Best Legal Services Thousand Oaks Near Me

4worldlovers: We are passionate about providing successful outcomes for our clients. Our promise to all our clients is to offer the very best legal document preparation services and to consistently exceed your expectations.

What Is Estate Planning? Estate planning is the preparation of tasks that serve to manage an individual's asset base in the event of their incapacitation or death. The planning includes the bequest of assets to heirs and the settlement of estate taxes. KEY TAKEAWAYS Estate planning involves determining how an individual’s assets will be preserved, managed, …

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The Hall of Justice in Ventura has six family law departments, Departments 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36. The East County Courthouse in Simi Valley no longer provides court services and Department S2 has relocated to Department 35. The Hall of Justice hears all family law cases except for adoptions, guardianships (probate) and juvenile (dependency) cases which are heard in Departments J1, J2 and J5 in the Juvenile Courthouse on Vineyard Avenue in Oxnard.


We help clients in family law cases. Completing a family law case can be complex and expensive if the case is contested. This is particularly true of custody disputes and complex property issues. In contentious or indecisive custody battles, if mediation alone is insufficient, the courts could refer the case to psychologists for a custody evaluation (MMPI and Rorschach tests are common). Attorneys also avidly seek help from forensic accountants, actuaries, appraisers and therapists. It is possible to use private mediation for custody cases, and to conduct trials out of the courtroom. 'ADR' or alternative dispute resolution has a strong following, and many good retired judges make themselves available. Cases should be worked out with care and attention. Settlement discussions may take as much work as preparing for a court hearing, but a party to a settlement is in more control of the outcome.

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Attorney Christina Shaffer is prepared to litigate as necessary on behalf of divorce and family law clients. Our comprehensive family law services include representation for issues related to uncontested and contested divorce, divorce mediation, division of marital property, child support, child custody, alimony, paternity, step-parent adoption, domestic partnerships, and restraining orders.


We take pride in our commitment to providing client-oriented service as well as in our thorough handling of each client's case. From our initial consultation through the completion of your case, whether by way of negotiation, mediation, or litigation, we offer prompt, personal attention as we work for excellent results for our clients. Former clients say we are approachable, responsive, efficient, and effective in providing quality legal representation and accurate guidance.


Everyone at The Law Office of Christina Shaffer remains truly grateful for the reputation we’ve developed among clients who’ve come to expect a few key differences from our team.


Looking back over the years of success we’ve enjoyed at The Law Office of Christina Shaffer the most pride comes not from our track record of success, but the real difference we’ve made in the lives of our clients

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A lawyer, mediator and law school professor with over 25 years Family Law experience, Barton Pokras uses a wide range of conflict resolution strategies to help resolve sensitive family law matters. His goal is to maintain healthy relationships and to protect the interests of children. Barton has always counseled his family law clients to pursue their goals amicably and with dignity. He has considerable experience in helping people reach solutions that both conform to their highest ideals and safeguard their most important interests. Barton will show you the various methods that are available for solving the problems facing you, and help you chose the option that best suits your situation. While litigation (going to court) is sometimes necessary, his many years of experience in representing clients in court has shown him that it is almost always better to resolve family law disputes outside the court system. The basic options for obaining a divorce are:


Barton Pokras is a Family Law Attorney & Mediator. He has also been a law professor teaching California Community Property Law. His practice is devoted to Family Law matters, and he helps people with the following issues:

Barton Pokras also has considerable experience in the areas of taxation, business law, contracts and real property so that he is particularly able to assist divorcing families who own businesses, have sophisticated estate plans, real property holdings and retirement plans that need to be dealt with in the division of community assets and liabilities. When the parents of children live in different states it isn’t always clear which state has the jurisdiction to decide custody and visitation issues. Each of the 50 states in the USA has enacted a uniform set of laws dealing with the issues of interstate child custody jurisdictional disputes. Sometimes only one of the states can lawfully exercise jurisdiction, and sometimes more than one state has jurisdiction. In situations where more than one state has jurisdiction, there is a procedure for determining which of these states will hear the case. Barton Pokras has experience in this area, and has successfully litigated these issues. Some divorces are known as “high conflict divorces.” These are the cases that usually end up going to trial in court. These cases are generally not suitable for mediation or collaborative practice, because at least one of the parties is not interested in reaching a settlement. In many of these cases one of the spouses has a clinical personality disorder (e.g. borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder). He doesn’t have the expertise, of course, to make such a diagnosis, but he works with mental health professionals who are familiar with these types of individuals, and he has experience in this area of family law. His approach in these cases is to proactively “defend” his clients, devise strategies to keep the costs down, and to associate with experienced mental health professionals to protect the client and any children who may be involved. Barton’s law degree is from the University of California, Hastings College of Law (1972, Honors), and he has a Master of Laws in Taxation from Golden Gate University Law School in San Francisco (1981).

After my ex-spouse made a custody change without discussing with me, I contacted Mr. Pokras. He immediately understood the urgency of my case, had paperwork complete the same night…

“With his sincere compassion for me as a person, he shattered the perceived mold of a typical lawyer”

He was highly professional, remarkably proficient in the law and all its nuances, and persistently resolved in achieving what was equitable with incredible creativeness, especially in the courtroom…

“He was an engaged advocate committed to protecting my position throughout”

My experience with Barton Pokras started out great and just got better! At the outset, he was able to put me at ease during a very difficult divorce process. His expertise was evident immediately. His measured, consistent, calm approach finally won the day...