, child support, and visitation
• Domestic violence issues
• Marital asset division
• Legal separation
• Financial asset and property valuation
• Pension, retirement accounts, deferred compensation division
Our main focus of practice is on family law issues. When you come to us, you won't be just one of many cases or clients. We understand that your case is unique; we can focus on you and what you need. Our aim is to help our clients from a period of conflict to a better time in their lives. If you are considering filing for divorce, contact an experienced family law attorney, contact Matthew J. Singer.
DIVORCE MEDIATION
In family law and divorce mediation, the parties meet each other on a level playing field with a certified mediator who serves as a neutral third party to facilitate appropriate and reasonable solutions to all the issues that need to be decided. Divorce mediation may not be appropriate for all parties or to resolve all issues. In some cases, divorce mediation will resolve all issues, while in other cases; the parties may resolve some issues through mediation and other issues at trial. However, even with contentious parties, the process often works, and the parties are surprised to find themselves on common ground. At the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer we provide mediation services for clients who have decided to forego hiring their own attorneys, or have retained attorneys but have agreed to accept mediated resolutions. We offer clients cost-effective, time-saving and healthier options to a traditional, court-based divorce. As a result we take the entire family into consideration as we help both sides negotiate mutually beneficial agreements.
Divorce mediation is less expensive and produces the same legally binding agreements. The benefits of mediation include: control over the outcome, savings in time and money, privacy, less stress, no court appearance, no prolonged legal battles, and less strain on the children. Many families opt for divorce mediation as an effective way to resolve their legal concerns. Unlike depending on a judge's verdict, families have control over the agreement reached in mediation. In mediation, it is you who has the ultimate say. You can suggest ideas to the mediator and develop or respond to ideas suggested. Many people who participate in mediation are very satisfied with the results because they had a chance to create their own solutions. Aside from saving time and money, mediation produces impressive psychological benefits to the family. Studies indicate that children recover more quickly from the stress of a divorce when the parents use mediation. The number of couples who return to court after mediation is less than one-third of the number who obtained litigated divorce settlements.
Divorce mediation services are designed to help you resolve a range of family matters, including:
Contact the family law attorneys at the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer to learn about alternative methods for resolving such divorce issues as property division, child custody and visitation, parental rights, and other family law matters. Mediation can help resolve legal problems in a divorce through more efficient and effective means than going to court.
CHILD CUSTODY
When you decide to separate or divorce, many decisions must be made that will have a significant impact on your children. In California, child custody is based on the best interests of the child. If the two parties cannot agree on a child custody arrangement, they will be ordered to mediation to try and resolve the issue. If your child custody dispute cannot be resolved through mediation, the court will issue a temporary child custody order based on the recommendations of the mediator. You and your spouse have a right to a child custody trial before the court will issue a final order. The Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer are thoroughly familiar with California State family law regarding parenting and custody. With over 12 years experience, we have effectively represented hundreds of clients in divorces and other family law actions involving contested and agreed child custody cases. We understand that child custody cases often involve highly emotional conditions, and we specialize in providing intense but respectful representation. We will carefully review each case with the client and summarize its strengths and weaknesses. If you are thinking about filing a divorce, paternity, or other family law action that involves child custody, contact the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer today.
We can help resolve all types of custody and physical issues such as:
- Joint custody
- Sole custody
- Child relocations, move-aways
- Parenting plans and visitation rights
- Parenting plan modifications
- Child support enforcement and modifications
- Post-secondary support
- Paternity
- Guardianships
In determining who will have primary physical custody of the children, one of the factors the court considers is which parent is more likely to allow frequent and continuing visitation (called parenting time) with the other parent. As a child custody attorney, I’ll work with you to develop a parenting plan that will allow both the parents and the children to adjust to the parents' separation. We also encourage parties to seek counseling for themselves and their children. At the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer, we are committed to guiding you through every step of a child custody action. We approach our cases with intensity and respect, and we recognize our responsibility not only to our clients, but also to promote and protect the best interests of children.
If your divorce will include child custody legal matters, contact a child custody attorney at Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer for a low-cost initial consultation about our legal services. Put your child custody and parenting time concerns into the hands of an experienced family law attorney and get the help you need today!
