FAMILY RIGHTS
Our Responsibility
At The Castillo Firm, our first responsibility as lawyers is to protect the rights and interests of our clients. There are situations that require vigorous litigation to achieve the desired results. In our opinion, however, the entire family often pays a high emotional price for intense and prolonged conflicts in divorce cases. We have the skills, training and experience to help diffuse conflict where possible.
We represent clients in matters involving:
Divorce
Custody and Visitation of children
Child support and spousal support
Property Issue Resolution
Child Support, Custody, and Visitation Modifications After Final Judgment
Domestic Violence and Restraining Orders
Protection
And others
In situations that do not require traditional litigation and where a more peaceful approach is appropriate, we negotiate with opposing counsel to reach an agreement that is acceptable to both parties. Many of our clients can benefit from alternative dispute resolution methods, such as the non-adversarial approach to the collaborative process. The collaborative approach can reduce the stress and bitterness of the divorce process, while reducing legal costs.
Whatever the circumstances, we work closely with our clients to protect their rights and interests and achieve a divorce settlement that benefits them and their children. We place a high priority on keeping our clients fully informed of what is happening in their cases.
OUR LEGAL SERVICES
Divorce can be complex and contentious. If you try to make your way through the process without an attorney, you may be giving up valuable rights you didn't know you had. It is important to have an attorney on your side who has experience in the courtroom, understands the nuances of the process, and cares as much as you do about the outcome of your case.n When people think about divorce, they are often confrontational. , - stress court battles. In our experience, however, we have found that many couples can sit down together and come to an agreement on many, if not all, of the issues related to their divorce. For these couples, we recommend using the collaborative process. This is a peaceful process where both spouses, their cooperating attorneys, and a team of mental health and financial professionals work cooperatively to reach an acceptable agreement. The process can reduce conflict, be cost-effective and efficient, and provide parties with control over their situation rather than having a judge make decisions in their case.
Divorce is often a major source of emotional stress. In addition to managing the difficult emotional issues faced by spouses and their children, the legal and financial aspects of marriage dissolution must also be addressed. An experienced divorce attorney can simplify the legal process and explain her options in plain English so she can make informed decisions. Our priority is our clients and their children. We take the time to get to know our clients, learn about their families and their specific situations. By doing this, we are better able to pursue resolutions that are in your best interest. Our Southern California law firm helps people with divorce issues, including:
Complex Property Division – Includes community asset and debt issues, retirement accounts, 401(k), stock options, and real estate and business division.
Child Custody and Visitation: We assist clients with vital issues in achieving custody and visitation arrangements that are in the best interests of the children.
Child Support and Spousal Support: If a client receives support or pays support, we work to ensure that my clients are fully informed and that their legal rights are protected.
Process Options: Parties in divorces have options. We carefully explain to our clients the options they have, including traditional litigation, mediation, and the collaborative process.
Of all the problems related to a divorce, the most important are those related to children and how to minimize the trauma they experience in divorce.
Who will the children live with?
What will be the visiting hours?
What parenting arrangement best meets the children's needs?
At the Castillo Law Firm our goal is to help families answer all of these important questions and find a parenting plan that is best for the children.
Child custody cases must be handled with special care, as the best interests of the children must be kept at the forefront of the case. When deciding custody issues, parents have options. Some of these options are:
Parent Counseling: This is a process where parents talk to a counselor who helps the parents establish a parenting plan that fits the needs of the children.
Collaborative law: This provides couples with a way to resolve child custody and other family law disputes outside of court. Many divorcing couples benefit greatly from this cooperative and creative approach.
Court Orders: Whenever necessary, we will vigorously defend my clients' interests in California courts, obtaining child custody orders that are in the best interests of the children and the client.
Life is far from predictable. When a client's circumstances change significantly, there may be a need to modify an existing child custody agreement. There are many reasons why a client may seek modifications, including:
New marriage or cohabitation
Career change or job loss
Parents relocation/moving
Reports of substance abuse or domestic violence
Very often, a modification is required due to an emergency situation, such as cases where a parent has been driving drunk with the children in the car. In those cases, we work quickly and aggressively to seek emergency court orders that protect the children. In addition to seeking modification of child custody orders, we also help clients make changes to spousal support and child support orders.
