What is the name of your state? California, LA County.
First, Thank you to the moderators and "sysops" that make this possible. What a service you are providing. This is my first post.
I have seen my friend and co-worker go through a divorce. He is the supporting spouse in a long term marriage where there are no children. Wife filed for the divorce. The discovery process revealed to him that for the last ten years of the marriage, wife had forged his signature on creidit card applications. Just before filing for divorce, she transferred those debts to their joint credit accounts where he was primanry cardholder, which were awarded to him. He tried to subpoena two other credit accounts where he thinks the same thing happened, and wife's attorney had blocked his access to those accounts with a letter directing the bank not to respond (they are out of state). Wife had also obtained checks made out to him from his credit union savings account, where she was joint owner, and forged his endorsement on the back. She was doing all this without his permission, to wit, his forged signautre.
When he pays the retainer, my friend informs counsel of these activities. He is then billed for many hours spent in routine office activities, memos, letters, telephone calls, inter-office discussions, etc., etc., and then cannot get any attention to these matters of his wife's activites on their funds. He has been through three law firms looking for meaningful representation and this has happened with all three firms. Meanwhile, he continues to pay alimony and she will get half his pension when he retires. He is 62 yrs old. Wife effectively "cleaned his clock", leaving him not only broke, but in heavy debt as well at separation. He would like to recover his share of the community property or his half of the pension, if he could.
My question is; is it acceptable for firms to spend most of a client's money on routine activities, and then take no action in his behalf when it really counts? Are the remedies in Family Code for real or are they just a sham?
First, Thank you to the moderators and "sysops" that make this possible. What a service you are providing. This is my first post.
I have seen my friend and co-worker go through a divorce. He is the supporting spouse in a long term marriage where there are no children. Wife filed for the divorce. The discovery process revealed to him that for the last ten years of the marriage, wife had forged his signature on creidit card applications. Just before filing for divorce, she transferred those debts to their joint credit accounts where he was primanry cardholder, which were awarded to him. He tried to subpoena two other credit accounts where he thinks the same thing happened, and wife's attorney had blocked his access to those accounts with a letter directing the bank not to respond (they are out of state). Wife had also obtained checks made out to him from his credit union savings account, where she was joint owner, and forged his endorsement on the back. She was doing all this without his permission, to wit, his forged signautre.
When he pays the retainer, my friend informs counsel of these activities. He is then billed for many hours spent in routine office activities, memos, letters, telephone calls, inter-office discussions, etc., etc., and then cannot get any attention to these matters of his wife's activites on their funds. He has been through three law firms looking for meaningful representation and this has happened with all three firms. Meanwhile, he continues to pay alimony and she will get half his pension when he retires. He is 62 yrs old. Wife effectively "cleaned his clock", leaving him not only broke, but in heavy debt as well at separation. He would like to recover his share of the community property or his half of the pension, if he could.
My question is; is it acceptable for firms to spend most of a client's money on routine activities, and then take no action in his behalf when it really counts? Are the remedies in Family Code for real or are they just a sham?