Family Law FAQs

California has one of the highest divorce costs in the US. Family law attorneys usually charge an hourly rate ranging from $300 to $600 per hour. Additionally, many attorneys also charge retainer fees, which range between $1,000 to $5,000.

The father enjoys the same rights as the mother in California. This includes the right to physical and legal custody, the right to access the child's medical records, applying for parental leave, paying child support, and establishing paternity through a court-ordered DNA test.

In California, both parents have equal rights when it comes to family laws. The mother can seek full custody    if it's in the child's best interests. Moreover, unmarried mothers have the right to automatic custody of the child at birth. Unmarried fathers must prove paternity to claim custody and other parental rights.

The court considers several factors which determine the best interests of the child. These factors may include:

  • Age and needs of the child
  • Relationship between the child and each parent
  • Ability of each parent to care for the child
  • Any history of domestic violence or abuse by either parent
  • The child's wishes, if above 14 years of age and displaying maturity.

In California, divorce can be either contested or uncontested. An uncontested divorce is when both parties resolve their differences outside court, such as by negotiating a settlement or mediation. A contested divorce is when the parties approach the court to decide on post-divorce issues like child custody, child support, asset division, and alimony.

Loss of job doesn't affect child support payments. This means you have to keep paying support even if you lose your job. You may petition the court for a modification of the order and show your financial hardship. Until the court approves such a modification, you must keep paying support per the court orders.

Relocating to another state by the custodial parent requires the court's approval. If the court thinks that such a move wouldn't be in the child's best interests and should continue visitations with the non-custodial parent, moving out may be out of the question. If you are a non-custodial parent in this situation, best to hire a family law attorney to inform the court that you want to continue with such visitations.

A prenuptial agreement allows you and your spouse to lay down certain terms to keep property separate and provide for children outside the marriage in the event of a divorce or death of a spouse. A prenuptial also protects an individual from debt incurred by the other before marriage. Without a prenuptial agreement, things like asset division can get tricky and complicated. If you want to know more about prenuptial agreements, contact the family law attorneys at Jos Family Law. We will create a prenup with the sole aim of protecting your rights.

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Sonia Fernández

Jos exhibits exceptional compassion and understanding, promptly addressing all inquiries to facilitate clarity and calm throughout the process with comprehensive and sincere explanations. He offers potential solutions to minimize unnecessary court costs. His team operates efficiently and effectively to complete the task. I highly recommend this law firm as it operates with integrity.

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Carlos Serrano

Thank you very much to Mr. Jos and to all his group of professionals who helped me get out of my child support case with a very good result. Each case is different and my case was very complicated. I live in the state of Virginia and the child support office of the state of California was starting a case against me, the amount they wanted me to pay was ridiculously high I didn't know what to do because I don't live in California and I had never met the child either. I searched online for a lawyer in California and thank God I found Mr. Jos's law office. I don't know them personally but I put my trust in them and they didn't disappoint me. We had very good communication despite the distance and they were always available to talk to me and clarify my doubts. Mr. James was the one who took my case to the end and after a long and very difficult process everything went very well in my favor much more than expected. I am very grateful to God for putting the entire team of professionals from Mr. Jos' office on my way. Words are not enough for me to describe everything they did for me and how grateful I am. I definitely recommend Mr. Jos's law firm. Thank you Mr. James for not giving up in my case and having achieved a magnificent result in my favor.

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Alexandra Duvall

Jos Family Law has been absolutely fantastic in helping me through my child custody case. Mr Jos communicated with me throughout the entire process. He was very empathetic and understanding with my case and my concerns. The team was always supportive and never once did I feel like they didn’t take my case seriously. I’m so grateful I chose this law firm to represent me and I would 100% recommend this team to anyone seeking assistance. In the end I received the outcome I was looking for which was Sole Physical Custody. Thank you so much Jos Family for representing me.

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Marco Galatro

This was the second attorney that represented me for my divorce. Binoye is a very knowledgeable, fair and professional attorney. They are reliable and this made my experience way less painful. They are definitely not greedy for money, they are not one of the many attorneys out there that overbill for their services. I truly recommend them.

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Roya

Mr. Jos is by far the best attorney l've ever had to work with. He is diligent, extremely prepared and informed and patient with his clients and goes above and beyond the call of duty to make sure you get the results you are hoping for. I recommend him to anyone who needs a Family attorney.

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Ricardo Lajaruna

My most sincere gratitude to the attorney Mr. James Sowers, who is very knowledgeable about the law, works with and for his clients. He is very transparent, honest and I am very grateful for his great support. His legal representation is highly recommended!!!

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Nader Zayid

JOS family Law took on my case which entailed custody and move away components and I honestly could not say enough great things about JOS Family Law! Mr. Jos is not only extremely knowledgeable and professional, but it is also extremely obvious how much he cares for his clients on a personal level as well. There is an expression that two heads are better than one, however, Mr. Jos' philosophy takes it further as eight heads are better than two. It was so impressive and reassuring how collaborative everyone at the office works together to meet on regular cadences and discuss their client's cases to brainstorm strategies in order to seek the best possible outcome for their clients. Mr. Jos has an amazing team of extremely talented and knowledgeable attorneys that have worked together on my case. James was the lead attorney on my case and also represented me in my hearing. James was able to get us everything we were asking for as he successfully proved that full custody remaining with me is in the best interest of the children and that the move away is in the best interest of the children as well. We were able to come up with a plan to ensure that the children's mother can visit regularly and still maintain a healthy relationship. James is a rock star attorney! I would without hesitation refer anyone seeking help in a family law matter to call Jos Family Law!

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