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Walzer & Melcher LLP - Divorce Net

Walzer & Melcher LLP - Divorce Net


499 N. Canon Drive, Fourth Floor
Beverly Hills, California 90210
Phone: 310-557-0915
Fax: 818-591-3774

23975 Park Sorrento, Suite 250
Calabasas, California 91302
Phone: 818-591-3700

About Our Practice

Divorce is a difficult process. In addition to the stress and emotional turmoil, the legal system can be forbidding and inaccessible. The information on this website was developed by Walzer & Melcher LLP to help you understand the process and make good decisions about how to have the best possible outcome in your divorce. Please note that while the information is as accurate as we can make it, there are individual differences in cases that may make some of the information inapplicable to your situation. Please consult with a good divorce lawyer before making any important decisions.

Peter M. Walzer is the founding partner of Walzer & Melcher LLP. He is President- elect of the Southern California Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. He will be chair of the State Bar Family Law Executive Commitee for the 2005- 2006 year.

In the February 2005's issue of Los Angeles Magazine, Peter M. Walzer is listed in 100 Top Super Lawyers in Los Angeles County. He is one of ten family lawyers listed. He is also listed in the top 5% of all family lawyers in Southern California. Here is a link to his listing on the Super Lawyers website.

Representing Atheletes in Paternity Litigation Paternity and child support issues of interest to athletes, their agents, and their attorneys.

Who We Are

Exclusively Family Law — We represent clients in divorce, custody and paternity matters. We also draft premarital, postmarital, and cohabitation agreements. Our clients are business owners, executives, housewives, and professionals. We solve problems in the following areas: • Marital Dissolution • Spousal and Child Support • Custody and Visitation • Business Valuation and Stock Redemptions • Pension Distributions • Tax Issues in Marital Dissolutions • Interstate and International Family Law Disputes • Bankruptcy and Divorce • Paternity

Personal Service — We limit the type, size, and number of cases we accept so we can deliver efficient and personal service to each of our clients. We take a proactive role in each case seeking to handle the matter in the most cost effective and efficient way. We are able to handle client inquiries and requests on a same-day basis, and we respond to correspondence and discovery immediately.

Cost Conscious — Because litigation is expensive, we encourage the use of private judges and mediators from the beginning of the case. A settlement conference with a retired judicial officer is very effective in settling complex cases. We target discovery (depositions, interrogatories, and requests for documents) toward the specific issues that have to be addressed in order to keep costs down. We work closely with accountants, business lawyers, financial planners, and therapists in order to assist the client in getting expert assistance in family law related problems.

Successful Representation

Business Preserved in the Divorce

I represented a publisher with a business worth several million dollars. There was not enough cash in the business or in the marital estate to purchase his wife's interest. Working closely with my client's corporate counsel, I negotiated an arrangement where his ex-wife would continue ownership in the business, but control would remain with my client. He shared profits in the business by paying his ex-wife spousal support according to a formula, thus avoiding potential adverse tax consequences.

Professors' Pensions Pose a Problem

A college professor came to me to represent her in a divorce against her professor husband. The couple had interests in six pension plans, they owned a consulting business, two vacation homes in Utah, a residence here, and several partnerships. Husband was with his second attorney, and he was very angry. I convinced his new counsel to jointly retain a private judge to mediate the case. The case was settled quickly. I prepared the Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDRO), had husband's business appraised, resolved the tax issues, and effected the transfer of the real estate.

Child Kidnaping

A doctor from Bordeaux, France hired me to obtain the return of his two children. The mother hid the children in the trunk of her car, crossed the Pyrenees, brought them to the U.S., and concealed them in Riverside. After locating the children, I obtained a writ in lieu of habeas corpus and was able, with the assistance of the D.A. investigators, to pick up the children, have an emergency hearing, and return them to the father. As a volunteer attorney for the National Center for Missing and Abducted Children, I have recovered stolen children on several other occasions.

Complex Premarital Agreement

A client with substantial separate property came to me when he met and fell in love with a younger woman. He had previously been through an expensive and painful divorce. The challenge in negotiating the premarital agreement was to preserve the good feelings between the parties as well as protect my client from another financial disaster. I was able to preserve the relationship between my client and his fiancé, keep his separate property separate, and provide generously for his new wife. I lectured throughout the state on "Innovative Premarital Agreements — Estate Planning and Family Law" for Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB). I co-authored the chapter on premarital agreements in CEB's new book, "Marital Settlement Agreements and Other Family Law Agreements."

Please visit our main website, california-divorce.com for more information.

Notice: This communication is an advertisement as defined by The Rules of Professional Conduct and California Business and Professions Code. No communication resulting herein shall create an attorney-client relationship unless a separate retainer is signed by the attorney and the client.

Articles presented in this web site should be viewed only as a summary of each topic and not be construed as legal advice. Legal counsel should be sought for the answers to specific legal questions. Copyright © 2002 by Peter M. Walzer

Please email us or visit our website for additional information.