Child Custody/Visitation

Even though every father has the right to spend substantial time with his children, in many divorce battles the rights of the father are pushed aside. If you are a father going through a divorce or custody battle, it’s important to have attorneys who will go to the mat for you and your children. At Diamond Law Firm, we are committed to assertively representing fathers in child custody matters, ensuring that their parental rights are respected.

Child Custody
Child custody hearings are held to determine which parent will be responsible for the well-being of children under the age of 18 years old.  The judge ruling over a child custody hearing always considers the best interest of the child first.  In addition, your judge will also take into consideration a number of other factors before ruling which parent will be awarded legal and/or physical custody of the child. These factors include:

• The age and health of both parents
• The child’s age
• The child’s preference (to the extent the judge deems this appropriate)
• The ability of each parent to provide for the child
• Each parent’s financial security and resources
• Each parent’s lifestyle
• The child’s current lifestyle
• The distance between each parent’s home
• The child’s relationship with each parent
• The willingness of each parent to allow the child to have frequent and continuing contact with the other parent, unless such contact is not in the child’s best interest

Once your judge has considered these factors, he or she will decide which parent will be granted physical custody and legal custody.  Both physical and legal custody can be shared by both parents, or they can be granted to only one parent. When custody is granted to only one parent, it is referred to as sole physical custody or sole legal custody. When both parents are granted custody, it is referred to as joint physical custody or joint legal custody. 

Physical custody refers to which parent the child will actually reside with most of the time. Legal custody refers to which parent has the authority to make legal decisions on behalf of the child, such as decisions regarding education, healthcare, and over all well-being.

Visitation
When one parent is awarded sole physical custody, the other parent will typically be awarded visitation rights. These rights give the non-custodial parent the opportunity to still spend valuable time with the children, even though they no longer live together.

If you have been granted visitation rights but feel that your child’s mother is not abiding by the terms of the visitation schedule, then it’s important for you contact an experienced child custody attorney immediately. At Diamond Law Firm, we understand that children need their fathers, so we work relentlessly to ensure that our clients’ fatherly rights are respected, and that they have every opportunity to spend time with their children.

Modifications
In some cases, a father may wish to modify, or change, a child custody order. This can be done to either increase the amount of time a father spends with his children, or change the child custody or visitation schedule to meet his unique needs. At Diamond Law Firm, we are more than qualified to represent fathers throughout California at their child custody modification hearings, and help them come to a new arrangement that meets their specific needs and desires.

Relocations
In some situations, the mother of a child threatens to move far away from the father. This not only infringes upon a father’s right to see his children, but it also usually is not in the child’s best interest.  If your child’s mother threatens to move your child away from you, it’s important to file an order to show cause for a change of custody and/or visitation as quickly as possible. Most judges in California respect the relationship between a father and his children, and will rule in favor of an interested father who wishes to keep his children in his life.

Contact the Premier California Child Custody and Visitation Attorneys
As a father-son team, we know first-hand how wonderful it is for fathers and their children to maintain a good relationship. That’s why we are committed to protecting fathers’ rights in California, and fighting for their best interests in child custody and visitation proceedings.  We build compelling cases that prove to the judge that our clients’ relationship with their children is important to them and good for the children, and we reinforce the law that every father has the right to see his children on a regular basis.

Furthermore, we never recommend to settle a child custody dispute until we feel we have come to an arrangement that is fair and just. Most importantly, we strongly believe that every father deserves the right to be a part of his children’s lives, and that’s why we work hard to ensure that neither the mother nor the court violate that fundamental, constitutional parental right. 

If you require the services of an experienced California father’s rights child custody and visitation lawyer, please contact Diamond Law Firm at (800) 750-4888. We represent fathers throughout the entire state of California, including Encino, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills,  the San Fernando Valley and throughout Los Angeles County.