Los Angeles Family Law Lawyer

Family law issues can be complex from both a legal and emotional perspective, and you need a Los Angeles family law attorney who is prepared to help with both. At The Dorie A. Rogers, APC, we meld a background in psychology and extensive experience in practicing family law to help our clients work through what can often be some of the most challenging and sensitive issues that they will face.

We understand how important these issues are to you and listen carefully to understand your goals. As we represent and advocate for you through the process, we are careful to make sure the actions we take are aligned with your needs, the well-being of your children, and realistic goals.

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When you first step into our offices, we will walk you through the entire process, so you will know what to expect. Taking the time to understand your family dynamics and goals, we will help you develop a strategy at our first meeting. From that point forward, we will continue to pursue your rights in accordance with our strategy whether it is with hearings or negotiations until the time of trial or conclusion by settlement.

With our strategic planning we will be prepared from the onset to accomplish our goals regardless of the challenges we encounter. Gathering all of your financial information we will collect a complete picture as we determine if outside experts should be brought in to strengthen your case. We work with a network of forensic accountants, psychologists, and investigators in order to best assist our clients in furthering their goals. We can also refer you to counselors as needed.

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A Los Angeles Family Law Attorney Uniquely Suited to Challenging Situations

Determining who will represent you and your interests in a family law issue is an important decision. You will be depending on your lawyer to pursue your objectives, but there is more that goes into family law issues than just that. At The Dorie A. Rogers, APC, we believe in an approach that puts our clients first, both in terms of legal needs and psychological concerns.

We can pair our background in psychological training with an impressive list of legal skills to give our clients care that helps them through what is often a stressful experience while pursuing a better status quo on the other side of the process.

Our approach is focused on ensuring that you understand what may be achievable in your situation given the laws involved and setting the goals that we will pursue. We will make sure that you have a clear picture of your situation and understand what to expect.

Issues That a Family Law Attorney Can Help With

The civil laws that pertain to family dynamics, disputes, and dissolution are broadly known as family law. These issues are often complex and multi-faceted as the parties involved usually have a long history together and emotional involvement, and many of the issues are interlaced, such as child custody and child support.

Divorce

One of the most common issues that a family law attorney handles is divorce. It’s a complex process that will usually involve other family law issues, such as property division and child custody.

Divorce in California follows a set of laws that provide guidelines on what the court will deem acceptable terms of central issues of the divorce. A lawyer can help prepare you for how these will apply to your situation and help you set some expectations around how the process will proceed and what final orders might look like.

In many cases, couples prefer to try to avoid taking the divorce to court to be decided upon. If possible, they will try to come to an agreement outside of court, which will then be presented to a judge. So long as that agreement is in line with the law, they will likely approve it with little alteration.

Working with a lawyer can be critical for those wishing to avoid going to court. We understand how to negotiate these agreements and have a firm understanding of what the court will expect to see. Our involvement can often help temper some of the emotions involved as well. Separating lives that were built together is going to cause some emotions, especially if children are involved.

Letting your lawyer handle the negotiations will ensure that the focus is on finding fair solutions rather than letting the process be derailed by the emotions of the circumstances.

Not every divorce, though, will be able to be solved through a negotiated separation agreement, and some will end up going to court. When this happens, the spouses have less opportunity to control the outcome and will need to make their strongest case before a judge, who will then decide.

It’s critical that you have a lawyer representing you and advocating for you should your divorce go down this path. We have experience in making a case before judges and understand how their decisions are made. Your position must be properly presented to give yourself the strongest possibility of reaching your objectives through the divorce. That’s what we are trained to do and have refined through experience.

Child Custody

Child custody rules will determine how parents are going to handle the issue of raising and caring for children. This is often one of the most emotionally charged issues in family law, as for most parents, there is nothing more precious to them than time spent with their children. That can make the idea of having to split time a very difficult thing to handle.

Working with a lawyer can be helpful because they can make a strong case to maximize the time you are awarded with your children, and they can also help you understand what kind of agreement you should expect in your situation.

