First, what is meant by ‘child support’? According to childsupport.ca.gov, “Child support is the ongoing contribution of money to help pay for the living and medical expenses of a child or children until they are adults.”
Perhaps even more significantly, it should be asked: what does child support mean to a family? It means as many things as there are families.
– For some families, it can be the difference between homelessness or a leased apartment.
– Between your children succeeding in school or dropping out.
– Between your daughter being able to play on the school basketball team or not.
– Between your child doing homework after school or selling drugs. Sounds dramatic, yet children being raised without child support are at increased risk of risky behavior.
– And for the parent, child support is the difference between the self-respect that comes from knowing you’re doing right by your children, or a feeling of shame. Child support can even be the difference between living with your children and occasionally seeing them.
So how can a family lawyer for child support help a divorcing parent?
In the most basic sense, a legal professional does what most of us cannot do for ourselves – they practice law. Child custody matters require more than a law degree, however. They require a family lawyer specifically experienced in providing legal help with child support. We asked Amy Laughlin, a child support lawyer and Founder and Managing Partner of Laughlin Legal, a leading family law firm in San Mateo, to weigh in. “What we do on a daily basis is carry out the mandate of the state of California which is to equalize the two households the children will live in post-divorce. The children are expected to share in the standard of living enjoyed by their parents. So if one parent can provide an extravagant lifestyle for the child but the other lives in a hovel, it would affect the child’s standard of living when residing with the poor parent. Even worse, it could result in the child not wanting to be with the poor parent. The courts want the child to experience a similar level of comfort and opportunity from one household to the next. Like all aspects of divorce involving children, the overarching objective is to do whatever is in the child’s best interest, taking into account the child’s health, safety, and welfare.“
Is there one thing parents need to understand before they hire a lawyer for a child support case?
Yes, and it will surprise you in its simplicity. Child support attorney, Amy Laughlin, once again, “There’s often a fundamental confusion about who child support belongs to. Child support does not belong to either parent. Whether one parent is paying it or both parents are paying it, child support is owed to the child, not the parent. It belongs to the child. As such, a parent can’t waive paying it.”
What do parents find most surprising about the child support process?
Most parents view child support as an either-one-parent-or-the-other situation. However, as childsupport.ca.gov explains, “Under federal and state law, BOTH parents have a legal duty to provide financial support for their children.”
Should a divorcing parent search for affordable child support attorney near me?
Amy Laughlin once more, “You certainly could but I’d argue that you might miss out on finding a child support attorney who’s deeply experienced, someone who has been handling these cases for many years, has seen it all, and can arrive at a solution faster than an ‘affordable child support attorney can.”
Looking for a deeply experienced child support attorney?
At Laughlin Legal, we hope so! That’s who we are. If you or someone you love needs to speak with a child support lawyer who will represent you and your values, we hope you’ll call us now at 650.343.3486 to schedule a consultation with one of our child support attorneys. If you’d prefer, you can email us to set up your appointment. If we miss your call, we will respond promptly and call you back as soon as possible.
Laughlin Legal Family Law Group
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