- DivorceDivorce mediation occurs when a couple tries to settle their divorce agreement outside of the court system. Often in the presence of their respective attorneys and a neutral third-party mediator, the couple will try to reach decisions on various aspects of their divorce.
- Child SupportWhen one parent has primary custody of a child, the child’s other parent is often responsible for making child support payments. These payments are intended to give the child or children the same quality of life they would experience if their parents were living together. Child support awards are part of divorce proceedings. Judges also grant child support to single parents who were never married to the child’s other parent.
- Child Custody and VisitationChild custody is one of the most difficult issues a parent faces during divorce. Child custody grants the legal and practical relationship between a parent and child. It involves the care, control and upbringing of a child that is granted by the courts when parents divorce or are not living in the same household. It includes the right to make decisions for the child and defines the amount of time each parent will be spending with him or her.
- Adoption
- PaternityThese are not, however, the sole reasons parents find themselves filing paternity cases throughout California. Some of the others causes for proving paternity include...
- Premarital Agreement. The difference between the two types of agreements depends on when the documents are executed. Prenuptial agreements are drafted and executed before couples are married. Postnuptial agreements are executed by couples after they are married.
- Spousal SupportWhen the court orders spousal support, it may also advise the party receiving support to make “reasonable efforts” to support themselves financially.
- Legal SeparationLegal separation occurs when a married couple wants to live separately but isn’t interested in getting a divorce. It is also illegal for men and women to remarry or enter into domestic partnerships while legally separated from their partner. The legal process, however, is very much the same as divorce proceedings.
- Child AbuseWhen one parent negatively affects the child’s relationship with the other parent, the court takes this lack of co-parenting cooperation into consideration. Unreasonable conduct, although vaguely defined, does not have to include as serious offenses as false child abuse allegations or total parental alienation.
- Restraining OrderAn order of protection, also known as a protection order, injunction, or restraining order, is a court order to protect a victim of abuse from an accused abuser. It can demand the abuser to cease contacting the victim and force the abuser to stay physically away. The purpose of this order is to deter continued abuse and provide victims with a sense of safety.