After you lose a job, whether you are working less or not at all, you may have more free time to spend with your child or children. Child Support takes into account the amount of time each parent spends with the child(ren). Timseshare is a major factor in the California guideline child support formula. If you are not working all day or everyday, you might be able to spend additional time with your kids each week. This could increase your timeshare, and result in a lower monthly child support payment. This could save more money for you and the other parent if this additional time replace afterschool care, daycare, or another out of pocket expense.

A change in visitation is not automatic. In some cases, the other parent will agree to a change in a visitation. Frequently, however, they will not and it will be necessary to file a motion or an order to show cause for a modification of visitation. If you are successful in getting an increase in visitation and a greater timeshare, a modification of child support may be appropriate. Either way, It is important that you do not reduce support or child visitiation on your own without a Court Order. California has very specific rules relating to modification of child visitation and and to the modification of child support. Failure to follow these rules and procedures can have serious consequences. If you have a case involving the modification of child visitaiton the modification of child support you should contact a family law attorney.

If If you live in or near Los Angeles, or have a family law case in California, you can call this Los Angeles Child Visitation Attorney for a free family law consultation.

Parents with a change of circumstances, such as a change in income, can file an order to show cause for a modification of support to have the current guideline support, and the current child support order reflect their current income. The Court has jurisdiction to modify child support retroactive to the date the order to show cause was filed. This means that even if you have lost your job, your support cannot be modified back to the date of the change of your income, but only back to the date that you filed the order to show cause for a modification of child support.

If you have lost your job, or believe that you may be entitled to a reduction in child support based on your reduction in income it is important that you do not reduce support payments on your own. California has very specific rules and procedures for modifying child support. If you would like to modify child support, or if your child’s parent has filed for a modification of child support, you should contact a California Child Support Attorney. If you live in or near Los Angeles, or have a child support case in Southern California, you can call this Los Angeles child support attorney for a free family law consultation.

1. A recent credit report- you can obtain this free online from places like freecreditreport.com or Costco

2. Copies of state and federal tax returns for the last two years

3. Copies of your pay stubs for the last two months

4. An organized file containing all of the papers filed in this case, if the case has already been filed

5. A list of basic information for all of the people involved in the matter, including the other party, his or her attorney, your children, and all employers

1. Is the law practice limited to family law? Some law firms provide services in a variety of practice areas. Other law firms are devoted exclusively to family law. A firm that only practices family law is more likely to have the necessary family law knowledge, resources and experience to properly handle your matter.

2. Who will be doing the work on my case? In some cases, the attorney that you meet with in your consultation will not do the actual work on your case. This work can be assigned to associates or paralegals. Delegating work in this way may be an reasonable way of reducing the fees in your case. On the other hand, you may prefer to work with attorneys who do all of the work on your case themselves.

3. How much will this case cost? Family law attorneys usually bill by the hour from a prepaid retainer. In this situation you pay for the attorney’s time, not his or her work. The worst part of hourly billing, is that many attorneys will not even provide an estimate for the cost of a service such as a divorce. One alternative, fixed fee billing, provides the predictability of knowing how much a legal service will cost. I have written about why fixed fee family law is better than hourly billing for the client. In the context of an initial consultation, discussing a fixed fee requires attorneys to honestly assess the case and work involved, and requires them to submit this plan to the client.

4. What type of technologies are used and how will they benefit me? This might sound like a strange question, but would you hire an attorney who did not use the phone, computer, internet or email? If you did, you would know that you were at a technological disadvantage, and that your attorney would be less efficient. These inefficiencies could harm your case or cost you money in the long term. Likewise, there are other technologies today, such as document scanners, online resources, collaborative tools, and videoconferencing that can allow your attorney to get more done in less time. These technologies can all benefit you by saving you money.

5. How often can I talk about my case, and how easy will it be for me to contact my attorney? One of the most common complaints people have about their attorney is that their phone calls are not returned. This is not a universal trait amongst attorneys. Many attorneys diligently return all client phone calls and emails before the end of the business day. Another question to ask here, and another frequent complaint is how much the attorney is going to charge you to return his call. If he a is fixed fee attorney, the answer is, nothing.

The Law Offices of Evan Braunstein practices fixed fee family law in Los Angeles, California. If you have a California family law matter, you can contact us to arrange a free consultation.