After over 25 years of practicing family law in Silicon Valley, I now have a fully out-of-court practice helping individuals and couples with their family law needs throughout the State of California. I work with couples and individuals when they are embarking on a new relationship with a premarital agreement or living together agreement; during the marriage with a marital agreement; or if the marriage ends in divorce. I support individuals and couples in their family transitions through mediation and collaborative processes, including process and strategy coaching.
Having been in Silicon Valley throughout my legal career, I have deep experience in sophisticated and complex financial matters and have helped countless individuals and couples navigate this complexity with success and pragmatism.
For divorces, my approach is interest-based, compassion-centered and forward-looking. I recognize how destabilizing and disorientating this family transition can be and strive to guide people on this journey into a new life chapter filled with growth and meaning.
I routinely meet with individuals and couples to educate them about their process options and to help them determine what process option is likely most appropriate for them.
Mediation is a voluntary, private process where couples work with a neutral mediator who helps the couple find agreements together. Mediation seeks the cooperative participation of both parties to resolve disagreements in ways that maximize the benefits and minimize the detriments to each person. Mediation can be appropriate for creating a premarital or marital agreement and to help couples create divorce agreements. At Lakin Spears, our services include preparing all of the documents necessary to get a divorce, including preparing the initial divorce filings, the disclosure documents, and the final Judgment papers. Divorce mediation can also include a co-mediator who is a financial or parenting specialist to provide more rounded support in the divorce process.
Collaborative Divorce is a process that was specifically designed to help couples with their legal, financial, and emotional needs through the use of an interdisciplinary team. The Collaborative Divorce process aims to support divorcing couples through one of the most challenging events they will go through with 360-degree support, providing maximum legal, financial and emotional support while eliminating court involvement. Collaborative Divorce can strengthen feelings of personal control because both parties take an active role in structuring the settlement, with the support of the team.
To create a premarital or marital agreement, couples can also use a mediation or collaborative approach. This allows couples to discuss what their goals and objectives are before any formal agreement is drafted, so that when the agreement is finally drafted, it reflects what the couple has already discussed and reflects their expressed aligned or individual objectives.
Articles:
Tanya has co-authored several articles on topics including international custody move-aways, child support, reimbursements, imputation of income in support cases, disclosure obligations, and attorney’s fees and sanctions.
Leadership Roles
• Past President of Collaborative Practice California
• Past Board member of the Northern California Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
• Co-chair or past-chair of Divorce Options and Public Education Committees of Collaborative Practice California
• Mentor for new and junior family lawyers for the Northern California Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
• NARAL Leadership Council
To learn more about Collaborative Divorce, watch this video.
Click here to visit Collaborative Divorce California
Click here to visit the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
Click here to visit the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
Click here to visit the International Academy of Family Lawyers
