Hilton Family Law

10/23/2025

We have a few tables left. This year we have some surprises in store again! Hope to see you all soon.

09/14/2025

05/14/2025

Another Successful BunnyHop 5K which would not happen without our generous Sponsors specially Sutter Health, East County Oral Surgery - Dr. Roberto Deloso & Dr. Matthew Chroust, Republic Services, Corteva Agriscience, Tri Delta Transit, Antioch Unified School District, City of Antioch, CA Government, Lonetree Golf Course & Event Center, Bob Gunson, Edencare Home Health Agency, Sheffield and Le Orthodontics, Viking Property Investments, Inc., Dr. Stacey Duckett @ Prime Spine +,
Hilton Family Law, RRTH The Helping Hand, Fleet Feet Brentwood, Dr. Jessie Deloso @ Brentwood Dentistry, and Krist Jensen! Brought to you by The Antioch, CA Rotary Club! Every single cent we make from this Fun Event goes back to the students of Antioch Schools.

09/11/2024

Trivia Night is coming up!

01/31/2024

The High Cost of the Unknown in a Divorce
Divorce is one of the hardest things that a person can go through. It touches every part of your life: children, income, assets, retirement, and your home. For many people, the untangling of their marriage is almost unbearable.
https://www.amyhiltonlaw.com/article/high-cost-of-the-unknown-with-divorce

01/31/2024

Divorce Season
The holidays are all about, cheer, family, and friends with the addition of overspending and over-eating and they are generally a dark time for divorces. --- https://www.amyhiltonlaw.com/article/divorce-season

12/07/2023

Local theater is good for you.

09/12/2023

https://www.amyhiltonlaw.com/article/cal-exit---a-move-away-trend-in-california

When I began practicing family law in California, move-away cases, which is family law nomenclature for one parenting moving a distance far enough away that the current parenting schedule is no longer feasible and would need to change, were rare.

Most divorcing families stayed in the same area and co-parented close to each other. For nearly a decade, I had one move-away case and it was in the same state. Over the last five years, the number of move-away cases has exploded, this past year, I had four out of state move aways and one international case.

Currently I am preparing for a trial to prevent a child from leaving the state and I have several parents who want to seek orders to move out of state with their children. The legal landscape on this is changing as the causes for the move-away are environmental and cannot be ignored. The stated reasons include: high cost of living, political environment, increasing crime, and homelessness.
The once golden state is currently quite tarnished, not to mention the COVID policies that closed most of the state well after other states opened. We are only now seeing the long-term ramifications of the damage done by the closures. People are leaving the state and the Courts are having to deal with more parenting conflicts as a result.

Move away cases are the hardest for the court to resolve, especially when there are two good parents and no way for an equal parenting time to continued. So long as a parent has the constitutional right to live where they want, the Courts will be in the position to make hard decisions.

There are a set of factors, referred to as the LAMUSGA FACTORS, and they control what the court reviews in determining the outcome of the request:

1. The reason for the proposed move.
2. The child’s interest in stability and continuity in custodial arrangement.
3. The Distance of the Move.
4. The Age of the Child.
5. The Child’s Relationship with Both Parents.
6. The Relationship between the Parents (IE: how likely will the moving parent support a relationship with the parent left behind).
7. The Wishes of the child(ren).
8. The Extent to Which the Parents Currently are Sharing Custody.
If you are considering a move that will cause a change in the custody or need to defend against one, our firm has extensive experience in this area and can help you make the strongest case for your children.

09/12/2023

https://www.amyhiltonlaw.com/article/my-ex-is-a-narcissist--honey-they-all-are

Many of my clients believe they are divorcing narcissist. While it is not true in all cases, many of my clients believe it is true for them..

While there are some true narcissists across the court isle, I have come across enough to know when I am dealing with one. The one trait that is consistent with a true narcissist is that they have their own version of reality and will bully, shame, criticize, and generally terrorize anyone who does not agree with them, especially a divorcing spouse and their children.

When divorcing a narcissist, you can expect a fight and better be ready for one. Some common traits of true narcissist:

• Easily hurt
• Overreacts
• Can’t take criticism
• Makes excuses for own flaws or failings
• Refuses to take responsibility
• Attempts to sway or manipulate others
• Hypercompetitive
• Only associates with people deemed to be on “their level”
• Reacts with rage
• Shames others
• Emotionally neglectful
• Doesn’t listen
• Interrupts often

They will also placate judges and other professionals involved while ignoring the rules and the laws related to their case and try to punish you if you do the same. Rules for thee but not for me is their motto.

HOW TO DIVORCE A NARCISSIST
A skilled and strong litigator who knows the law will be essential in any divorce against a narcissist. In preparing for the divorce, you will need to ensure that you know your assets, debts, and support position clearly to best present your case either in court or for a settlement. If the assets and debts have been hidden from you during marriage, there are ways to locate them, even if the narcissist is tries to hide them. We are very good at finding hidden assets!

PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY
When preparing for a divorce from a narcissist, you will need a new phone and phone number and email. Something they have never had access too. Do not make a mistake and assume they will respect your privacy, assume they will not and that they will read all communication between you, your friends and your attorney if given a chance.

If possible, have an end-game. A plan for where you want to live post-separation, what job you want to have and a plan for custody. Expect that your spouse will want to make you the bad guy, but also plan on not giving in to their shame projection. Stand your ground. The more secure you are with knowing your rights, the easier that will be. Remember the narcissist wants your attention and a lot of their communication is geared to garnish a response so the aggression will escalate. But you do not have to give him. My favorite response to narcissists when they spew lies is “you know that is not true.” It is important to not respond emotionally, that only feeds their ego and makes things harder for you.

Divorcing a narcissist will be hard, but staying married to a narcissist will be harder and longer, so choose your hard. We can help.

06/05/2023

In honor of Father's Day coming up, here's a dad joke.

09/29/2022

If you take from widows and orphans then you have no honor.