Family Law

Ashley Andrews solely practices family law and focuses on the following areas:

• Pre-Marital Agreements
• Pre-Divorce and Pre-Paternity Action Advice and Preparation
• Divorce – contested and uncontested (amicable divorce) cases
• Confidential or high profile divorce cases
• Paternity
• Division of Marital Assets
• Child Custody and Visitation – including post-judgment modification of custody and visitation
• Child Custody Move-Away Cases
• Child Support and Spousal Support - including post-judgment modification of child support and spousal support
• Domestic Violence Restraining Orders
• Step Parent Adoptions
• Adult Adoptions

Litigation

For those family law cases that must be litigated, Ashley offers aggressive and smart strategies and methods to achieve just and fair results for her clients and, if the case involves minor children, for their children. To name a few, her litigation skills have yielded: an award of all community property assets to a client on a breach of fiduciary duty argument; success in securing, and defending against, domestic violence restraining orders; 50/50 custody and visitation awards for fathers; prevailing in move-away cases ranging from relocating with a minor child from Los Angeles to San Diego to relocating with a minor child from Los Angeles to the East Coast; and, private divorces for celebrities and other high profile individuals.

Uncontested Matters

For those family law cases that are likely to be resolved amicably, Ashley offers her clients proven conflict resolution skills. These skills enable parties to achieve agreements that are enforceable and fair without having to waste time and money in court. For parties who have reached an agreement with regard to the terms for their divorce or paternity matters, Ashley will assist them with all the necessary judgment documents and court filings to memorialize their agreements and finalize their matters pursuant to California law.

Background

During law school, Ashley interned with the following: Children’s Law Center at Edelman’s Children’s Courthouse, the Loyola Law School Center for Conflict Resolution, where she gained invaluable skills and training as a mediator, the Central Trials Branch of the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, where she worked closely with City Attorneys to prepare cases for trial, and, in the Los Angeles Superior Court where she was assigned to the Honorable Michael E. Pastor and the Honorable Kathleen Kennedy-Powell. Judge Kennedy-Powell is well known for presiding over the O.J. Simpson Preliminary Hearing and Judge Pastor has gained recognition over the years for handling a variety of high-profile cases such as those involving Jason Priestley, Cameron Diaz and, most recently, Conrad Murray. Soon after she graduated from law school, Ashley was hired as an associate with Patten, Faith & Sandford, a prestigious San Gabriel Valley law firm for over 40 years, where she took over the respected family law practice of Eric Faith, who had practiced family law in the area for over 30 years and had become a Certified Family Law Specialist. Up until Ashley and her business partner, Tom Hoffman, started Hoffman and Andrews on July 1, 2010 Ashley was mentored by Eric Faith and Lorraine Grindstaff, a well-known and respected class action and appellate attorney.

Ashley thoroughly enjoys practicing family law and continues to attend seminars and legal education courses offered throughout the country to learn new techniques and strategies for assisting her clients. When she is not working at Hoffman & Andrews, she can often be found at the gym working out while reading case law updates and family law treatises. Ashley has experienced how a divorce can have a deleterious effect on those involved and works tirelessly with her clients to minimize the impact of their divorce or paternity actions and, especially, the impact on their children.

Education

• Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, California, 2007, Juris Doctor
• University of California at Davis, Davis, California, 2003, B.A. English, Minor in Philosophy

Continuing Education

• Association of Certified Family Law Specialists Annual Meeting, 2011
• Annual Meeting of the State Bar of California, Family Law Section, 2008 – Present
• Graduate of the 23rd Annual American Bar Association Section of the Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute

Pro Bono Activities

• Methodist Hospital of Southern California’s Club 300, Committee Chair
• Pasadena Ronald McDonald House, Vice-Chair, Board of Trustees
• Rotary Club of Monrovia, Member
• Santa Anita Family YMCA, Member, Board of Directors

Parting Words

• You may want to participate in mental health counseling before the start of your divorce or paternity action to build a support system and to get the tools that you will need to manage your emotions.
• Make an appointment for a pre-divorce or pre-paternity action consultation with a family law attorney to discuss options and to gain an understanding of what your particular family law action might entail.
• To the best of your ability, keep accurate records of all assets and debts.
• If possible, avoid letting your spouse or partner keep control of the finances. If you are in this type of situation, before you commence your family law matter, do your best to collect as much information as possible on your spouse’s or partner’s income, assets and debts because doing so may cut down on attorney and expert fees and costs in the future.
• To name a few, keep in a safe place all e-mails, photographs, text messages, video recordings, letters and cards, and social media posts that may support your position on issues such as community property, separate property and child custody and visitation. Remember that e-mails, texts and social media postings…etc. may be used against you in your family law matter so post carefully and respectfully.
• Minimize conversations with your friends and family members about your divorce. They may give you advice that is inaccurate or not congruent with family law.
• If you feel that you are the victim of domestic violence, call the police immediately! Do not wait until the other person cools down or fall into the trap of thinking this is a one-time event or, worse, that you deserve such treatment. Letting time pass between an incident of domestic violence and when you get help may weaken your case and your ability to get the protection to which you are entitled.
• If you have a child with your spouse or partner, remember that your child is one-half your spouse or partner and if you criticize him or her in front of your child, you are criticizing one-half of your child. Save your criticism of your spouse or partner for your counselor or therapist.
• Remember that you cannot deny the other parent visitation with your child if that parent is not paying child support. If you are in this type of situation, make an appointment to talk with a family law attorney immediately.
• For more information, please visit my family law blawg: http://profile.typepad.com/6p0167694b8679970b.

The information provided above is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice; it is for informational purposes only and may or may not apply to you. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your particular circumstances. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established.