There are a few different terms that are used to describe how custody is awarded:

Sole custody. This is when just one parent is awarded custody.
Joint custody. This is when the parents share custody of the child.
Physical custody. This refers to how time will be spent between the parents and where the child will live.
Legal custody. This kind of custody covers decision-making for the child around major decisions, such as
religion, education, and healthcare.

When deciding on child custody, the court will consider a number of different factors, but their final decision must be based on the child’s best interests and not any other standard. To determine what will serve the child’s well-being, a judge will evaluate different criteria including:

A child’s age, health, education, and other factors related to their life
What the child is familiar with
The relationship that the child presently has with each parent
What kind of a home the parent is able to provide for the child
Whether or not a parent is willing to encourage the child’s relationship with their other parent
Any history of abuse, substance abuse, or domestic violence
The child’s wishes, if they are seen as mature enough to understand the situation

Child Support

One of the more difficult aspects of family law is child support. It’s easy for a person who is paying child support to feel like they’ve gotten a particularly bad deal. This is because, as a general rule, the less time that a parent spends with the kids, the more they will need to pay in support.

On one hand, this makes sense because the other parent will be responsible for providing for the children more as they are around more. That parent will also be more limited in terms of what they can do to advance their career and increase their earning.

On the other hand, though, it’s hard for the person who is paying child support not to feel like they are paying to not see their kids. Working through the emotions that come with this dynamic is one of the things that can make child support so difficult. It’s not that the parent paying support doesn’t want their child to be provided for and well-cared for. However, resentment can easily take hold because of the uniqueness of this dynamic.

A lawyer can help prepare someone on either side of the child support dynamic for what they should expect. We can give you an idea of what is roughly going to be considered a fair amount of support given the financial, custody, and visitation factors involved with your situation.

Spousal Support

Spousal support can serve a few different purposes depending on the length of the marriage, the age of those involved, health concerns, and a few other issues. In some cases, spousal support will be designed to give the spouse receiving it the opportunity to seek something like career training, a new job, or some way of reaching self-sufficiency.

In these cases, the court will set a time when the support will stop, and the other spouse will no longer be responsible for paying. However, in other situations, the support may be more permanent and meant to provide for someone for the rest of their life.

Some of the factors considered when determining spousal support include:

Age
Health
The length of the marriage
The income and earning capacity of each spouse
Each spouse’s opportunities to increase their earning capacity
Each spouse’s assets and debts
The needs of each spouse
The standard of living during the marriage
Contributions to the marriage beyond income, such as homemaking or supporting the other spouse’s career or education

Property Division

In California, property division can be complicated. Property will first need to be divided into two groups:

Separate property. In most cases, this will be the property that each couple had prior to the marriage, although it can also include some property acquired during the marriage through something like inheritance or a gift.
Community property. This is the property that was acquired during the marriage. In some cases, separate property may become community property if it is mixed with community property. For instance, a rental property that community funds are used to remodel.

It is only the community property that will be divided between the two spouses. The principle for dividing this property is that it must be an “equitable” division. This does not necessarily mean that there will be a precise 50-50 division of the property. Instead, the full scope of the marriage is meant to be taken into consideration, and the final division of the property should result in something that is fair for both parties.

Post-Judgment Litigation

While a judge will issue orders regarding the separation when a divorce is finalized, those orders are based on the circumstances at the time of the dissolution. A change in circumstances could mean that different orders are more appropriate. Most often, these modifications involve child custody and support or spousal support.

To receive a modification of orders, there must be a substantial change in circumstances. This could be either spouse experiencing a significant change in income, some kind of abuse or substance abuse occurring, or even a significant change in something involving a child, such as sudden falling grades or behavioral issues.

A family law attorney can help either make the case for modifications or defend against the need for such modifications. Often, a lawyer will be involved in drafting a petition to the court to make these changes so that a strong written argument is put forth. If the court accepts the petition, there will be a hearing, and both sides will have the opportunity to present their case. Having a lawyer present the case can be critical to ensuring your position is well-represented.

