R. Michael Collum

R. Michael Collum, of counsel to Collins & Khan, is a seasoned litigator with extensive experience handling complex, high conflict and high net worth family law matters and civil litigation. Michael is a 1989 graduate of USC Law School, received his litigation training at the Los Angeles office of Loeb & Loeb, and was formerly a partner of Knowles Collum LLP.

As a well-respected family law practitioner, Michael handles property division (including sophisticated tracing and reimbursement claims), spousal and child support (including complex cases requiring expert forensic accounting testimony as to cash flow available for support), child custody and visitation (including move-away cases, interstate custody disputes, international custody disputes, and matters requiring psychological evaluations), domestic violence, judgment set-aside proceedings, and all other aspects of family law litigation.

SOME OF MICHAEL’S RECENT SUCCESSES ARE:

Obtaining a $1,000,000 fee award after a 6-day, contested evidentiary hearing on behalf of a client whose former spouse was attempting to starve her out financially and hide assets through a complex scheme of trusts and entities. The case settled with Michael’s client receiving more than 50% of the parties’ assets (a multi-million dollar settlement). Michael successfully obtained the appointment of a receiver over a substantial marital estate on an ex parte basis (without notice to his client’s former spouse), where it was shown that the former spouse was likely to conceal or abscond with assets (including priceless antiques and jewelry that could be readily transferred or concealed with no paper trail).

Michael has substantial experience in unwinding “asset protection” schemes by dishonest spouses, including the creation of trusts, corporations, and LLC’s during marriage to conceal community assets, and conveyances or encumbrances to relatives or other interested parties designed to defeat or diminish valid community property claims.

Michael both successfully obtains residence exclusion orders and domestic violence restraining orders, and successfully defends clients against frivolous domestic violence claims (including false charges made in the child custody context). Michael also handles the negotiation and drafting of prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements, and other instruments to protect and define the rights and obligations between spouses, domestic partners, or unmarried couples.

In addition to his family law practice, Michael has substantial civil litigation experience, and has successfully represented plaintiffs and defendants in civil trials, arbitrations and appeals.