Divorce, custody, support, and restraining orders — handled with a plan.

Divorce may be unlike anything you have been through. Custody and marital property make it one of the most trying periods of a life, for the adults and for the children around them. An attorney who understands California family law cannot remove the stress. The attorney can keep the process from becoming chaos.

Family law is state-specific. California is a no-fault state, which means a marriage can be ended without proving blame. It is also a community-property state, so the division of assets and debts follows a different logic than in most of the country. Before a judgment of dissolution can be entered, the law imposes a waiting period of six months from service. Court calendars add time on top of that. A divorce is not a weekend project.

As an attorney, Zaven A. Pehlevanian has handled divorce litigation and Requests for Orders involving custody of children, child support, spousal support, property division, and domestic violence restraining orders.

Child custody

Child custody describes the legal and practical relationship between a parent or guardian and a child. Legal custody is the right to make decisions. Physical custody is the right and duty to house, provide for, and care for the child, and it usually establishes the child’s legal residence. A court-ordered parenting plan sets the schedule. We prepare custody requests and responses with the child’s stability as the center of the argument, not a slogan.

Domestic violence restraining orders

A DVRO is a protection order for family and dating violence. In California it can restrain direct or indirect contact with you, your children, and your property; stop harassment, stalking, threats, and disturbance of the peace; prohibit firearms and ammunition; order the restrained person out of a shared home; and give a protected party temporary child custody pending a later hearing. Law enforcement can act on violations immediately. These filings move fast. Call the office the same day if you can.

Property settlements

Part of a divorce is dividing property and debts. Property is anything you can buy or sell or that has value: a house, a car, furniture, a bank account, a pension, a retirement account, or stocks. California community-property rules, reimbursements, and separate-property tracing are where unrepresented parties give away years of work. High-asset cases, professional practices, and hidden accounts need a different level of attention. We work with forensic accountants and other specialists when the file requires it.

Matters we handle

• Dissolution, legal separation, and related Requests for Orders
• Child custody and visitation, including modifications when an old order no longer fits your life
• Child support and spousal support
• Division of community and separate property
• Domestic violence restraining orders, for protected parties and for respondents
• Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements

The firm is sympathetic to the hardship of a family case and still prepares it like litigation. If a negotiated judgment is available, we take it. If not, we are ready for the hearing.