PASADENA FAMILY LAW FIRM

Choosing to dissolve your marriage is one of the toughest decisions you can face. Our team offers alternative dispute resolution, where a neutral mediator conducts peaceful negotiations between you and your spouse so you can avoid ugly, public court battles and move on with your life as quickly as possible. If you are unable to reach an agreement through mediation, we will represent you in court and aggressively advocate on your behalf. With our help, you can dissolve your marriage and obtain a divorce decree that outlines the terms of your divorce, including child custody, child support, alimony, and property division.

Both parents are legally obligated to provide financial support to their children, contributing to the cost of food, shelter, clothing, health care, education, and other basic living expenses. We can help you and your former spouse understand your rights and responsibilities as a parent, learn how state child support laws apply to your case, gather all important financial documents to prove your income, prepare for court proceedings, and create a fair, reasonable child support order that makes your child the first priority. We can also modify the terms of an existing agreement to reflect changing financial circumstances or enforce child support orders if your ex fails to fulfill their legal obligations.

The court will make a child custody determination based on the best interests of your child, but we can empower you with the information you need to understand your rights. Our attorneys will represent you in court and protect your rights to custody and visitation. Our team understands how highly you value your child’s health, happiness, and well-being, which is why we approach child custody cases with the goal of reaching a resolution that allows both you and your ex to maintain active, healthy relationships with your child.

Spousal support payments require your former spouse to remit a portion of their earned income to allow you to maintain the same standard of living after a divorce that you experienced during your marriage. Our attorneys can inform you of your rights to spousal support, evaluate your financial situation, calculate an expected support amount, and prepare all documentation the court needs to make a determination. You may be eligible to receive temporary support until you can achieve financial security, as well as rehabilitative support to pursue an education or train for a career that allows you to become financially independent.

If you experienced domestic violence, our team can provide expert legal counsel to help you determine the best approach for your situation. Your options may include securing a temporary restraining order to protect you and your children from further abuse, assisting you with filing for divorce, and connecting you with resources to provide support and guidance during this challenging time. If you have been falsely accused of domestic violence, we can challenge the validity of the prosecution’s case by uncovering evidence that proves the allegations were false. A successful case allows the reduction of charges with a plea bargain or even total dismissal of all charges, protecting you from losing custody of your child.

Court orders are legally binding agreements and changing them is a complicated process only possible under certain circumstances. It requires filing a new case with the family court that demonstrates evidence of the need for a change while you continue to meet the terms of the original order until the new order is issued. Our team can help you pursue modifications to child custody orders when financial or life circumstances have affected your child’s welfare or modifications to parental visitation terms to serve the best interests of the child. In addition, our attorneys can help you make modifications to child support orders to accommodate changes in income, financial security, or increasing expenses involved in raising your child.