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Our experienced legal team provides trusted guidance in divorce, custody, and family disputes, ensuring compassionate representation tailored to your needs.
Family law issues are some of the most challenging experiences you can go through, but a divorce or custody battle isn’t something you should have to navigate alone. The Law Office of Gary S. Austin is here to listen to your story and provide legal guidance and support so you can get through the legal challenges and start moving down a new path. If you have family law concerns, The Law Office of Gary S. Austin, is here to help. Call our office for a case evaluation and speak to an attorney who can outline your options and provide sound legal advice for how to move forward.
We provide legal support for child custody, divorce, restraining orders, and spousal support—protecting your rights and guiding you through challenging family law matters.
Attorney Gary S. Austin, Esq. has been practicing law for more than 25 years and is passionate about building strong relationships with his clients and doing everything he can to improve their lives during these challenging times. Attorney Austin has the unique qualification of representing clients in the family court, as well as having extensive experience in the areas of civil litigation and criminal law. Additionally, Attorney Austin provides individualized, one-on-one representation to his clients.
Working with an attorney means that you have knowledgeable representation in your corner, but there are still things you can do to benefit your case. One of the most important of these is to listen to your attorney and follow their counsel. For example, approaching co-parenting as civilly as possible is likely to work in your favor in a custody battle. Following the advice of your attorney by staying calm and abiding by the terms of any court orders ensures you don’t do anything to harm your case.
Another way to be an involved partner in your family law case is to be proactive and ask questions when you aren’t sure about something or what you should do. Your attorney is there to guide you through the process and can be an invaluable resource during this time.
When looking for an attorney to handle your case, you need someone experienced with the issues you’re dealing with and a strong track record of successful outcomes. Some of the primary family law issues The Law Office of Gary S. Austin, can help with include:
If you’ve decided to end your relationship and need help with the legal details, The Law Office of Gary S. Austin is here to assist you.
Knock, knock. You answer your door, and some strange person asks, “Are you [name]? You respond, “Yes, that’s me.” After looking through the papers, you suddenly realize you have been served with divorce papers. After reading the papers, you are soon filled with uncertainty, despair, and anger. The first thought in your head is, “What’s next”?
Fighting to ensure our clients are treated fairly, their story is persuasively explained to a judge, and getting them what they are entitled to in a divorce is what we do. When you hire our office, you will learn how your family law case will move through the court process by working side-by-side with our highly experienced legal professionals who confidently take you step by step through this battlefield. Whether it be child custody/visitation, spousal support, or fair and final division of assets, experienced Riverside divorce lawyer Gary S. Austin, Esq., aims to get top-notch results.
When you’re dealing with a divorce or custody battle, it can be challenging to think about what’s happening tomorrow — never mind trying to anticipate what you may need years down the road after the divorce is final. Working with an experienced family law lawyer ensures you have the support and counsel of someone who knows the common challenges in these cases and what strategies can be used to resolve them. When you need legal services in Riverside, CA, contact The Law Office of Gary S. Austin at 951-633-7995. Call today for an evaluation.
The legal process for dividing marital property in California is governed by community property laws. This means that any assets or debts acquired during the marriage are considered community property, with few exceptions. Community property must be divided equally in California unless there is a prenuptial agreement in place. The process starts with inventorying and valuing all assets and debts to get a precise accounting before dividing the property.
The simplest way to get a divorce in California is for both parties to agree that it’s best to end the marriage and to decide on the terms. However, there are situations where one spouse doesn’t want to get divorced, or the parties can’t agree on some issues, such as child custody. In this scenario, the case will need to proceed to a divorce trial. At the trial, the legal teams for both sides will have the opportunity to present evidence and testimony to support their argument. The judge will make the final decision on all of the applicable matters and issue a court order to ensure everyone complies.
When determining child custody, including legal custody and parenting time, the judge looks at various factors. These include things like how old the child is and who has been the primary caretaker up to this point. Other factors that may be considered include the child’s relationship with both parents, whether there is any history of domestic violence within the family, and each parent’s ability to take care of the child physically, emotionally, and financially. The judge will also listen to the arguments of both parents and consider the ability of either party to co-parent civilly and ensure the child is able to maintain a positive relationship with the other parent.
Circumstances change as time passes, and what made sense for your family when you first got a divorce may not be working now. For this reason, court orders related to child custody are able to be modified. If both parents agree to the modification, they can petition the courts to ask the judge to change the order to reject the agreement officially. If they disagree, one or both parties will need to file a motion asking for a change. Both parents will be able to provide evidence and testimony as to why they believe the change is or is not necessary, and the judge will make a decision based on what they believe is in the best interests of the children.
Unless there is a prenuptial agreement in place that specifically states that neither party will receive nor pay spousal support, it’s a potential consideration in divorce cases. Your attorney can help you request spousal support as part of your divorce filing. However, spousal support isn’t guaranteed. The judge will look at various factors, such as the earning potential of both parties and their quality of life during the marriage, to determine if spousal support should apply.
While there is no minimum number of years you must be married to qualify for spousal support, the length of the marriage is one of 14 factors laid out in California Family Code Section 4320. In general, the longer the two parties were married, the longer spousal support may be awarded. A general rule of thumb is that if the parties were married for less than 10 years, any spousal support awarded would only be granted for a period of time equal to half of the length of the marriage. If the parties were married for longer than 10 years, it’s possible to be granted permanent spousal support.
The simplest way to get a divorce in California is for both parties to agree that it’s best to end the marriage and to decide on the terms. However, there are situations where one spouse doesn’t want to get divorced, or the parties can’t agree on some issues, such as child custody. In this scenario, the case will need to proceed to a divorce trial. At the trial, the legal teams for both sides will have the opportunity to present evidence and testimony to support their argument. The judge will make the final decision on all of the applicable matters and issue a court order to ensure everyone complies.
A domestic violence restraining order, also known as a DVRO, is a legal order that requires one person to stay away from another. A DVRO is only applicable to situations where the two parties are or have been in a romantic relationship or are immediate family members. To get a DVRO, the requesting party will need to show evidence as to why the other party is a threat to their safety. Domestic violence restraining orders can be granted for either physical or emotional abuse, such as intimidation or stalking.
If your spouse or partner has requested a domestic violence restraining order against you, your first call should be to an experienced attorney. These orders can have a profound effect on every aspect of your life, from where you can go to how often you see your children. In some cases, they can be granted for several years at a time or even made permanent. It’s essential to comply with all of the terms of a DVRO and do everything you can to fight it. This may require showing evidence that you are not a threat or that the alleged victim is making false accusations against you.
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Riverside, CA 92506
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