Family Law
Compassionate Guidance For Your Changing Family
When you are facing divorce, important custody decisions, or difficult support issues, our family law attorneys can help you prioritize and focus not just on the immediate issues but also on building a new future. Whether you want to mediate, are looking for equitable division of assets, or have specific custody and visitation goals or challenges, our family law attorneys are eager to assist. We serve residents of Sonoma County, Mendocino County, and Lake County.
Helping You Make The Best Decisions Possible
Through informative and compassionate advice tailored to your individual needs, our attorneys offer the guidance you need to make informed decisions possible on a number of matters relating to divorce and other issues related to families, including:
- Property division, assets, and debt
- Business valuations
- Division of retirement funds
- Stock options
- Children’s issues
- Spousal support or alimony
- Attorney fees
- Child Support
- Guardianships
- Grandparent Visitation Rights
- Stepparent Adoptions
- Termination of Parental Rights
Division Of Marital Assets
Our attorneys have considerable experience handling complex property division cases, including the division of retirement plans, real estate, investment accounts, businesses, and stock options. We can discuss the best possible outcome for you when you are faced with having to divide property that you and the other party have accumulated during your marriage or registered domestic partnership.
Sometimes, it is necessary to employ the services of an expert to assist with the division of your property during divorce procedures. Our attorneys have experience working with a wide variety of other professionals. Our attorneys will guide you through this process every step of the way.
Mediation
Mediation is a good alternative to traditional litigation when parties want to retain full control of the outcome of their dissolution. Mediation can be attended by parties representing themselves or by parties that are represented by attorneys.
If you and the other party choose mediation, you can attend meetings with a mediator to discuss resolution of your case. Carla Hernandez Castillo is a trained Mediator and can help parties resolve their matter without the need of litigation.
Achieve Fair Child Custody And Visitation Outcomes
If you and the other party have minor children together, then you will need to reach agreements or obtain court orders concerning child custody and visitation.
Our attorneys have experience and training in the area of child custody and visitation. They can assist you in creating parenting plans that are in the best interests of your children while also addressing your individual concerns as a parent.
Comprehensive Experience In Parentage Actions
Caring for the well-being of a child born outside of a marriage or a registered domestic partnership presents a different set of challenges. These situations often involve questions of child custody as well as child support and can include the issue of paternity. Our attorneys have significant experience handling these cases and can effectively guide clients to resolutions where paternity, child custody and child support are concerned.
Child Support
In California, the courts are required to use child support guidelines to make child support orders. It is important to be represented by a lawyer who knows about the guidelines and is familiar with the computer programs used to determine child support.
Our experienced attorneys have represented numerous clients in child support agreements and at child support hearings.
Spousal Support
During the process of dissolving a marriage or domestic partnership, a party may be entitled to receive temporary spousal support to financially assist them as they go through the dissolution process.
After the dissolution process is resolved, it may be appropriate for one party to pay the other party spousal support. This determination is made by considering a long list of factors that are set out in the family code.
We will discuss with you whether it is appropriate for you to be receiving or paying spousal support.