(0:00 – 0:23)
Hi everyone, and welcome to another Family Law Matters. I’m Dr. Michael Mantell, and it’s always a privilege for me to be here with Bonnie Rabinovitch-Mantel, who’s the owner and managing partner of the famed Primus Family Law Group, a family-oriented firm where experience meets results. Hi, Bonnie.

(0:24 – 0:32)
Hi, Michael. I appreciate that. I wouldn’t go so far as to say we are famed, but I hope people know us for doing good work.

(0:32 – 1:05)
Oh, I think that in the world in which I live, which is helping people deal with divorce issues, whether it’s through litigation or mediation, the Primus Family Law Group, and your name specifically, and your other attorneys as well, comes up often in very, very positive ways. The reviews that you have in social media are so superb, and I direct people to go read about them. But in any case, let’s go back to the topic of the day.

(1:07 – 1:27)
Summertime is a time of change, not just a time of change of routine and school, and I’m going to camp now, and this and that, but a time when parents wanna go on travel. They wanna take a trip. They wanna modify the agreement they have, and this can create upheaval.

(1:28 – 2:02)
It can create a real upset. When people are facing the need to do a modification, how can you, at Primus Family Law Group, be of help? Well, you know, Michael, whenever somebody needs a modification in their custody arrangement, in their child-sharing plan, either because of a change in their schedule or a change in the children’s schedule, Primus always likes to do things, we call it kind of like the least intrusive method. We’re always hoping that parents will talk to each other.

(2:02 – 2:17)
Hey, this is going on, can we modify it? And some parents are able to co-parent and work together, and it’s great. Some parents cannot. They get close, but they can’t, you know, then we try to get them into mediation.

(2:17 – 3:00)
Can a skilled attorney help both of you come up with some solutions that maybe you haven’t thought of of your own, and you’re willing to agree to that and use that going forward? And if that doesn’t work, or if you know that you’re not gonna be able to resolve it, then we’re able to go to court for you, and we’re able to file a motion and get a formal modification of the arrangement if you feel that what’s changed is going to continue for the foreseeable future. For things like summer, when you wanna go on vacation, most custody orders include a vacation plan. And the way it is, is each parent’s entitled to a week or two weeks.

(3:00 – 3:16)
And it’s usually assumed that you’re gonna take your children with you on those vacations. So it often includes language that it cannot interfere with, you know, the other parents’ holiday time or school. So it’s usually taken during the summer.

(3:17 – 3:42)
If you’re talking about, Michael, where you wanna take a vacation without the children, that’s gonna require, you know, mutual communication. Your other parent, I would think, would wanna take the children during that time. And either you’ll agree to switch or make up time, or you won’t, and you’ll just go along with the rest of the orders.

(3:43 – 4:17)
And what if someone contacts you as soon as they hear this? This is not the beginning of the summer anymore. How fast can you get someone into court or a mediation appointment to be of help to them? Well, that’s one of the nice things about mediation, is that as soon as my calendar, one of my attorney’s calendars opens up, we can do something next week. You know, there are certain things that may qualify as an emergency.

(4:17 – 4:28)
You know, somebody’s being abusive to the child and you’ve gotta go in. That’s not a vacation change. That is, you know, reserved for true emergencies about the child.

(4:29 – 5:05)
And so if people want to be in touch with you to get on your calendar and resolve some immediate issues that they’re facing, particularly now over the summer, how can they reach you? They can reach us at 619-574-8000. And I offer a free 30-minute phone consultation. Or you can reach us online at www.primusfamilylaw.com. And there’s a form you can fill out and we will reach back out to you, usually within 24 hours.

(5:05 – 5:12)
Terrific. Bonnie, thanks very much. I hope the summer’s going well for you and look forward to our next Family Law Matters.

(5:13 – 5:15)
Thank you. Thank you, Michael. Have a great day.