Agenda

Registration:                        7:30 – 8:00 am
Morning Session:                8:00 am – 12:15 pm
Lunch (On your own):         12:15 – 1:15 pm
Afternoon Session:             1:15 – 5:30 pm

Assisting with Family Law Case Intake

Assisting with initial client interview
Preparing engagement letter, opening file
Collecting information
Assisting with preparation of pleadings
Preparing for temporary orders hearing

Assisting with Child Custody and Visitation Issues  

Current status of custody law in California
Obtaining relevant information
Working with guardian-ad-litem
Working with experts
Drafting and reviewing parenting plans

Obtaining and Evaluating Financial Information

Identifying relevant information on assets, debts, income and expenses
Obtaining financial information
Evaluating the information you have obtained
Working with accountants and financial experts
Preparing financial statements

Ethics in Family Law: Allegations of Domestic Abuse

Domestic violence and divorce
Duties of attorney representing accuser
Duties of attorney representing accused

Ethics in Family Law: Conflicts of Interest and Client Confidentiality

Preventing conflicts of interest
Protecting client confidentiality

Ethics in Family Law: The Secretive or Dishonest Client  

Attorney duty of zealous representation
Attorney duty of candor toward the court

Ethics in Family Law: Avoiding the Unauthorized Practice of Law

   What is the unauthorized practice of law? 
   What a family law paralegal may and may not do

Credits

This seminar offers 8.0 CLE hours, including
4.0 ethics hours, to California paralegals.

NFPA Approved
NALA Approved

Continuing Education Credit Information

This seminar is open to the public and offers 8.0 CLE hours, including 4.0 ethics hours, to California paralegals.

The National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) has approved this course for 8.0 CLE hours, including 4.0 ethics hours.

The National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) has approved this course for 8.0 CLE hours, including 4.0 ethics hours.

The State Bar of California has approved HalfMoon Education as an MCLE sponsor for attorneys. This credential along with the NFPA course approval will be provided on course completion certificates.

Attendance will be monitored and attendance certificates will be available after the seminar for most individuals who complete the entire event. Attendance certificates not available at the seminar will be mailed to participants within fifteen business days.

Speakers

Patricia Van

Law Office of Patricia Van C. Haren

Attorney, Owner of Law Office of Patricia Van C. Haren, Irvine, CA
Ms. Van Haren has been a practicing attorney since May of 2011. Prior to attending law school, she was a family law and estate planning paralegal for approximately 20 years. In that time Ms. Van Haren acted as a paralegal for several attorneys. For several years before becoming an attorney, she assisted couples through uncontested divorces as a paralegal and provided document preparation assistance. After establishing her own practice, Ms. Van Haren used all of her skills and knowledge to develop her family law practice. She focuses solely on family law matters ranging from paternity actions, divorces, child custody and visitation, child and spousal support and property division. Ms. Van Haren’s practice handles litigation, collaborative divorce and mediations in all aspects of family law. She also focuses on guardianships, conservatorships, trust litigation and adoptions.

Sandy Wakim

Law Office of Patricia Van C. Haren

Attorney with the Law Office of Patricia Van C. Haren, Irvine, CA
Ms. Wakim started as a law clerk the summer before her third year of law school and received her juris doctor (JD) degree from Whittier Law School. During law school, she served as a member of the Trial Advocacy Honors Board, as a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Board and as president and vice president of the Whittier Law School Chapter of the St. Thomas More Society of Orange County for two years. Ms. Wakim has experience in family law, immigration law and criminal law and credits her knowledge in those fields to the time spent as a law clerk for both the private and public sector. After passing the bar, Ms. Wakim joined the Law Office of Patricia C. Van Haren as an associate attorney. She has dedicated her work to focusing on all aspects of family law.