Robin Yeamans, Divorce Attorney, California

My website www.divorcecal.com has info on narcissism, a subject important in family court and almost always overlooked. I always have the most recent DSM. Recently a Desk reference to DSM 5 came out. I eagerly ordered it from amazon.com. It arrived, I looked up narcissism in the index-& found about 10 pages, including narcissism, missing! What, Trump got to them?! I’ve complained, & we’ll see if the next one arrives with all pages intact.

A lot of info about family court is found on my website: www.divorcecal.com.

Court not only told people to shut off phones but what to do if they had evidence on the phone they want the judge to see. Never heard that one before. It shows how often people want to show the judge something that's on their phone. The bailiff said to shut off the phone, and then ask for permission to turn it back on if you want to show the judge something that's on the phone. Of course, this was family court and had no jury; things would work differently in a jury trial.

CA Fam. Code made custody eval's so confidential licensing boards cdn't see them. Changed Jan. 1. Eval can be sent to licensing board.

Effective 1/1/2015 it is again possible to complain to psychologist licensing board about a custody evaluation.

The Calif Supreme Court struck from the ballot a Citizens United advisory request by the state legislature. They'd created a ballot initiative to ask us what we think about putting limits on corporate money in elections . Our state Supreme Court on Aug. 11 threw it off the ballot, finding it harmful. To ask voters how we feel about money in politics is harmful! Harmful to whom--corporate interests. Thanks to Chief Justice Tami Cantil-Sakauye for dissenting.

Irony: fiduciary duties & ATRO's, designed to stop financial abuse, are turning into abusers' favorite weapons. ATRO's are automatic temporary restraining orders that apply in each case--like don't conceal or dispose of property, except in usual course of business or for necessities of life. So abuser can threaten victim that this or that expense is not "necessary" & threaten punishment for paying, say, child's expenses. Other ATRO says not to change insurance beneficiary. Abuser will claim this means that victim has to keep paying joint car insurance and, again, make threats if the policy is canceled. This kind of abuse needs to be stopped.

No more carrying boxes of papers to court. An iPad with all pleadings, evidence, transcripts & correspondence is what I need. However, as court is low tech, I do have to bring paper evidence when I have a trial

US Supreme Court eliminated class actions by making requirements for certification as a class impossible. Such cases are now called "aggregate litigation." No more class actions.

Lack of court reporters in family court is hurting litigants. Many people try to represent themselves but eventually in confusion and desperation hire an attorney---who then asks, "What happened so far in your case?" The client is too confused to give an accurate explanation, and when there hasn't been a court reporter, there is no way to get a transcript. The courts need to provide court reporters in all family law cases.