Provinziano and Associates

10/17/2026

When Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas divorced, the custody question crossed an ocean. Turner filed to have their children returned to England while the divorce moved through a U.S. court.

Setting their case aside, it’s a clean illustration of how jurisdiction actually works: the court that can end a marriage is not always the one that can decide custody. Custody generally turns on a child’s home state, where the child has lived for the months before the case began, not simply on where a parent files. That’s how a single family can end up with one country’s court deciding one piece and another deciding the rest.

If parents live in two different countries, who should get to decide where the kids live? Curious how people see it.

10/15/2026

A few more moments from the evening our Managing Partner, Alphonse Provinziano, was installed as President of the Beverly Hills Bar Association.

The Installation and Awards Dinner at the Skirball Cultural Center was a night of connection, exactly the kind the year ahead is meant to be about. Between the formal program and the swearing-in, what stood out most were the conversations in the room: colleagues reconnecting, longtime friends of the firm, members of the bench and bar, and newer faces just beginning their own paths in the profession.

We’re sharing a few more photos from the evening with gratitude, to the BHBA community, to everyone who celebrated with us, and to those already rolling up their sleeves for the work ahead.

10/14/2026

A California judgment can award you the apartment in Tokyo. Japan may not honor it.

Our Managing Partner, Alphonse Provinziano, spoke with Tokyo-based attorney Makiko Mizuuchi about what happens when a California divorce divides property located in Japan.

Under Article 118 of Japan’s Code of Civil Procedure, some foreign money judgments may be recognized if they meet specific requirements. Orders transferring Japanese real estate are a different matter. In many cases, the spouse may need to file a separate division of marital property in a Japanese family court to actually receive the asset.

For couples with property in both countries, bringing in counsel in California and Japan early can prevent an order that looks final on paper but can’t be enforced where the asset sits.

From the Beverly Hills Bar Association International Family Law Podcast.

10/13/2026

A lot of people assume that filing for divorce in California means one court handles everything, start to finish. It often doesn’t work that way. Jurisdiction is a court’s legal authority to decide a specific issue, not just whether you have some connection to the state.

Marital status, custody, support, and property each run on their own rules, so a single case can involve one state for the divorce, another for custody, and a different state or country for support or property. Living elsewhere doesn’t automatically rule out a California court, and living here doesn’t mean California can decide every piece. How it breaks down is on our blog.

10/09/2026

In Japan, there is generally no alimony after divorce.

Our Managing Partner, Alphonse Provinziano, sat down with Makiko Mizuuchi, a Tokyo-based attorney who is also licensed in California and a fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers.They compared how each system treats the spouse who stayed home while the other built the career.

In California, a court may order spousal support based on the marital standard of living and the factors in Family Code §§4320. In Japan, support between spouses typically ends with the marriage. Marital property is divided 50/50, and child support usually follows a court calculation table, but the lower-earning spouse may not receive ongoing support of their own.

For families with ties to both countries, where the case is filed can significantly change the financial outcome. That decision often has to be made early, and the right answer is rarely obvious.

Recorded in Barcelona for the Beverly Hills Bar Association International Family Law Podcast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAag06kuAs4

10/07/2026

In California, divorce does not automatically update who inherits your assets.

A lot of people assume the judgment takes care of it. It doesn't update every beneficiary designation or estate-planning document, and California's automatic rules don't cover every asset, certain life insurance policies, for example, are excluded. If you don't review and update those designations after judgment, your assets could still go to the person you just divorced.

What divorce does and doesn't handle on its own is on our blog.
https://provinziano.com/blog/what-happens-after-a-divorce-settlement-agreement-is-signed/

10/07/2026

What a meaningful night for our firm!

Our Managing Partner, Alphonse Provinziano, was formally sworn in as President of the Beverly Hills Bar Association at this year's Installation and Awards Dinner at the Skirball Cultural Center. The evening brought together members of the bench and bar, BHBA leadership, colleagues, and the family and friends who have been part of the path to this moment.

Evenings like this are a reminder of what drew Alphonse to this role in the first place: the value of a legal community that shows up for one another in person. It was an honor to celebrate alongside so many of the people who make the BHBA what it is, and to mark the start of the year ahead in the company of the bench, the bar, and the next generation of lawyers.

To everyone who came out to celebrate, and to the BHBA community for the welcome into this role: thank you. The work starts now.

10/06/2026

Our Managing Partner, Alphonse Provinziano, spoke with Lily Bendeich of The Sun U.K. about the decade-long Angelina Jolie–Brad Pitt divorce and the ongoing Château Miraval litigation.

One of the biggest takeaways: this matter has become a powerful case study in how the court of public opinion can develop alongside the court of law. The divorce itself settled after roughly eight years, while the separate Miraval business litigation continues. Many of the most serious allegations that have dominated headlines were never tested at trial or decided by a court on their merits.

But litigation does not take place in a vacuum. Once allegations enter public court filings, they can shape reputations, negotiations, and family relationships regardless of whether they are ever proven. As public reporting reflects, Brad Pitt's relationship with several of his children has reportedly been significantly disrupted, and the two sides have offered very different explanations for how that happened.

For anyone engaged in highly public family law litigation, there is a lesson here: sometimes the most consequential outcome of a divorce is not found in the judgment. It is the toll that years of litigation, publicity, and conflict can take on a family long after the legal issues are resolved.

Thank you, Lily, for a thoughtful conversation on a complicated case.

10/06/2026

A divorce judgment can say your ex is responsible for a debt, and the lender can still come after you.

Assigning a debt between spouses in the judgment does not remove either name from the contract with the lender. If you both signed a mortgage, car loan, or credit card, the creditor can still pursue either borrower, regardless of what the judgment says. That's why some settlements require refinancing, removing a name, or closing an account, and why it matters to handle it rather than assume the judgment did.

What the judgment does and doesn't take care of on its own is on our blog.

Signed a divorce settlement agreement in California? Learn what happens next, when the divorce becomes final, and what still needs to be completed.

10/02/2026

Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler have spoken openly about adjusting their custody arrangement over the years while raising their three kids as co-parents.

Setting their situation aside, it lands on something a lot of California parents misunderstand: you don't have to be friendly with your co-parent to share custody. California law doesn't require you to like each other. It asks that you follow the order and keep the kids out of the middle. A cold relationship between exes isn't a legal problem. A pattern that harms the child or violates the order is.

Should being a difficult co-parent affect custody, or only conduct that actually hurts the child?