Custody and Visitation

Child custody matters are often emotional, complex, and involve heart wrenching choices. Our office has years of experience dealing with all areas of parental rights, including paternity, rights of single parents, national and international child abduction, contested guardianships, termination of parental rights, and grandparent visitation. We have handled as many or more move-away cases than any law firm in Kern County.

Often, the issues involve nothing more than setting an age appropriate custody and visitation schedule for parents that can no longer live together.  In other cases, a typical custody and visitation schedule is not appropriate because of one parent’s lack of involvement in a child’s life, domestic violence, or problems with drugs and alcohol. The issues become more difficult when one party wants to move out of the area or when a third party, such as grandparents, want custody or visitation rights.

The most common mistake parents make is believing that the issues of custody and visitation are related to the payment of child support. Under California law, child custody or visitation cannot be denied because child support payments are not being made. Conversely, support payments cannot be withheld because the other party is refusing to allow court-ordered visitation.

• Child custody matters are often emotional, complex, and involve heart wrenching choices.
• Typical custody and visitation schedules are often not appropriate when one of the parties has not been involved in the child’s life or has a history of domestic violence or drug or alcohol abuse.
• The issues become more difficult when one party wants to move out of the area or when a third party, such as grandparents, want custody or visitation rights.