Are you looking for a family lawyer in Santa Monica, CA?

At Skarin Law Group, we provide family law representation grounded in 15 years of work on behalf of clients in Santa Monica.

If you are ending a marriage or working out a parenting plan in Santa Monica, you need counsel who handles these cases regularly. Our Santa Monica, CA family lawyers explain what California law allows and what a judge at the Santa Monica Courthouse expects to see.

Skarin Law Group has 15 years of experience with divorce, custody, and support matters. We also draft and litigate premarital agreements. Our firm represents petitioners and respondents alike, so we know the arguments coming from the other side of the table. Reach out to our firm to set up a consultation.

Family Lawyer Santa Monica, CA

A Santa Monica family law attorney represents one spouse or one parent in the disputes that arise when a family separates. That includes dissolution and legal separation. It also covers custody and support orders, parentage actions, and agreements signed before or during a marriage. The work runs from the first petition through financial disclosures and settlement negotiations. When the parties can’t agree, it ends with a trial in front of a judge.

Santa Monica has 47,297 households, and the median owner-occupied home in the city is valued at $1,755,500, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. A residence at that value is frequently the largest asset in a Santa Monica divorce. How it gets characterized and divided affects every other number in the settlement.

Types of Family Law Cases We Handle in Santa Monica, CA

Our firm handles all family law litigation in Santa Monica, from uncontested filings to multi-day trials. Each family law attorney at our firm works across the full range of Santa Monica, CA family law matters listed below.

• Divorce. California allows a divorce for any reason, and neither spouse has to prove fault. We handle contested and uncontested dissolutions, including cases involving a business, stock compensation, or real estate held in more than one name.
• Legal separation. Some clients want court orders on property, support, and custody without ending the marriage, often for religious or health insurance reasons. A legal separation provides that. It can be converted to a divorce later if circumstances change.
• Child custody. Legal custody covers decisions about school, medical care, and religion. Physical custody covers where the child lives and when. We litigate both, and we prepare clients for the court-ordered mediation session that precedes any contested custody hearing in Los Angeles County.
• Child visitation. A parenting schedule has to work for a child’s school week and for two parents’ jobs. We draft schedules with holiday rotations and exchange logistics spelled out, because vague orders lead to repeat trips to court.
• Child support. California calculates support from a statewide guideline formula that weighs each parent’s income and time with the child. The common dispute is what counts as income. Applying the guideline child support formula to a self-employed parent or one with bonus income takes real accounting work.
• Spousal support. Temporary orders and long-term orders follow different rules. We argue both sides of temporary and permanent support requests, including motions to terminate an obligation after the supported spouse becomes self-sufficient.
• Paternity. Establishing parentage is the first step before a court can order custody or support for a child born to unmarried parents. We represent mothers and fathers in these actions, including cases that require genetic testing.
• Prenuptial agreements. Matthew Skarin handles premarital agreements for our firm. He drafts and reviews agreements that address separate property, business interests, and support waivers. A valid California prenup has to satisfy timing and disclosure requirements, and we build the file to prove those requirements were met.

Why Choose Skarin Law Group as my Family Lawyer in Santa Monica, CA?

Family law matters filed in the West District of the Los Angeles Superior Court are heard at the Santa Monica Courthouse on Main Street, where dedicated departments handle family law calendars. Our attorneys appear there regularly, and a Santa Monica family lawyer at our firm knows how that courthouse runs its calendar. The credentials below are less common among family law practices.

Financial Credentials Inside a Family Law Practice

Matthew Skarin is a Certified Family Law Specialist and a Certified Public Accountant. He studied business economics with an accounting emphasis at UC Santa Barbara before earning his law degree at Loyola Law School. That background matters when a case involves a closely held business, deferred compensation, or a residence with a complicated title history. Over 15 years, our work has included trials over property characterization, custody disputes with evaluators involved, and support modifications after a change in income.

Recognition From Peers in Family Law

Matthew Skarin is a Fellow of the Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Southern California Chapter. Los Angeles Magazine named him a Super Lawyer from 2020 through 2024 after five years on its Rising Stars list. He also chaired the Family Law Section of the Santa Monica Bar Association in 2018 and 2019.

What Is Important To Understand About Family Law Cases?

Grounds for Divorce and Property Division in California

California is a no-fault state. A spouse can end a marriage over irreconcilable differences without proving misconduct, and the other spouse cannot block it.

• Community property. Earnings and assets acquired between the wedding date and the date of separation belong to both spouses equally. The court divides community property in half at divorce unless the spouses agree otherwise.
• Separate property. What each spouse owned before the marriage stays with that spouse, along with gifts and inheritances received at any time. Tracing separate property through years of commingled accounts requires records, and the spouse making the claim carries the burden of proof.
• Date of separation. This date sets the cutoff for what counts as community property. Spouses often disagree about it, and the difference can amount to months of income.
• Debts. Debt incurred during the marriage is divided the same way as assets.
• Spousal support. The amount and duration depend on the length of the marriage, the marital standard of living, and each spouse’s earning capacity.

What Are Important Aspects of a Family Law Case?

Both spouses must exchange financial disclosures. That means every asset, debt, and income source, all under penalty of perjury. A judgment can be set aside years later if a disclosure was incomplete, so we treat this step with the same care as a trial brief.

Custody decisions follow the best interest of the child standard. The court looks at each parent’s history of caregiving, the child’s stability, and any evidence of abuse or substance issues. Depending on age and maturity, a child’s preference can be considered as well. Temporary orders on custody and support are available early in the case and often stay in place for a year or more. Getting those orders right the first time matters, because a judge is reluctant to change a schedule that appears to be working.

What Is the Family Law Case Timeline?

Timelines vary with the number of contested issues and the court’s calendar. A Santa Monica, CA family law attorney at our firm will give you a realistic estimate once we know the facts, but the general sequence for divorce and custody cases looks like this.

1. Petition and response. One spouse files and serves the petition. The other has 30 days to respond.
2. Temporary orders. Either party can request interim orders on support, custody, or use of the family home.
3. Disclosures and discovery. Both sides exchange financial documents. Depositions and subpoenas follow in contested cases.
4. Mediation and settlement conference. Custody issues go through Family Court Services mediation. The court also sets a settlement conference before trial.
5. Judgment. The court cannot finalize a divorce until six months have passed from the date the respondent was served. Legal separation has no waiting period.

What Should You Bring to Your Family Law Consultation?

You don’t need a complete file for the first meeting. A few documents let us give you specific answers instead of general ones.

• Federal and state tax returns for the past three years
• Recent pay stubs or profit and loss statements if you’re self-employed
• A list of major assets and debts, with account statements where available
• Any existing court orders, prenuptial agreements, or postnuptial agreements
• A short written timeline with your marriage date and separation date

The consultation covers your goals and the range of realistic outcomes under California law. Clients who spend an hour preparing for the consultation leave with a clearer plan.

Santa Monica Family Court and Local Resources

The following resources are available to anyone with a family law matter pending in the West District, whether or not they have hired a family lawyer in Santa Monica, CA.

• Family Court Services provides child custody mediation for parents with a custody or visitation dispute pending in Los Angeles County.
• The Family Law Facilitator of the Los Angeles Superior Court assists self-represented parties with child support, spousal support, and health insurance issues.
• County Child Support Services opens, establishes, and enforces child support cases. A parent can open a case there without an attorney.

Reach Out to Skarin Law Group to Schedule a Consultation

A first meeting with a Santa Monica, CA family lawyer at our firm covers where you stand and what the next filing should be. We bill hourly against a replenishing retainer, and we walk through that structure before you sign an engagement agreement. Contact us to schedule a consultation.