Danville Family Law Attorney

Few legal matters are as emotionally volatile and potentially distressing as those involving families. Children and finances are often involved making the stakes high and clouding the judgment and behavior of those involved. If you are dealing with a family law case that needs legal attention, look no further than Moradi Saslaw.

At Moradi Saslaw, our family law attorneys help clients create practical solutions to family law issues. Our legal team is:

• Well-versed and experienced in California’s family laws;
• Client-centered and focused on achieving your legal goals; and
• Genuinely caring and compassionate when working with families and their legal problems.

If you would like to learn more about our full-service family law firm, contact Moradi Saslaw in Danville. We can provide you with comprehensive legal representation and help you move forward with your life.

Let Our Danville Family Law Attorneys Help You

Most people will need a family law attorney at some point in their lives. Family law is a vast area of civil law dealing with family-related issues and domestic relations. Family law includes a variety of case types, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Divorce;
• Child custody and support;
• Child visitation;
• Pre and postnuptial agreements;
• Paternity; and
• Much, much more.

Divorce

Many of a family law attorney’s duties stem from divorce matters. Divorce is the dissolution of a marital contract. A family law attorney will help ease the emotional stress of divorce and sort out the following issues on your behalf:

• Assets and debts, including real property and separate property;
• Spousal support;
• Child support; and
• Child custody and visitation.

California is a community property state. This means that any assets and debts the spouses acquired during the marriage are to be divided equally in a divorce.

Community or marital property excludes separate property. Separate property is property acquired by one spouse by gift or inheritance before or during the marriage. It also includes any proceeds or income from separate property.

Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements

Family law attorneys draft both prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. These are documents couples create detailing property rights in the event of a divorce. There are legal rules that must be followed for a California prenuptial or postnuptial to be valid and upheld by the court.

Spousal Support

Spousal support may either be agreed to or decided by a family court judge after the presentation of evidence by family law attorneys. A spousal support award can significantly affect the future of the payee or payor; therefore, it is imperative to have the assistance of an experienced family law attorney to litigate this matter.

California spousal support is based on one spouse’s need for support and the other spouse’s ability to pay that support. Once the court establishes both of these exist, other factors are considered, such as:

• The age and health of each spouse;
• The needs of each person based on the standard of living enjoyed during the marriage;
• Whether there are allegations of domestic violence;
• The assets and debts of each person;
• What each person can afford to pay to maintain the standard of living enjoyed during the marriage;
• The contributions of one spouse to the other spouse in obtaining training, education, or a professional license;
• The state and federal tax implications of spousal support;
• Whether getting a job would make it too difficult for a parent to care for the couple’s children;
• Whether one spouse’s career was impacted by the need to take care of the couple’s children or home or was affected by unemployment;
• The marketable skill set and the job market for those skills of the spouse that is receiving spousal support payments;
• The time and expense a spouse will need to obtain training and education to secure employment; and
• Any other factors the judge deems relevant to spousal support.

Spousal support can be modified when there is a change in circumstances that warrants a modification or there is a death or remarriage of a party.

Child Custody

Child custody and visitation may be a hotly debated issue between a wed or unwed couple. When family law attorneys and their clients cannot reach an agreement as to a custody plan, the matter goes before the court to present evidence and resolution.

Child custody in California is based on the best interests of the child along with several other factors, including:

• The child’s health, safety, and welfare;
• Whether either parent has a history of abuse against the child or other parent;
• The nature and amount of contact with both parents;
• Whether either parent has a history of illegal use of controlled substances, alcohol, or prescribed medications; and
• Any other factor the court deems relevant.

Child custody and visitation plans may be revised when there is a significant change in circumstances regarding either parent that affects the best interests of the child involved.

Child Support

California has a formula and guidelines for computing child support. However, calculations can be complex when a parent is self-employed, or deviations from the child support guidelines are necessary. A family law attorney will ensure the court has all the information to calculate the appropriate child support amount.

Child support calculations in California take the following into account:

• The parents’ incomes;
• The amount of time each parent spends with the child; and
• Any tax deductions that are available to either parent.

Judges are required to follow the guidelines and mathematical formula to ensure a minimum level of child support for any child and uniformity in child support calculations. Judges have the power to deviate from the guidelines in limited situations.

Contact an Experienced Danville Family Law Attorney

This is only a sample of how the family law attorneys from Moradi Saslaw can help you. If you are faced with any family law or domestic relations issue, contact us in Danville or our San Francisco family law attorney’s office today. We will take the time to listen and understand your situation and offer honest advice tailored to your needs.