Divorce Mediation

A lawyer can be especially helpful through the process of divorce mediation, which allows divorcing spouses to avoid the many negatives that come with a divorce being decided in court. We understand how to guide the mediation so that it’s able to avoid pitfalls and can remain focused on amicably finding solutions to the issues in a divorce. Some of the advantages of mediation include:

It’s often a quicker process than taking the claim to court.
It gives those involved more control over the process and avoids the uncertainty inherent in any litigation.
It’s a confidential process and can maintain privacy.
More creative solutions might be found through mediation.
The emotional impact can often be less intense than going through court.

Minor’s Counsel

California law is one of the few states that allows minors to have their own counsel in family law issues. This is because minors have some independent rights within family law, even though they don’t have the full set of rights that adults do. An attorney can be appointed to help protect those rights and represent the child’s interests, especially in cases involving:

Child abuse
Domestic violence
Drug use by parents
Education disputes
Medical issues with either the parent or child
Mental health issues with either the parent or child

FAQs

Q: Is California a “No Fault” Divorce State?

A: California is a no fault divorce state. This means the grounds for a divorce can be irreconcilable differences. There is no need to prove that the other spouse committed an act of harm or some other kind of wrongdoing to be able to file for divorce.

Q: How Long Does a Divorce in California Take?

A: There are a number of different factors that can influence the timeline of a divorce. The minimum will be six months, as there is a requirement that six months must pass between when a divorce is initiated and when it can be finalized.

However, how far it extends beyond the six months will depend on how motivated both parties are to come to an agreement and how crowded the court system is. While many divorces can be finalized within months, it’s not uncommon for some divorces to take years before a dissolution of marriage is ordered.

Q: Can I Stop Paying Child Support if I Lose My Job?

A: If you are paying child support and lose your job, that does not mean that you are automatically not required to pay the support. However, the loss of a job is usually a significant change in circumstances that can be used to petition for modification of the orders. If you are paying child support and lose your job, contact a family law attorney as soon as you can.

Q: What if I’m Falsely Accused of Domestic Violence During the Divorce Process?

A: It’s reasonable to feel frustrated if you’ve been falsely accused of domestic violence. However, it’s important that you don’t act out of that frustration. The wisest thing you can do is comply with whatever temporary orders you’re given and wait for a hearing on permanent orders.

This will be your opportunity to present your side of the situation and make your case. If you want to be certain that you have a formidable defense, then contact a lawyer as soon as you’re given temporary orders. An attorney in Los Angeles, CA can help you navigate the false domestic violence accusation and ensure it doesn’t affect the divorce proceedings.

Get Help From a Family Lawyer Who Is Attentive to Your Needs

Family law issues are usually particularly sensitive concerns. For most people, there’s almost nothing more important than family. That means the outcome of these legal issues is always high stakes. That also means that emotions are likely to run high. It’s entirely understandable for people to have strong feelings in these situations, and it should be a factor in deciding on the right Los Angeles family law attorney.

At The Dorie A. Rogers, APC, we bring a depth of knowledge of family law built on significant experience handling these issues. We also possess a concern for the mental well-being of our clients. We have both an impressive legal background and a background in psychology.
This combination allows us to help clients manage the stress of family law issues while also representing them and pursuing their interests. Get in contact with us today for help with your family law concerns.

“Dorie is a very powerful attorney and a great asset to have on your side in any family legal matter. She is extremely bright and insightful, and I got everything I asked for in my lawsuit.”

Brit B.

“I would strongly recommend Ms. Dorie Rogers for any legal needs. During my Divorce proceedings, Dorie’s professionalism, expertise in Divorce Law and legal skill helped bring my case to a close in both a timely and mutually agreeable manner.
Additionally, Dorie took the time to understand me and my background to better represent me in my case. She showed a level of caring and concern that helped me through a very difficult time. She is an outstanding lawyer and wonderful person.”

Alan M. Greenberg

“Second to none – I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Dorie to anyone. She was my attorney for my divorce and custody case. She will do everything it takes to get the job done and all with a smile on her face. Her knowledge and expertise will assist anyone in a family law situation get the results they want.”

Todd M.

Los Angeles Family Law Attorney