Child Custody Lawyers
Child Custody after Parents’ separate is certainly one of the most difficult aspects of any divorce. The effect of divorce on their lives, how it will shape their future, and other worries concern parents undergoing divorce. Breaking up a family brings loss, and determining custody is often fraught with upset and emotion. However, because parents love their children, they ultimately want what is best for them.
Sometimes divorcing parents are confused about the legal terminology of custody law. As experienced family law attorneys, we can fully explain your rights in helping you and the other parent shape a workable, flexible and creative custody agreement that serves the interests of both the children and the adults. We are experienced in negotiating work schedules, school and activities, family holidays, vacations, weekend custody, and any other obstacles to agreement.
The difficulty in facing child custody and support issues is something our family law attorneys deeply understand, and we strive to lessen the impact and help clients arrive at decisions that are in the best interests of their children. Our attorneys demystify confusions regarding child support by describing how support is determined, calculated and regulated under California law. We provide clear explanations of legal options regarding custody, such as joint or sole legal custody and physical custody. Additionally, when we need to fight for our clients’ rights we provide strong representation in custody and child support proceedings, including Interstate Jurisdictional Disputes and the so-called “Move Away” cases.
Legal custody (California Family Code § 3003) is generally shared by both parents even if the children live primarily with one parent. It refers to the ability to make decisions concerning the health, education and welfare of a minor child.
Physical custody (California Family Code § 3004) refers to the actual living arrangement of a child. Often, one parent has primary physical custody — the child resides with and is under that parent’s supervision most of the time — while the other parent has visitation rights. If the child resides for significant amounts of time in both parents’ respective homes, both parents are said to have joint physical custody.
