San Diego divorce attorney John Griffith lists what clients can learn from the recent Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes divorce.

San Diego, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 08/16/2012 -- Celebrity divorce can be messy, as can divorce for the general public. The Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes divorce has recently headlined celebrity news sites since the unexpected announcement of the divorce to the settlement reached in a speedy 12 days.

Here are three lessons learned from the fairly quick and savvy divorce:

#1: Where You File for Divorce Doesn't Affect Child Custody Settlements
"Courts begin their evaluation under the impression that balanced access to both parents is best for the children," says John Griffith of Griffith & Young, a San Diego divorce attorney. "If each parent offers a safe and stable environment for the children, there is a good chance for getting equally shared custodial time."

A mutual settlement was reached granting Holmes primary physical custody and allotting Cruise an apt amount of time with Suri.

#2: Don't Underestimate the Benefits of Prenuptial Agreements
"Prenuptial agreements can accelerate the divorce process, in the event that it does occur," says Griffith, a divorce lawyer in Oceanside.

In the case of Holmes and Cruise as shares Carlsbad divorce lawyer, they were able to focus more attention toward child custody with the distribution of assets already settled, thus arriving at a mutual agreement rather harmoniously.

#3: Agreements can Take Religious Views Into Account
Cruise is known for his devout Scientologist beliefs, adding a religious element to the divorce. According to TMZ.com, Holmes and Cruise reached an agreement that placed restrictions on certain topics of religion, including Scientology, that can be discussed with Suri.

Faith can be a sensitive subject, but family therapist Dr. Philip B. Dembo told Celebuzz he suggests that Cruise explain to his daughter that adults choose their faith and when she gets older she can learn about different beliefs and choose her own.

Many celebrities and fans are still surprised by the divorce. Holmes and Cruise had one of the smoothest and fastest divorces among celebrities; the public should note how they managed their divorce for future reference.

Learn More
If you want to know how to hire a San Diego divorce lawyer, visit http://www.SanDiego-Divorce-Law.com. To schedule your free initial consultation and case analysis, please call 858-345-1720.

About Griffith & Young
The divorce lawyers at Griffith & Young have extensive litigation experience in all areas of family law practice and California divorce law. Based in San Diego, Griffith & Young offers low flat fee services, a sliding hourly scale and military discounts.

© 2012 Master Google and Griffith & Young. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Master Google and Griffith & Young are credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this document is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

San Diego, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 07/16/2012 -- The Department of Defense recently discovered that military couples are one of the few demographics in the United States with a rising divorce rate. Marriage for couples with a spouse in the military is much more complicated than a typical marriage. The divorce process for military couples is also more involved than a civilian divorce.

"Cases of divorce between military couples are different from the typical divorce case," said San Diego divorce lawyer John Griffith of Griffith & Young. "Child custody and child support is a complex matter in military divorces, particularly if one of the spouses is deployed outside of the United States."

Financial tension is the major cause of divorce for military couples, like many Americans. A recent article in USA Today revealed that military couples were twice as likely to accumulate more than $10,000 in credit card debt than the typical civilian family.

Researchers learned frequent deployments of a military spouse boosted the chances of the couple divorcing.

In light of these issues, the government decided to create certain acts to help military couples.

The Service members Civil Relief Act was passed in 2003 to defer certain civil obligations and ease the financial tensions of the spouses and family of deployed soldiers. SCRA assists military families with financial liabilities, such as mortgages and credit card debt.

If a military couple seeks to divorce, they can rest assured knowing the legal process is much like a civilian divorce.

The Service Member Family Protection Act was enacted to aid military couples in impartially devising a child custody plan and removing the possibility of the service member denied custody because of previous deployments.

The intricacies of military divorce demand a family attorney give the divorce case careful attention.

Griffith, as a veteran of the U.S. Army, helps military couples compassionately through his divorce counseling services. Griffith, a divorce attorney in Carlsbad, provides his services to active duty service members at a discounted hourly rate.

Learn More
Learn more about Griffith & Young and their services by visiting www.SanDiego-Divorce-Law.com. To schedule your free initial consultation and case analysis, please call 858-345-1720.

About Griffith & Young
The divorce lawyers at Griffith & Young have extensive litigation experience in all areas of family law practice and California divorce law. Based in San Diego, Griffith & Young offers low flat fee services, a sliding hourly scale and military discounts.

© 2012 Master Google and Griffith & Young, APC. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Master Google and Griffith & Young, APC are credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this document is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

San Diego, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 02/15/2012 -- California Family Courts recently awarded a ruling in favor of a mother of two for unpaid child support and spousal support.

The client was represented by San Diego child support lawyer John Griffith of Griffith & Young, APC, in Encinitas, California.

"Cases involving child custody and property division can go on for months," said the divorce lawyer. "This case was litigated for over a year and a half."

The client was advised by her lawyer to maintain a detailed account of time each parent spent with the children. She kept a calendar which was a crucial piece of evidence in the case.

Family courts use a formula as a guideline to calculate the amount of support to be paid. The goal is to maintain the standard of living currently experienced by the children.

Factors such as the income of the parents and basic living expenses are considered in this guideline formula.

"It's not uncommon for the percentage of time each parent spends with the kids to be disputed by the one ordered to pay child support," said Griffith, a family attorney. "The more time the payor spends with the children can result in a drastic reduction in the amount of the child support order."

In a counter-tactic, the payee may seek to maximize the amount of child support received and may dispute percentages to increase the amount ordered.

Detailed records of child visitation were used by the lawyer who persuaded the courts in favor of the mother.

The father was ordered to pay $7000 in unpaid child support which was past due throughout the course of the year.

"Underpayment for several months resulted in a lump sum owed by the husband," said Griffith who specializes in family law.

Griffith explained that such a hefty amount of child support arrears was easily avoidable if the husband had kept his own records of time he spent with the kids.

Learn More
Learn more about Griffith & Young, APC and their services by visiting www.SanDiego-Divorce-Law.com. To schedule your free initial consultation and case analysis, please call 858-345-1720.

About Griffith & Young, APC
The divorce lawyers at Griffith & Young, APC have extensive litigation experience in all areas of family law practice and California divorce law. Based in San Diego, Griffith & Young, APC offers low flat fee services, a sliding hourly scale and military discounts.

© 2012 Master Google and Griffith & Young, APC. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Master Google, an online company offering Google optimized press release tips, and Griffith & Young, APC are credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this document is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm