Beverly Hills Divorce Lawyers

Family Law Services in Beverly Hills, CA

Marshall W. Waller holds the Certified Family Law Specialist (CFLS) designation from the State Bar of California, fellowship in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), and fellowship in the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL). Feinberg & Waller, APC handles divorce and family law matters for clients in Beverly Hills, Bel Air, West Hollywood, Brentwood, and surrounding Los Angeles communities from our office at 9440 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 301.

Call Feinberg & Waller, APC at (310) 627-2488 today or contact us online to schedule a consultation with a respected divorce attorney in Beverly Hills.

Divorce in Beverly Hills: What These Cases Actually Involve

Beverly Hills and the surrounding neighborhoods of Bel Air, Holmby Hills, Trousdale Estates, and Brentwood have a high concentration of entertainment industry professionals, business executives, and high-net-worth individuals. That context shapes what divorce cases at the Beverly Hills Courthouse actually look like.

The issues that arise most frequently here:

• Entertainment industry assets: profit participations, residuals, royalties from ongoing projects, and production company ownership interests require specialized valuation beyond standard business appraisal. The community versus separate property characterization of these income streams is frequently contested.
• Complex real property portfolios: multi-property ownership in Beverly Hills, Pacific Palisades, and adjacent high-appreciation markets often requires Moore/Marsden calculations, separate property tracing across decades of mortgage payments, and multiple licensed real property appraisals.
• Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements: enforcement disputes under California's Uniform Premarital Agreement Act (FC 1600 et seq.) turn on whether the agreement was executed voluntarily, whether full financial disclosure was made, and whether application of the agreement is unconscionable as written. We litigate both enforcement and challenge.
• Spousal support under FC 4320: longer marriages with significant income disparity produce high-dollar support disputes. The "marital standard of living" analysis in Beverly Hills cases requires evidence of household expenses, property maintenance costs, travel, and discretionary spending at a level that most standard income and expense declarations do not capture accurately.
• International assets: clients with offshore accounts, foreign real estate, or dual citizenship require coordination with international tax counsel on disclosure and transfer questions that are separate from the dissolution itself.

For cases involving business ownership, investment portfolios, or significant real property, see our high-asset divorce practice.

Filing for Divorce at the Beverly Hills Courthouse

Family law matters for Beverly Hills residents are filed at the Los Angeles Superior Court Beverly Hills Courthouse, 9355 Burton Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. This is the primary venue in western Los Angeles County for high-net-worth family law matters. The judicial officers assigned there have substantial familiarity with the valuation disputes and financial complexity that characterize local cases.

California requires 6 months of state residency and 3 months of Los Angeles County residency under FC 2320 before a dissolution petition can be filed here. Filing before the 3-month county residency requirement is met is a procedural error that creates jurisdictional problems down the line.

Automatic Temporary Restraining Orders (ATROs)

When a petition for dissolution is filed, ATROs under Family Code 2040 go into effect immediately and bind both parties from the moment of service. ATROs prohibit:

• Removing minor children from California without written consent or a court order
• Transferring, encumbering, or disposing of community property assets outside the ordinary course of business
• Canceling, cashing out, or modifying any insurance policies covering either party or the children
• Creating or modifying nonprobate asset transfers

ATROs are served with the petition papers. Many clients learn about their scope after the fact, at which point a violation has already occurred. Understanding what you cannot do before the other party files is one of the most practical reasons to consult an attorney early.

The Financial Disclosure Process

California requires both parties to exchange Preliminary Declarations of Disclosure (FC 2104) early in the proceeding, accompanied by a Schedule of Assets and Debts and an Income and Expense Declaration. In Beverly Hills cases, opposing disclosures are frequently incomplete: business interests are omitted, income from residuals or royalties is understated, and investment accounts held in entity structures are not listed. We review disclosure documents for what is absent, not just what is present.

Under FC 2107, deliberate failure to disclose can result in sanctions and set-aside of a judgment, including after entry.

The dissolution cannot be finalized until 6 months have elapsed from the date the petition was served on the respondent (FC 2339), regardless of when a settlement is reached.

Practice Areas

• Child Custody and Visitation
• Child Support
• Spousal Support
• Domestic Violence and Protective Orders
• Prenuptial Agreements
• High-Asset Divorce
• Property and Debt Division
• Relocation / Move-Away
• Paternity
• Post-Divorce Modifications
• International Divorce

Questions on how to get started on the divorce process? Get in touch with our Beverly Hills divorce attorneys and call (310) 627-2488 today.