Family Law Attorney in Los Angeles
Are you separated and seeking a divorce?
Do you need help gaining custody of your child?
Is your child in trouble with criminal authorities?
Then you may have need of a Experienced Family Law Lawyer. Please contact us and we’ll give you a FREE CONSULTATION to advise you of how to proceed in your Family Law matter.
Family Law is an area of the legal practice that focuses on legal issues regarding marriage and children. Some of the areas that Family Law concerns are marriage or domestic partnerships, adoptions, child custody, child abuse, divorce or legal separation, juvenile delinquency and paternity testing. An experienced Family Law Attorney in Los Angeles will be able to guide you through what can often be an emotionally draining and difficult process.
Marriage / Separation / Divorce
When a person marries, s/he gains a variety of rights, including a number of tax benefits, survivor benefits from Social Security, rights under the Family Medical Leave Act, the right not to testify against your spouse and other rights. Generally, the above issues are handled by other attorneys, but Family Law Lawyers are familiar with the rights and benefits of marriage and help explain to any couple how the law protects married people. The majority of many Family Law Lawyers’ practice is focused on legal separation and divorce.
If a married couple separates, it is to their benefit to obtain a legal separation. A legal separation suspends some marital rights while retaining others. A legal separation ensures that all property owned by either spouse is retained by that spouse separately. Further, a legal separation agreement can help to divide payments and responsibilities that were jointly shared before the separation. Yet during a legal separation, the couple can continue to use the tax benefits of marriage as well as other marital benefits. A divorce or a dissolution of the marriage is required to sever all marital benefits.
California, Arizona and Nevada are known as Community Property states, because their marriage laws developed from the Spanish legal traditions. A Community Property state provides that all property that is acquired during the marriage is owned equally by both parties to the marriage. Florida and New York are Equitable Distribution states, because their marriage laws developed from English Common Law and they have adopted new laws in the twentieth century to ensure equitable division of property acquired during marriage. A divorce or dissolution of the marriage can be a difficult process.An Experienced Family Law Lawyer can help explain the law in your jurisdiction and advise you on how you can get a fair resolution of your divorce. Please contact us and we’ll give you a FREE CONSULTATION to advise you of how to proceed in your Family Law matter.
Child Custody
A Family Law Attorney in Los Angeles often deals with child custody issues while handling a divorce or a legal separation. There are several different types of child custody arrangements. The parties could agree to joint custody, where the parties agree to the tasks and responsibilities each will take on in raising the child. In addition, one party to the dissolution or separation could obtain sole custody, which grants that party total physical and legal custody. Often when a parent is issued sole custody, the non-custodial parent is required to pay child support. In addition, the non-custodial parent is often granted visitation rights to the child. The two parents may also agree to share physical and legal custody or just to share physical custody. Shared custody ensures that each parent will have an equal amount of time with the child. An Experienced Family Law Lawyer can help you gain the custody of your child in the manner that you desire.
Juvenile Delinquency & Juvenile Dependency
A child under the age of 18 is considered a juvenile and is generally treated as such before the law. There are some exceptions, including one for prosecution of criminal offenses. Depending on the state and the severity of the crime, some children of 14 years old or older will be treated as adults and tried in criminal court. In all other cases, a child’s criminal behavior will be reviewed by Juvenile Court judge. If your child has broken the law, you need to consult with an Experienced Family Law Lawyer who will work to keep the case in Juvenile Court and will defend your child when s/he is before a judge.
If a parent, a court or Child Protective Services suspects that there is abuse or neglect of a child occurring, the case may be transferred to Juvenile Court. These cases are known as Juvenile Dependency cases. The Department of Children and Family Services will investigate the allegation and will act as the petitioner before the Juvenile Court. The Juvenile Court has broad powers. The Court may take the children from an abusive home, send the children to live with relatives or in foster care or in a group home, work with agencies to see to the child’s needs or possibly in the most extreme cases take away parental rights or create new parental rights. If your child has been taken from your home, you need to consult with an Experienced Family Law Lawyer who can best represent you before the Court to get your child back.
What One of Our Network of Attorneys can do for you:
Family Law can be one of the most contentious and difficult of legal matters in which to be involved. Due to the emotional nature of the disagreements between parties, you need to find a lawyer who is experienced and will act professionally. Our network of Family Law attorneys have decades of experience in these matters.
We can help you:
- File for legal separation or divorce
- Help obtain child custody (either sole or joint custody)
- Defend your child in a Juvenile Delinquency proceeding
Please contact one of our family law attorneys in Los Angeles to see how you can obtain an experienced attorney to best help you in your Family Law issue.
Contact Your Lawyer Today
Contact Your Lawyer Today
