Divorce

Divorce is one aspect of family law where almost everyone needs a family law attorney. Very few people ever “want” a divorce, although that’s often what is said by one spouse to the other. Circumstances may make a person feel they have little choice but to obtain a divorce if they want to change their life or the lives of their children for the better. Consultation with a Sacramento Divorce Lawyer can help you decide whether or not divorce is the best decision for your family. Divorce affects over half of American families, and the statistic may be higher if you include the blended families which often exist because of a prior divorce in subsequent relationships or marriages. Divorce is a family law reality that must…

Child Custody

Your children are our first priority! At the Sacramento Law Office of Bowman and Associates, APC, we work with you to protect them and to ensure that their needs remain at the forefront of your Northern California child custody case. Legal custody of a child is the right and obligation to make decisions about a child’s upbringing. Decisions regarding schooling, and medical and dental care, for example, are made by a parent with legal custody. In California, an award of joint legal custody is presumed, which means that the decision making is shared. If you share joint legal custody with the other parent and exclude him or her from the decision-making process, the other parent can…

Child Support

At the Sacramento Family Law Office of Bowman and Associates, APC., we help minimize the emotion and worry many parents have about child support agreements and orders. We help our clients understand the reasons behind the child support laws, and how courts try their best to be equitable. We know that child support levels affect both parties’ finances. We make sure your child’s best interests are the focus of child support determinations. If you are concerned about child support issues in your pending divorce, or if you need to modify your current support levels, contact an experienced Sacramento Child Support Lawyer at The Law Offices of Bowman and Associates, APC. We understand…

Spousal Support

A spousal support award is not mandatory in dissolution or legal separation proceedings in California. Quite the contrary, courts have discretion (within statutory parameters) to deny spousal support altogether or to limit it in an amount and duration that reflects the ability of both parties to provide for their own needs. The propriety of a California alimony award (whether to order it and, if so, its terms) is judged broadly by the parties’ “circumstances” in reference to the standard of living established during their marriage and their respective needs and abilities to pay. [Ca Fam §§ 4320, 4330(a)] The Sacramento Spousal Support Attorneys of Bowman & Associates have helped clients across Northern…

Guardianship / Adoption

The California family law attorneys at the Law Offices of Bowman & Associates help people adopt children and obtain legal guardianship and conservatorship of minors. Our attorneys have more than 30 years of combined experience making sure that adoptions, conservatorships, and legal guardianships are legal and binding, so you can be confident in your decision. California guardianship most commonly applies to children. In California, a guardian is appointed by a court to be responsible for a person under the age of eighteen. Guardians are commonly appointed when a parent is terminally ill, unfit, or upon the death of both parents. Guardianship is found in three categories; guardian of the person, guardian…

Prenuptial Agreements

Nothing can kill romance faster than the word prenup. But with almost one in three of all first marriages ending in divorce, and about fifty percent of second or third marriages coming to a halt, a prenuptial agreement is a smart way to protect yourself and your finances according to financial experts. A prenuptial agreement (premarital agreement). is a contract between two people about to wed that spells out how assets will be distributed in the event of divorce or death. Such agreements have existed for thousands of years in some form or another are the purpose is to protect your wealth. Although not very romantic, having a prenuptial agreement prior to a wedding ceremony can be a very…

Paternity

Mothers cannot obtain child support until the paternity of the father is determined. On the flip side, fathers will not gain child custody until a paternity test proves the male in question is the father. Paternity is a complicated area of the law where emotions can run high. Paternity refers to the legal determination of who is the biological father of a child. While the identity of a child’s biological mother is usually known, the father’s identity may not always be as certain. Paternity issues often arise in cases involving child support, but they can also be important in relation to adoption, inheritance, custody and visitation, health care and other issues. Our lawyers can help either mothers or alleged fathers…

Child Support Modification

As an experienced California child support modification law firm, Bowman & Associates understands that substantial changes in your ability to earn income can, and do, occur. You can lose your job, be demoted, be struck by a serious illness or injury, or be victim to a number of other factors that can substantially reduce your income, and your ability to pay child support or alimony. Child support modifications, as with spousal support, require that there be a demonstrable change in material circumstances. However, the courts authority is more enduring than in spousal support matters and also limits the ability of parents to make separate child support agreements. The statewide uniform child support…