CHILD SUPPORT
Divorcing or separated parents often find that child support issues cause the most conflict. Making sure you and your child have financial support is extremely important. It is essential to have a child support attorney that will compassionately advocate for the enforcement and collection of child support on behalf of the child and the parent, while keeping their best interests in mind. Part of the child support process is making sure your child support rights are correctly calculated based on your income. The experience personnel at the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer can help make sure that all child support payments are accurately calculated and enforced. Contact the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer for an initial consultation and more information on child support obligations.
With over 12 years of experience as a family lawyer we have represented numerous clients in child support matters from the most basic to the most difficult and complex. Our goal is to help divorcing parents work together to reach a suitable child support agreement. We handle child support enforcement actions, contempt actions, and negotiate and litigate on behalf of parties seeking back support judgments, as well as those defending against such actions. In the State of California, there are specific guidelines that are used to determine child support arrangements. Child support is based on income and expenses, as well as a formula that takes child custody into account. While a child's well being cannot be reduced merely to the amount of financial support he or she receives, supporting a child at a level that is fair to all of the parties is important to a child's growth and development.
Our divorce and child support attorneys can assist you with any of the following:
SPOUSAL SUPPORT (ALIMONY)
The issue of spousal support, or alimony, is a difficult subject that comes up in many divorce cases. Alimony creates a debtor/creditor relationship between you and your spouse and leaves a lasting connection between both of you until the obligation for alimony ends. There are several types of alimony: temporary (during the divorce case), rehabilitative (to enable a party to become retrained, educated, and self-sufficient), bridge-the-gap, permanent, and lump sum. A party may be entitled a combination of these types of alimony, depending upon one party's need for alimony and the other party's ability to pay alimony. Many times, we must take an in depth look into the parties' actual income and available assets, the marital standard of living, and other complex issues. If you need help in calculating a fair and sufficient amount of alimony, contact your spousal support attorney at the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer today.
If you have been married at least ten years, the court may order permanent support, which would continue until death or remarriage of the supported spouse. For tax purposes, spousal support is recognized as income and must be taken into account when filing federal income tax returns. Typically, the spouse who pays support may deduct the payments. Spousal support orders can be changed under certain circumstances, including remarriage, loss of a job, or any other increase or decrease in income of either party. At the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer, as an Inland Empire and Orange County divorce lawyer we have been offering honest and aggressive advocacy for clients seeking financial support from their spouses or ex-spouses and defending spouses who are ordered to pay support to ensure that the amount is fair and appropriate.
PROPERTY DIVISION
Since California is a community property state, division of assets and debts in divorce can pose a significant challenge. Many factors can affect the final property settlement. At the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer, our firm has achieved equitable property settlement agreements for countless clients in situations that span a wide range of marital asset levels. Often the complexities of a divorce are amplified by concerns regarding division of assets and debt. This is especially true for clients with high-value property and significant individual and marital investments and debt, including:
- Investment assets
- Family-owned businesses and closely held corporations
- Professional practice interests, inventory, and investments
- High value homes such as vacation homes and investment real estate
- IRS tax debt
- Credit card debt
At the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer, located in the Inland Empire and Orange County, California, we focus on family law matters and have extensive experience litigating divorce cases, drafting marital agreements and handling custody matters and property settlements. We have the competence you need to ensure that all aspects of your family law case, including financial matters, are fully developed prior to the final divorce decree. We represent individuals throughout the Inland Empire and Orange County and provide experienced, specialized legal services related to property division in divorce.
COMMUNITY PROPERTY vs. SEPARATE PROPERTY
California is one of nine states recognizing community property division.
- Community property describes all assets (and debts) that were jointly acquired during marriage. Each spouse is seen as contributing equally, regardless of individual income, so community property is divided evenly. This means that each spouse receives one-half of these assets, which can include money, real estate, retirement plans, furniture, automobiles, and possessions.
- Separate property is property that belongs to one spouse and is not subject to division in divorce. This includes property that a spouse brought to the marriage (a house, a business, pension funds) or assets or debts acquired in the name of one spouse during the marriage (an inheritance, personal injury award, or education loans).
We work with professional appraisers, accountants, and actuaries to properly value marital assets, then work diligently with you to tailor an innovative and fair proposal, or properly evaluate the other party's proposal. Our experience, skill, knowledge, and ability to fashion tailored settlement agreements to meet your needs are part of the professional legal services we provide. Our firm is here to protect your marital rights and ensure you receive an equitable distribution of all assets and debt. At the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer, as an experienced divorce attorney I can help ensure that property division is fair by identifying all relevant factors and identifying and assigning ownership and correct valuations to all assets and liabilities, including, when appropriate, the use of forensic accounts to locate hidden assets, business valuation experts, and other financial experts. Contact your divorce and family law attorney today.
DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP
The Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer in the Inland Empire and Orange County, California, are well-familiar with California domestic partnership law with regard to both domestic partnership formation and domestic partnership termination. We possess a unique sensitivity with regard to difficult issues such as those involving children and domestic partnerships. We are at the forefront of domestic partnership law and have helped many couples resolve their partnership legal issues. Contact us today for knowledgeable, understanding legal representation.
A same-sex couple or qualified heterosexual couple is eligible for a "domestic partnership" under California State law. Our firm is experienced in assisting same-sex and other qualified couples in preparing the necessary documents to file for a domestic partnership to secure their rights. Because this is a complex and frequently changing body of law, which can have serious personal and financial implications, we encourage you to seek our advice concerning your rights and responsibilities under this law, and to let us help you take control of how your relationships are structured. We are prepared to explain the rights and obligations of couples entering into a domestic partnership or co-habitation agreement. Before entering a domestic partnership arrangement, we will help you explore all of options and alternatives.
The State of California allows couples to file for domestic partnership registry. To qualify for domestic partnership the couple:
- Must have a common residence
- Cannot be married
- Cannot be in a domestic partnership with someone else
- Cannot be related by blood
- Must be at least 18 years of age
- Must be members of the same sex or one person must be over the age of 62
- Both must be capable of consent
If you qualify and are registered, you have several rights of domestic partners that were formerly reserved for married persons. Some of these expanded rights include:
- The right to use step-parent adoption procedures
- Health care and medical emergency rights
- Protections on the death of a partner
- Employment benefits
- Tax benefits.
A law that went into effect on January 1, 2005, recognizes community property in domestic partnerships, includes the right to spousal support, and establishes children who were born while the couple was in the domestic partnership as the children of both partners. The Declaration of Domestic Partnership can protect your rights and those of your children in times of family crisis. We are familiar with the differences between California and federal law regarding the rights of unmarried partners. We use our knowledge to advise clients about the choices they face. For more information about registered domestic partnership law, contact us at the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer today.
POST JUDGMENT MODIFICATION
Circumstances often change and as a result earlier court rulings may no longer suit your needs. It is sometimes necessary to return to court and ask for help enforcing a ruling made by the judge, such as orders to pay debts, pay child or spousal support, or to provide you with access to your children. Other times it is necessary to ask the court for a divorce-decree modification in order to adjust child support or custody arrangements.
The Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer will perform a careful review of the original judgment, listen to your needs and concerns, assess the current situation, and explain the options available to you under California law. We represent individuals throughout the Inland Empire and Orange County providing experienced, specialized legal services related to post decree modifications or enforcements. A substantial change in circumstances may make current child custody, visitation, child support, and alimony awards impractical or impossible. When this occurs, a post-judgment modification may be necessary. Even if we didn’t represent you in your original divorce proceedings, our firm can guide you through the process of modification or enforcement of prior orders.
Modifications or Enforcement can include:
Child Support: Your child's needs may change. Parents sometimes experience employment changes or illness. Sometimes opportunities, like private school education arise. Our firm is experienced and familiar with California law; we can help you make these modifications.
- Spousal Support: We have years of experience helping clients increase or decrease spousal support. Clients often approach us because their income levels are not what they use to be. It can be for a variety of reasons, like an injury, company downsizing, or whatever the situation may be. At the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer we can help make changes according to your needs.
- Child Custody: When one parent moves or a child's needs change, child custody modifications are often required. We can answer your questions about how California family law views these changes. We examine the reasons behind the change and issues regarding suitability of the other parent. Sometimes these circumstances necessitate the appointment of a guardian ad litem in the divorce decree modification process
If you are in need of an experienced Inland Empire or Orange County family law attorney who will listen to your unique situation and advocate diligently for your rights and interests, the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer can help. Contact us today to discuss your need to modify or enforce the terms of your final judgment of your divorce. We offer a low-cost initial consultation.
PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENTS
Unfortunately, divorce rates in the United States remain high. Statistics show that 50% of all marriages will end in divorce. Naturally, almost no couple plans to get divorced before they get married. A prenuptial agreement or a premarital agreement is a contract between a man and woman before they are married. It is important to note that California is a community property state. In other words, any property you acquire after being married is subject to division should you get divorced – including interest on investments, property, and retirement plans. Creating a prenuptial agreement allows you or your spouse to protect certain assets from being subject to division should you get a divorce later. In some cases a couple can greatly benefit from pre-nuptial or post nuptial agreements. By making agreements before marriage about how property should be divided after marriage, not only can you avoid a lot of expensive and confrontational divorce litigation, but in some cases each party knows up front what the other parties' financial expectations are going into the marriage or relationship.
With our 12 years of experience as an Inland Empire and Orange County divorce lawyer the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer have a high level of focus on family law. Our firm will develop the appropriate prenuptial agreements and, if necessary, litigate the validity of these agreements during divorce proceedings. Prenuptial agreements can address a wide variety of concerns and can dramatically simplify division of property and commingled assets, especially in complex and high-asset cases. Whether you are somebody who wants to protect your financial interests in the event of divorce, or somebody who has been requested to sign a prenuptial agreement prior to or as a condition of marriage, the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer will thoroughly review your individual situation in order to either draft or review a fair, binding prenuptial agreement. Our firm is dedicated to helping people all across the Inland Empire and Orange County.
POSTNUPTIAL AGREEMENTS
Families change. Situations change. Incomes change. Life happens. Post-nuptial agreements, also known as post marital agreements, are agreements entered into after a marriage has taken place, but before the parties seek to divorce. As with premarital agreements, one or both of the parties usually is seeking to protect assets or income in the event of divorce.
Reasons to consider Postnuptial Agreement:
- You and your spouse may have discussed a prenuptial agreement before your wedding but did not get it done in time.
- You can protect your assets in the event of separation or divorce.
- You may have a prenuptial agreement but wish to make modifications.
- You may want to protect your business.
- You and your spouse may be considering divorce but want to try working on your relationship.
At the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer, we are committed to personalized service for our clients. Especially in the case of a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement, it’s important to listen to what people want, their current situation, as well as what they’re concerned about if they’ve been married before. Taking the time to listen and understand our client’s position is essential to create a prenuptial agreement that honors both you and your spouse’s wishes. If you are considering some type of marital agreement or believe that a change in life circumstances requires a modification to an existing agreement, contact the prenuptial and postnuptial attorney at the law Offices of Matthew J. Singer today.
ANNULMENTS
Do you need an Inland Empire or Orange County annulment lawyer? Orange County and Inland Empire divorce lawyers from the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer can help. An annulment (also called "nullity of domestic partnership" or "nullity of marriage") is when a court decides that your marriage is null and “void” (can never be legally recognized as a marriage in the state of California, such as a marriage involving a spouse who is already legally married at the time of the union) or “voidable” (declared void by
court decree). There are several specific conditions for which grounds for an annulment may be granted:
- Bigamy
- Marriage to a relative (incest)
- Underage Spouse
- Coercion
- Fraud
- Mental/Physical Incapacity
Annulments have to be granted by a judge. Once a marriage is annulled it means that the marriage never existed.
Annulments Resulting From Fraud
Entering into a marriage deceitfully is grounds for an annulment. One example of fraud is when sterility or pregnancy that was not known prior to the marriage is discovered after the ceremony. Denying sexual relationships or an unwillingness to have children when that was previously promised is also a form of fraud. In addition, a fraudulent marriage, entered in order for someone from another country to secure a green card, can be annulled. Discovering a past criminal record or fugitive status could also lead to an annulment of the marriage.
Although not an easy decree to obtain, the Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer has successfully had marriages annulled and can carefully decipher whether an annulment is the proper legal action to take. We are dedicated to helping those all across the Inland Empire and Orange County. Our goal is to work toward a fair resolution of your concerns, with a very responsive, compassionate and competent approach to the process. We are as aggressive as necessary but we have a firm commitment to do as much as possible to seek an early, equitable conclusion in all matters. Our firm has a high level of focus on family law issues, and that focus has given us the knowledge about the grounds to annul a marriage and the experience to aggressively represent our clients.
Our mission to find the opponent's mistakes.
The Law Offices of Matthew J. Singer understand the difficult situation you are in and will use every available resource to ensure your rights are protected. Our main goal is to achieve the best possible result and protect you and your family.
Local Phone 1-909-884-313
