Rebecca Ritchey

Everyone signs a prenup. The only real question is whether you write the terms yourself, or let the state write them for you and change them whenever it decides to. That's a realization I've watched land again and again over 17 years in family law. Most people assume a prenup is about protecting "my" property from "yours." But here's what guiding thousands of clients through divorce has taught me: even couples who believe everything is fully shared are signing a contract the moment they marry. Marry without a prenup, and you've handed the rules of your financial life to the state. If the marriage ends, the rules you actually lived by no longer apply. I help people see that choice clearly before unspoken assumptions and differing money styles harden into fear and power imbalance down the road. This matters most for business owners and entrepreneurs. The conversation I have constantly starts with, "We don't have anything yet, so we didn't think we needed one." But you're building something. The real question isn't how much you have today; it's whether you agree with the rules California (or any state you might move to) will impose on what you build, and whether you're comfortable letting the state set and change those terms. My work spans two sides of the same expertise: drafting prenuptial agreements and divorce consulting. In both, my value is identical. I educate clients on their options so they make decisions from a position of strength rather than fear. I'm the California partner at Prenups.com, and I teach other attorneys on prenuptial agreements through continuing legal education. That commitment to access shows up beyond my practice, too. I host a monthly Father's Legal Clinic with SAY San Diego and the San Diego DADS CORPS, and I partner with San Diego's Your Safe Place to assist individuals navigating domestic violence and service members on deployment under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. Whether you're getting married, advising someone who is, or facing divorce, my goal is the same: that you walk away informed, empowered, and clear on your next step. Specialties: Prenuptial agreements, divorce consulting, high-asset property division, family law.