Family Law

Family law attorney Stephanie White and her team are dedicated to producing results for their clients. No matter how tumultuous the situation or how emotionally charged the case, The Law Office of Stephanie White is here to seek the best possible outcome while protecting the interests of you, the client, throughout the process.

The firm can assist with all types of family law cases, including:

DISSOLUTION (DIVORCE)

California’s name for divorce is “dissolution” as the judgment dissolves a marriage. Dissolution can involve custody, child support, spousal support, restraining orders, as well as division of property and retirement accounts.



Just as only one part has to want a dissolution in order to have a judgment, only one party has to want a fight to make a dissolution contentious. Stephanie White and her team offer clear and effective guidance through the whole process – looking at each piece from a broader perspective; helping parties who can settle find agreement; and helping those who can’t settle fight effectively to receive their fair share.

LEGAL SEPARATION

Legal Separation is a legal term with a specific legal meaning.

It is often confused with “date of separation” – which is an important date that determines the value of the property, assets, and debts to be divided. The “date of separation” is when the parties stopped acting married and decided they would no longer exist as a couple.



Legal Separation is a judgment that states how the parties should handle all aspects of a dissolution (divorce) but without taking the final step of becoming single. A few situations exist where Legal Separation would be a better result than dissolution. The Law Office of Stephanie White can help you, the client, determine whether Legal Separation might be a better solution than dissolution.

PARENTAGE (PATERNITY)

Families come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and they do not have to start with marriage. Parentage (often referred to as Paternity) cases are unique as they are about the child(ren) and not about the parents. The courts provide protection of the information in these cases unlike in dissolution custody matters. But the custody, visitation, and child support rights of a parent in a Parentage action are no different from those in a Dissolution or Legal Separation action. Stephanie White and her team are here to assist you, the client, in establishing and defining parental rights to help children have safe, frequent contact with the parents who love them.

CUSTODY

Of all issues in family law cases, Custody is the most important and most crucial – not just to a case, but to the life of the child(ren) involved. The Court has two types of Custody – Legal and Physical.



Legal Custody gives a parent the right to make certain decisions and have access to the child(ren)’s medical and education records.

Physical Custody gives a parent the right to spend time with the child(ren). Joint physical custody means that each party has some time given to them with the child(ren).

Attorney Stephanie White can help you, the client, develop a custody plan, determine what should be an appropriate custodial schedule and fight for your rights to parent your child in a safe environment.

CHILD SUPPORT

In California, Child Support is provided for by statute. Law makers have established a complex mathematical calculation that figures in earnings, custodial time share, tax deductions and other pertinent factors to determine “guideline” child support. The Law Office of Stephanie White can help you, the client, work through those factors to have an appropriate amount set for support.

SPOUSAL SUPPORT

Like Child Support, Spousal Support is based on many factors. Before a judgment is in place, Spousal Support is often figured using the same “guideline” calculations as in Child Support. But permanent Spousal Support considers another full set of factors (see Family Code §4320) and the amount determined is entirely at the discretion of the judge.

Stephanie and her team can help you best present the factors pertinent to your case whether it be for establishing temporary or permanent support, or to modify or terminate support.

PROPERTY DIVISION

Major property issues in Dissolutions center around real estate, retirement, and business(es).

Many times clients have a larger claim to real estate interests than they have considered. California is a community property state, and that defines ownership rights in some unexpected ways. Stephanie and her team can help to determine and prove your property rights – helping you, the client, keep everything that is yours.

Dividing retirement accounts can also be complicated by community property laws. Many different methods can be employed for the division of those accounts, and some will not work to your benefit. The Law Office of Stephanie White can help you determine how best to value and divide those accounts – helping you, the client, keep everything that is yours.

For businesses owned by divorcing parties, again, the community property laws can provide some complications – rights you haven’t even thought about. From valuing to dividing businesses, our Office can help you, the client, determine and keep everything that is yours.

RESTRAINING ORDER

Volatile situations can happen, whether a divorce is in progress or not.

For personal safety reasons, a restraining order may be necessary. Our office can help you determine whether an order should be requested and what type of order to ask for. Quick action is then taken to obtain, serve, and enforce the order necessary for your protection.

Sometimes in Family Law matters, parties make unwarranted claims of domestic violence often because a party believes that a restraining order would give them the upper hand in the case – especially in regard to custody or spousal support. Appropriate response is needed to advise the court of role of these tactics as it relates to the requested order.

The Law Office of Stephanie White can help you help the court see the reality of the case and to make orders protecting the rights and safety of the parties.

GUARDIANSHIP

This world is full of factors that can make a parent unable to act as a parent – violence, addiction, finances. When parents aren’t able to parent, another person (often a relative) can step in to act as parent. To have that substitution legally recognized, that person needs a Guardianship. Guardianships can help the caregiver obtain medical and educational services for the child, obtain access to government services available for the child, and obtain financial assistance for the child.

The Law Office of Stephanie White can help you petition for and receive a guardianship to help you, the client, help a child in your custody and care.

GRANDPARENTS’ RIGHTS

Nothing in this world matches the connection of grandparent and grandchild. Certain circumstances allow for grandparents to be able to spend time with their grandchildren. Our office can help evaluate whether legal action could help you, the client, obtain the legal right to enjoy that time with your grandchildren.

CONTACT THE LAW OFFICE OF STEPHANIE WHITE

The Law Office of Stephanie White works with clients in Southern California – specifically Los Angeles, Ventura & Santa Barbara counties. Contact the Law Office of Stephanie White today to schedule a consultation to discuss your family law case.