Santa Clara County, California

Santa Clara County, California, is located in the beautiful nine-county San Francisco Bay Area, which is the 53rd largest urban area in the world and the home of 7.15 million people. Santa Clara County is also known as “Silicon Valley,” and has a very diverse population of 116,468, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. The city of Santa Clara was founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, after being discovered in 1769 by Jose Francisco Ortega. Today, Santa Clara County is the home of many technology giants, such as Apple Computers, Applied Materials, Affymetrix, Agilent Technologies, Extreme Networks, Intel, McAfee, National Semiconductor, NVIDIA, Oracle, PMC-Sierra and Trident Microsystems, among others. Natural beauty, a near perfect climate and the nearby Santa Cruz Mountains provide the backdrop for an affluent lifestyle with fine hotels, world class restaurants and shopping. Santa Clara County also has California’s Great America Amusement Park and is home to the front office of the San Francisco 49ers NFL football team since 2006.

The Law Offices of Michele Elizabeth Hales, an association of attorneys is a family law firm practicing in Santa Clara County that is experienced in all phases of family law matters and has a reputation of success in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout California. Family law matters can be highly sensitive, often involving finances, children, and a full gamut of emotions. Our firm concentrates its entire practice on advising clients about their rights and responsibilities regarding separation and divorce, property settlement agreements, spousal support and child custody and support, among other areas. The Law Offices of Michele Elizabeth Hales, an association of attorneys has built a reputation for being aggressive trial attorneys when it comes to family law litigation matters, and are equally skilled in alternative dispute resolution services.

The distribution of property between the parties to of a divorce proceeding is of utmost importance and the drafting of a property settlement agreement should be done only by an attorney who is experienced in family law matters. California is a community property state, which means that all property, real or personal, wherever it is situated, acquired during the marriage relationship while living in the state is community property. Unless there is some agreement between the parties or some stipulation in court, community property will be divided equally between the parties. However, this does not apply to separate property, which is any property, real or personal, owned by a party prior to entering into the marriage relationship or acquired during the marriage by gift, bequest, devise or descent. Resolving disputes over separate property can require extensive and complex analysis, particularly when businesses or human capital are at issue.

If you are faced with any family law matters, including domestic abuse, please contact us at 408-297-2030 or 831-638-1082 for a confidential consultation about your particular situation. Our offices are conveniently located in San Jose, at 1550 The Alameda, Suite 308, and in Hollister at 719 San Benito Street, Suite D. Our family law attorneys and experienced staff look forward to working with you and providing you with the highest quality representation.