Child Custody & Visitation

Resolving the Parenting Issues

Palm Desert, California, Child Custody Lawyer

The Mack Law Offices can negotiate or mediate issues relating to child custody and visitation. Our philosophy is to first pursue out-of-court resolutions in all family law matters, and it is doubly important to spare children from a contentious and drawn-out legal battle.

Our Palm Desert, California, law firm represents divorcing parents in initial custody determinations, and parents who are revisiting custody issues. Barry Mack is a former Riverside County Court Commissioner and an attorney with 31 years of experience in family law. We invite Coachella Valley residents to contact us for a confidential consultation at 760-346-1800.

Establishing Custody Arrangements

Custody arrangements involve deep emotions and difficult choices, but we encourage clients to work out a parenting agreement before involving the courts. The time, expense, and stress of a custody trial are usually not worth the years of strained relations and the impact on children. The Mack Law Offices can serve any capacity:

• Representing one parent in negotiating a fair and workable parenting plan
• As a neutral mediator to bring the parents to agreement
• Asserting the interests of one parent in a custody trial

The court is concerned with the best interests of the children, not those of the parents. A judge will consider the primary caregiver, the parents' jobs, and any misconduct toward the other parent or the children.

In disputed custody, California law requires parents to first meet with a court mediator to try to resolve the matter. If no parenting agreement is reached, the mediator makes recommendations to the court concerning physical custody (primary residence and day-to-day decisions) and legal custody (health, education, and welfare decisions.) The mediator's suggestions are adopted by the court about 90 percent of the time.

Custody Modifications

Some form of joint custody is almost always the rule, with disputes centering around the amount of timesharing (visitation). Child support is calculated at a lower rate if the non-primary parent has more visitation time. In petitions for more parenting time, the court considers whether the motive is a sincere desire to spend time with the child or to pay less support.

Mr. Mack also represents either parent in out-of-state move requests. Numerous conflicting rulings in the past decade have muddied the waters for these contentious proceedings. In initiating a relocation, we show how the child will be better served to remain with custodial parent. In challenging a moveaway, we demonstrate how the non-primary parent's relationship with the child would be damaged.

As a former Commissioner who ruled on custody matters and an experienced family law attorney, Barry Mack understands what is at stake for the client and for the children. He handles these matters with sensitivity and aims for quick and decisive resolutions that prevent future conflicts.

Call Mr. Mack at 760-346-1800 or contact us online to arrange a confidential consultation. We return inquiries promptly, and we accept Visa and MasterCard.