California Child Support Services departments or agencies are located in each county in California. The California Department of Child Support Services program is designed to assist parents and guardians of minor children to meet financial, medical and emotional needs of their children by providing child support services in their local area. California Child Support Services can help with child support issues related to receiving child support such as opening a child support case, establishing child support orders, enforcing child support orders, and collecting child support payments.

The California Child Support Services Department works with each local child support agency, the courts, county health and human service agencies, state and federal agencies, employers and individuals to locate individuals who owe child support and collect child support from them.

If you have questions and are seeking legal help with child support calculations, payments, modifications, a child support hearing, or dealing with your local Department of Child Support Services department you’ll want to consult a California child support attorney or present your case to a California child support attorney.

California is one of many states that are considered a no-fault divorce state as California divorce law allows one spouse to file for divorce and end the marriage even if the other spouse does not want to end the marriage. There are different California divorce and separation options as well as terms that spouses or partners will want to be familiar with such as domestic partnership, dissolution of marriage, annulment or nullity of marriage, legal separation, and summary dissolution.

• A California divorce is also called a dissolution of marriage. The terms fundamentally mean the same thing.
• An annulment, also called a nullity of marriage, is a way in California to divorce if the court finds that a marriage or domestic partnership is invalid, illegal or void.
• A legal separation has similar grounds as a California divorce and allows a couple to separate their finances and property without terminating their marriage or domestic partnership.
• A summary dissolution is an easy way in California to get a divorce but certain factors must be met in order for a couple to qualify for it.
• A domestic partnership in California is a legal relationship between couples of same sex that affords the couple many of the same rights, protections and benefits of married couples.

For legal advice about California divorce or legal separation options you’ll want to consult with a California divorce attorney. To present your divorce case free to California divorce attorneys in your area click here.

California grandparents rights to visitation and child custody can be found in Family Code Section § 3100-3105. According to California Family Code Section § 3102(a), if one parent of a child is deceased, then the grandparents can be granted visitation rights to their grandchildren if a court determines that visitation to be in the “child’s best interest.” However, according to California Family Code Section § 3102(c), the above does not apply if the child has been adopted by a person other than a stepparent or grandparent of the child.

The California court recognizes two important presumptions when it comes to grandparents rights. These presumptions can be found in California Family Code Section § 3104. There is rebuttal presumption that grandparent visitation is not in a minor child’s best interest if (1) the natural or adoptive parents agree that the grandparent should not be granted visitation rights (Family Code § 3104(e)) or if (2) the parent who has been awarded sole legal and physical custody of the child in another proceeding or with whom the child resides if there is currently no operative custody order objects to visitation by the grandparent (Family Code § 3104(f)).

If a parent has not been found to be unfit, in considering a petition for grandparents visitation rights by a grandparent, the California court must set aside its own judgment on what would be “in the best interest of the children” and protect the fundamental liberty rights of the parent to make decisions regarding the upbringing of their children.

For legal advice about California grandparent’s rights as it relates to child custody, visitation or adoptions, you’ll want to consult with a California child support attorney.

Press Release:  (Vocus) November 18, 2009 — Custodymatch.com, a unique legal services site which matches consumers with family law attorneys in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas, expands its service to Ventura, Inland Empire and San Diego family lawyers.

One of the hardest parts of any divorce is finding the right solution or representative for the case. The search can be time consuming, expensive, and after a while clients may settle with a second rate family law attorney. Custody Match was created with the sole purpose of allaying these problems and providing those going through divorce and custody issues a place to research, converse, and ultimately choose the best family law professional for their needs.

While the internet provides a vast amount of information on legal matters, it fails to always supply the researcher with genuine information and up-to-date options. Custody Match provides consumers with a place to learn about out-of-court solutions, types of legal representation, and how to find free or low cost non-legal self help all in one place. Learning about the pros and cons of each helps clients make informed decisions and discover new and easier ways to resolve disputes.

Don’t rely on word-of-mouth referrals to find an attorney. Sign up for their matching services and start the search today. They provide listings of various family law professionals and specialists (such as divorce attorneys, mediators, collaborative attorneys, Certified Family Law Specialists, and Appellate Law Specialists), as well as a forum for clients to present their case to attorneys of their choosing. Many of their professionals will agree to a consultation for free or a nominal fee.

Custody Match is a free online research tool with no hidden fees or charges to the user. If a client decides to choose a professional from their directory it is at their own discretion and they will deal directly with them. Custody Match holds each of their attorney members to high standards of excellence regarding their reliability and credibility, through their Consumer Satisfaction Solution. Any billing disputes that occur between clients and their attorneys can be brought before Custody Match and a solution will be sought.

Because Custody Match limits its services to Southern California, they are able to provide consumers with a higher level of quality control and relevancy when it comes to selecting a Southern California divorce lawyer or child custody attorney. They prescreen all attorneys, review feedback submitted by clients, and seek help from experienced professionals in the private sector in order to provide the best service possible. Many of those featured specialize solely in divorce and child custody cases, are Certified Family Law Specialists, and have memberships to various highly rated organizations.

