Nothing in life matters more to us than our children. So, if you anticipate going in to a lawyer's office to talk to them about a child custody case, make sure you are prepared. Here we are going to discuss how to find a good child custody lawyer and the steps you should take.
How to Find a Good Child Custody Lawyer:
Step 1, Find a Family Law Specialist
First, make sure that you are talking to a lawyer who specializes in family law, and who is from the general area where you are going to Court. Basically before you can can ask questions to an Attorney about child custody you need to make sure you are talking to a family law specialist. This is important because you want a lawyer familiar with both the subject matter and the local court systems. One of the best ways are to look on Google and Yelp for reviews as well as ask family and friends.
Then Check Calbar.org
Another important step to take is to check out your lawyer's California State Bar profile at www.calbar.org. From this, you can determine whether or not your Attorney has had any disciplinary actions. If your Attorney does have disciplinary actions pending, you may want to either chose another Attorney or ask the Attorney what the disciplinary actions are regarding.
Make Sure You Have a Clear Position
Next, with respect to Child Custody, you want to make sure that you make whatever your position is clear. That means you need to know what kind of custody you would like of your children. The first thing you should know is that in California, we break down custody into two types: "Legal Custody" and "Physical Custody".
What is "Legal Custody" in California?
The first is "Legal Custody", this means who has the right to make legal decisions for the child/children such as where to go to school, the doctor, or where to worship, etc.
What is "Physical Custody" in California?
The second type of Custody is "Physical Custody", and this is essentially where the child resides. Of course each child, and each family is different, so you will need to decide what sort of custody is in the best interests of your children. The "best interests of the children" is the standard in family law by which the Court makes its decisions.
Don't Settle, Find an Attorney You Like
Finally, you want to work with an Attorney you get along with. In family law court, a Judge rather than a Jury decides the issues, so an Attorney who really lays on the theatrics is not as important as having an Attorney who is articulate and effective.
Have more questions on how to find a good child custody lawyer?
Ask your questions or add your comments below; we would love to hear them.
If you are in the Hanford, Fresno, or Visalia area and need a Family Law Attorney contact The Law Office of Michelle D. Wallis.