What Are In The Best Interests Of The Child?
In California, the “best interests of the child” standard is the guiding principle for resolving all custody disputes. The court will consider your child’s attachment to each parent, the kind of home each parent can provide, as well as other factors that may relate to each parent’s personal life, such as substance abuse.
At the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie in Pleasanton, our attorneys understand all the factors that go into deciding tough child custody issues. We can develop a strategy for a parenting plan that maintains your child-parent relationship and remains workable into the future. If a plan is not carefully considered, it may require a return trip to court with a request to enforce visitation to modify the arrangements.
If necessary, we work with investigators and psychologists to establish important facts about a child’s emotional state or potential issues facing an ex-spouse like untreated mental illness.
Frequent Questions About Child Custody And Child Visitation In California
How often will you be able to see your children? This is one of the most common questions and ties directly to that fear that you will not be able to continue to have a strong relationship. Other questions that our lawyers hear include:
- How will a custody arrangement affect the amount of a child support order?
- What options are available to make sure that a former spouse complies with a court-ordered visitation schedule?
- Is it possible to modify custody arrangements that aren’t working? An arrangement with alternating weeks may break down when a child starts elementary school, for example.
- When can you as an unmarried parent seek custody rights or child support from the other parent?
Temporary Custody And Domestic Violence
If your spouse may be trying to gain an advantage in a temporary custody hearing by alleging domestic violence occurred, you need the assistance of a child custody lawyer who knows how to address these types of allegations in court. An unjust accusation of domestic violence or assault must be dealt with immediately.
Where To Turn?
We take the time to sit down with you to thoroughly discuss your concerns and your legal options. Schedule a free initial consultation at our Pleasanton or Danville office today by calling 925-271-4342 or sending us a message.