Richard C. HoughtonAttorney at Law · Family Law
(760) 779-1420Schedule a Consultation

Coachella Valley · Riverside · San Bernardino

Family law counsel for professionals, business owners, and individuals.

Helping clients resolve complex family law matters efficiently and discreetly, with more than thirty-five years of courtroom and negotiating experience behind every case.

Call (760) 779-1420 Schedule an Appointment
  • Certified Family Law Specialist, State Bar of California, 1994–2021
  • Admitted in California, Massachusetts, and Oregon
Richard C. Houghton, attorney at law
Richard C. HoughtonAttorney at Law
  • 35+Years practicing law
  • 75+Jury trials
  • 100sCourt trials
  • 27Years as a Certified Family Law Specialist

How We Can Help

Family law services.

Clients We Represent

Matters where the financial issues require careful analysis.

Our office frequently represents clients whose divorces and agreements involve retirement plans, business interests, professional practices, and real property acquired before or during marriage.

About Mr. Houghton
  • Business owners
  • Physicians and other professionals
  • Executives and managers
  • Individuals with complex financial assets
  • Spouses of professionals or business owners
  • Working individuals
  • Homemakers
  • Retirees

Planning First

Agreements designed to prevent conflict and protect your interests.

Today the practice emphasizes thoughtful planning and the drafting of agreements that hold up: before marriage, during marriage, and when a marriage ends.

Premarital agreements that hold upPrenuptial AgreementsA written contract entered into before marriage that sets out how property will be divided, and whether support will be paid, if the marriage ends. A poorly drafted one can cost more than none at all.Learn moreResolving a divorce by agreement rather than by court orderMarital Settlement AgreementsAn agreement between divorcing spouses that divides property, confirms separate property, and sets support, fees, and parenting terms. Well-negotiated agreements save money and are far more likely to be followed.Learn moreChanging the character of property during marriageTransmutation AgreementsA written agreement between spouses that changes property from separate to community, or the reverse. What most people think of as a gift between spouses often transfers nothing without one.Learn more

High-End Divorce

When a business, a practice, or significant assets are on the table.

Business owners and professionals face issues the typical divorce never raises. Recognizing them early is most of the battle.

Portrait of Richard C. Houghton

About

A trial lawyer's judgment, applied to keeping you out of court.

Richard C. Houghton has practiced law for more than 35 years. Early in his career he maintained a successful trial practice representing business owners, professionals, and executives in complex civil litigation, trying more than 75 jury trials and hundreds of court trials.

For more than twenty years his practice has focused on family law. Drawing on that litigation background, he works strategically to resolve disputes efficiently and to help clients avoid unnecessary litigation whenever possible. When litigation cannot be avoided, his office frequently uses mediation and private judging with retired judges to move cases toward resolution.

Full biographyAll practice areas

How We Work

Efficient, discreet, and prepared.

01

Plan before you have to litigate

Well-drafted prenuptial, transmutation, and marital settlement agreements prevent the disputes that consume the most time and money.

02

Resolve privately when possible

Mediation, private judging with retired judges, and confidentiality agreements keep sensitive financial information out of the public court file.

03

Be ready for trial regardless

Over 90% of cases settle, and the best way to settle well is to be prepared to try the case. The other side knows the difference.

Asset ProtectionSimply putting assets in a spouse's name rarely works. Well-drafted transmutation and postnuptial agreements, entities, and trusts can make a claim expensive enough that most creditors walk away.Learn moreChild SupportCalifornia child support is set by a computer formula driven mostly by each parent's income and timeshare. Small input changes add up to thousands of dollars over time.Learn moreCustody and ParentingFamily court is the worst place to resolve parenting issues. We work to move custody and visitation questions to experienced professionals and away from litigation.Learn moreProperty DivisionThe court must classify every asset as community, separate, or mixed, then divide the community equally. It sounds simple. It is among the most complex areas of civil litigation in California.Learn moreLitigationMore than 90% of cases settle, and the best way to settle well is to be ready for trial. Decades of courtroom experience make that readiness credible to the other side.Learn morePrivate AdoptionOur office has experience helping couples adopt through private, independent adoptions. We do not handle agency or international adoptions.Learn more

Questions Clients Ask

Straight answers on separation, agreements, and asset protection.

Browse all questions

Consultations

Discuss your situation in confidence.

Prospective clients are welcome to schedule an initial consultation, in person at our Indian Wells office or by video conference, to review their circumstances and available options.

Call (760) 779-1420Schedule an AppointmentSchedule a Video Conference