For additional information or questions about Custody Match or their services, contact info(at)custodymatch(dot)com.

Custody Match serves Southern California’s Los Angeles, Orange County, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura and San Diego areas and has been online since 2005.

–
For media inquiries or to contact Custody Match click here.

California family law forms including California divorce forms and child custody forms are typically provided at your local California Superior Court where your case is filed. Additionally, many Superior Courts provide the capability of searching and downloading family law forms directly from the court website. For a list of California family law forms from the California court website click here.

If you are filling out California family law forms yourself, you’ll want to be sure you are using the right forms and that the forms are completed correctly.  You may be able to get free assistance with selecting and completing forms from your local family law facilitator office.  If you have questions about which family law forms you should be using or how to complete them, you’ll want to consult a California family law attorney.

The  California child support guideline, which is a statewide guideline, can be found in California Family Code § 4050-4076. The adoption of the California child support guideline as Legislature is intended to ensure the state of California remains compliant with federal regulations for California child support guidelines and child support law (California Family Code § 4050).

The California courts are supposed to comply with California child support guidelines in making child support orders and may deviate from the guideline only in a limited number of special circumstances (California Family Code § 4052). The California child support guideline is presumed to be correct in all child support cases, and only under the special circumstances can a California judge rule that a child support order fall below the child support formula mandated by the guideline (California Family Code § 4053(k) and ).

The California child support formula (California Family Code § 4050(a)) for determining statewide guideline child support orders is as follows: CS = K (HN – (H%) (TN))

The details of the California child support formula and each factor represented by letters in the child support formula above can be found in California Family Code § 4055.  For free help with child support matters you can contact your local family law facilitator office to see if they can assist you.  For legal child support advice and help with California child support issues, you’ll want to contact a California child support attorney.

Who gets child custody in California? The standard for California child custody determinations is the overall “best interest of the child.” California child custody law grants child custody in an order of preference (California Family Code § 3020) and according to factors pertaining to the best interest of the child (California Family Code § 3020 and California Family Code § 3011).

The “health, safety, and welfare” of children of divorce are the California courts primary concern (California Family Code § 3020 (a)). Assuring a child “frequent and continuing contact” with both parents is the public policy of California child custody laws absent child abuse, domestic violence, or where the contact would not be in the best interest of the child (California Family Code § 3020 (b)) or if it conflicts with a child’s “health, safety, and welfare” (California Family Code § 3020 (c)).

There are several best interest of the child factors the California court considers among any other relevant factors in making child custody determinations. These factors can be found in California Family Code § 3011.

If you have questions about child custody laws California you’ll want to speak with a California child custody attorney who can advise you of your legal child custody rights and options.

California divorce records and certified copies of California divorce decrees or California divorce papers are typically only available through the California Superior Court in the county where the divorce was filed. According to the California Department of Public Health website, the office of Vital Records does not issue certified copies of a divorce decree and does not indicate whether the divorce was finalized in court. The office of Vital Records can only issue a Certificate of Record (this is not a certified copy of the divorce decree) for divorce between 1962 and June 1984. The Certificate of Record includes the names of the parties to the divorce, the county where the divorce was filed and the case number.

To obtain a certified copy of your California divorce record you’ll want to contact or visit your local county Superior Court. Each court should have a process for obtaining records.  Divorce records can generally be obtained in-person, by mail or possibly online depending on the courthouse. Some courts provide an online tool or public computers at the local courthouse where you can search and view records, locate your case number or case information, which is helpful for requesting certified copies of your divorce decree. Generally, the case number is needed for obtaining California divorce records in-person or via mail. For specific information about obtaining California divorce records you’ll want to contact your local California court.

The California Department of Child Support Services provides a California child support calculator free on its website.  The free California child support calculator bases its calculation on statewide California child support guideline factors to come up with its approximation.  The child support calcualtor is a handy tool to estimate the amount of child support one may potentially be ordered to pay or receive.  While California child support law requires the court to adhere to California statewide uniform guidelines in setting child support orders, ultimately a California Superior Court family law judge or court commissioner has the final say on child support determinations.

Some understanding of California family law and California tax law may be needed to complete the intake fields provided on the online child support calculator.  Some local child support agencies may be able to provide free child support services to the public.  For specific questions about California child support you’lll want to consult a California child support attorney or contact your local family law faciliator office.

California is a no-fault divorce state, which means one spouse can unilaterally end a marriage without having to prove the other parent is at fault for causing the marriage to break down. In other words, one spouse can simply proceed with a dissolution of marriage (or divorce) on the grounds of “irreconcilable differences.”

California no fault divorce law began in 1970 after the Family Law Act of 1969 was signed into law. Prior to 1970, California was a “fault” based divorce state, which meant a spouse had to prove the other spouse did something wrong in the marriage that caused it to break down (i.e. adultery, abuse, cruelty, etc). California no fault divorce law makes it much easier for a spouse to leave a marriage which has changed a lot of peoples perception of California divorce and the dissolution of marriage process.

For legal advice or representation on matters related to California no-fault divorce, you’ll want to consult with a California divorce attorney.