818-600-6534
Los Angeles Child Custody Lawyer
Protecting Children In Beverly Hills And Los Angeles
At Stolar Law Group in Beverly Hills, we help our clients work out physical and legal child custody arrangements that allow them to maintain the most vital possible relationships with their children. California child custody law dictates that child custody and visitation determinations are to be made from the child’s best interest standpoint.
WHY CHOOSE A CUSTODY LAWYER FROM STOLAR LAW GROUP?
Steven Stolar is an experienced child custody attorney serving Los Angeles. As your legal counsel, he will help you work out a parenting plan that protects your parental rights. He has over three decades of experience and has worked with many experts in the field, giving his clients even more of an advantage.
Our law firm provides legal representation for custody cases involving:
- Custody of special needs children
- Paternity
- Fathers’ rights
- Rights of unmarried parents
- Interstate custody disputes
- Visitation and parenting
- Grandparents’ rights
- Stepparent adoption
- Children of domestic partnerships
- Creative child custody agreements
- Emergency custody for children in danger
HOW IS CHILD CUSTODY DETERMINED IN CALIFORNIA?
In California, courts are primarily interested in what is known as the “best interest of the child.” That means they will determine child custody in a manner that best suits the child—not the parents. They will also evaluate custody fairly. For example, courts do not favor the mother over the father, regardless of a child’s age or sex. Similarly, courts cannot deny a parent custody simply because of a disability, religious belief, or sexual orientation.
To determine what is best for a child, California courts will consider the following factors:
- The child’s age and health
- The emotional tie between the parents and the child
- The ability of a parent to care for the child
- Any history of violence or substance abuse
- The child’s tie to their school, home, and community
Those are only the tip of the iceberg. Some other factors that may be considered include:
- The activities that the parent is involved in with the child
- The amount of time that each parent spends with the child
- Any negativity that may exist, such as arguments, shouting, etc.
- Specifics for each parent, such as personal reasons, absence from home, etc.
In most cases, the “best interest of the child” means continued, frequent contact with both parents—something that can be accomplished with joint custody. However, that is not always the correct solution.
In some cases, a parent may travel frequently for work. This may lead to a situation where sole physical custody and joint legal custody will work best for the family. When joint physical custody is not awarded, it is important for fair visitation rights to be awarded to ensure both parents can maintain their parent-child relationship.
Because each family is unique, it is important to work with a Los Angeles family law attorney who can work with you to create the right solution for you and your family.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHILD CUSTODY AND SUPPORT
It is important to work with an attorney with the appropriate experience in crafting parenting plans to see that the plan provides you with all the benefits possible. The court’s order for child support will be partially based on the amount of time your child spends at each residence. That is where the relationship between visitation, custody, and support ends.
A parent cannot withhold child support because of a breach of the visitation agreement. Likewise, missed support payments do not allow the custodial parent to deny visitation.