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Family Law

San Francisco, Sacramento,
and Chico, California

If anyone in your family has ever been through a divorce you know very well that it is an extremely traumatic event for all parties involved. In very few cases does anyone ever come out of a divorce unscathed. Sadly, it is usually children who are most devastated by divorce. An amicable divorce may seem like an oxymoron to most who have been through this ordeal but, in actuality, there are ways to dissolve a marriage, divide assets, and establish child custody/visitation without a great deal of animosity and fighting.

An experienced divorce attorney will work with opposing counsel and you and your spouse to fairly divide up property, assets, pensions, etc. and make this difficult situation as tolerable and painless as possible. In a divorce case, your divorce attorney will help you and your spouse settle the division of your property, decide on child and spousal support issues, and will also represent you should the divorce end up in court. The goal, of course, is to avoid going to court and to settle peacefully behind closed doors. The longer a divorce drags on, and the longer it stays in court, the more the children will be affected negatively.

We encourage spouses to put their hatred, resentment, or disagreements aside for the benefit of their children. After the divorce your divorce attorney will be there for you to help you with any legal problems that arise after the dissolution is final. These include reducing or collecting support payments, and custody/visitation issues with your children.

Child Custody and Child Support

Child support and child custody are definitely two of the most contentious issues in most divorce proceedings. Your divorce attorney can help you with these issues, in addition to the many others that will most likely come up as your divorce proceeds. Should one spouse participate in illegal behavior to avoid paying child support (e.g., changing names, not claiming income, moving out of state without telling the courts), an experienced divorce attorney will work diligently to track down the spouse and hold him or her accountable for the money they owe.

Guardianship of Children

Guardianship gives an adult the legal authority and responsibility to care for a child or an adult who is incapacitated in some way. The appointment of a guardian may be necessary if the child’s parents die, if the child has been abandoned, if the child is not receiving adequate care, or if the child is being abused. The guardian that is appointed is responsible for the child’s personal needs, the child’s education, the child’s medical care, and the general wellbeing of the child.

In some cases, the guardian may also provide financial management for the child; a guardian of the estate may also be appointed by the court to act on behalf of the child. The appointment of a guardian does not, however, sever the legal relationship that exists between children and their natural parents. Parents are still required to provide financially for their children, and the children will have rights of inheritance if applicable.

If you live in Southern California and need advice regarding a divorce or other family law issues, please contact the experienced family law attorneys at Jacoby & Meyers, LLC today to schedule your confidential consultation.