Military Divorce & Support

Military Divorce + Support

UNDERSTANDING THE UNIQUE COMPLEXITIES

Military Experience

Schaffer Family Law Group understands the nuances of military divorce and support. Our San Diego family law firm was founded by Sarah Schaffer, a Colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserves who spent five years on active duty serving as a logistics officer in Okinawa, Japan, and Quantico, Virginia. She currently serves as the Reserve Officer in charge of Legal Support Services Pacific.

Inside Perspective

Military families in San Diego find that this background gives our attorneys an inside perspective on their particular needs. Whether you are active or former military personnel, know that we understand the complications that you will be dealing with and the uniqueness of your individual matter when it comes to military divorce and support.

Expertise + Compassion

We specifically work with military and former military members on equitably dividing military retired pay and survivor benefit plans. Our comprehension of and compassion for the needs of military families is one of the key elements of our military divorce and support, and we know that this brings all of our military personnel clients great comfort.

Specifically,

WE CAN ALSO HELP YOU WITH THE FOLLOWING

Stop / Postpone Divorce While Deployed

Through the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, we can work to obtain a “stay of proceedings,” which can stop a divorce proceeding until you have returned to the states if you are deployed. If you would like your divorce to proceed while you are overseas, we can also handle appearances on your behalf.

Navigating Division of Military Retired Pay and Division of Property

In San Diego military divorces, there are many factors that contribute to evaluating and dividing up property, military benefits and retired pay, some of which are determined by the Uniformed Services Former Spouse Protection Act (USFSPA). It is important that you work with an experienced San Diego family law attorney who understands how military retired pay is determined in California, and other important considerations such as the Survivor Benefit Plan and disability pay.

Child Custody Cases for Active Duty Service Members

There are specific provisions of the California Family Code to protect service members with respect to child custody and visitation. Schaffer Family Law Group can help guide you through the legal process in San Diego to ensure that you and your spouse arrive at a fair custody agreement that makes sense for you and your children.

An uncontested divorce – one where you and your spouse have agreed on the issues posed by the breakup of your marriage—is likely to be finalized sooner than dissolution proceeding with unresolved property and custody issues. How well both parties can work together to come to an agreement will significantly impact how quickly your divorce can be finalized