Are you looking for a parental rights lawyer in Torrance, CA?

At Skarin Law Group, we are trusted parental rights counsel for families throughout Torrance.

If another person is challenging your legal status as a parent, your time with your child, or your authority over decisions about your child, a Torrance, CA parental rights lawyer at Skarin Law Group can respond to that challenge in court. We also represent parents who need to establish those rights for the first time, including unmarried parents who have no court order in place.

Our attorneys have 15 years of experience with parental rights cases, and each of them handles these matters. Schedule a consultation with us to review any existing orders and the rights you want the court to recognize.

Parental Rights Lawyer Torrance, CA

A parental rights lawyer represents a parent whose legal relationship with a child is being established, challenged, or limited. That representation includes filing or answering parentage petitions, requesting custody and visitation orders, and opposing requests that would reduce a parent’s time or decision-making authority.

Births to unmarried women accounted for 40% of all births in the United States in 2023, according to federal child statistics. An unmarried parent may need to establish legal parentage before a court can issue custody or visitation orders, and a Torrance parental rights attorney handles that process along with the orders that follow it.

Types of Parental Rights Cases We Handle in Torrance

Parental rights are decided in several kinds of family law proceedings, and the appropriate proceeding depends on whether the parents were married and whether orders already exist. Our Torrance parental rights attorneys represent either parent in the following matters.

• Paternity. A paternity case, which is also called a parentage case, asks the court to determine who a child’s legal parents are. We file and respond to these petitions, and we request custody, visitation, and support orders in the same case.
• Child custody. A custody order assigns a child’s primary residence and each parent’s role in major decisions. We seek initial orders for parents who have none, and we defend existing arrangements when the other parent asks the court to change them.
• Child visitation. A visitation order sets a parent’s scheduled time with a child. We propose schedules that fit the child’s routine, respond to requests for supervised visitation, and ask the court to restore time that has been withheld.
• Divorce. Married parents resolve their parental rights within the divorce case. We request temporary orders at the start of the case so that our client has defined time with the children while the divorce is pending.
• Decision-making disputes. Parents who share legal custody sometimes disagree about schooling, medical treatment, or religious upbringing. We ask the court to resolve the specific disagreement or to clarify which parent holds authority over that category of decision.
• Move-away requests. A parent’s planned relocation can significantly reduce the other parent’s time with a child. We represent parents who seek the court’s permission to move with a child and parents who oppose the move.
• Enforcement of orders. A parent who is denied court-ordered time can return to court to enforce the order. We document each violation and request remedies that restore the schedule.
• Third-party visitation requests. Grandparents and other relatives sometimes ask a court for visitation over a parent’s objection. We represent parents in responding to those requests.
• Modification of orders. Either parent can ask the court to change custody or visitation orders after circumstances change. We present the evidence for or against the requested change.

Why Choose Skarin Law Group as my Parental Rights Lawyer in Torrance, CA?

Attorneys Who Handle Every Type of Parental Rights Matter

Every attorney at Skarin Law Group handles parental rights cases, and we have 15 years of experience with them. Our attorneys handle all family law litigation, which includes parentage, custody, and enforcement proceedings. We represent mothers and fathers, married and unmarried parents, and parents on either side of a petition. Parental rights disputes frequently overlap with support and property issues, and clients in that position can rely on us as their family lawyer in Torrance, CA for the entire matter. We bill by the hour, and each client funds an evergreen retainer that is replenished as the case proceeds.

Leadership in the Family Law Section

Matthew Skarin, our President, chaired the Family Law Section of the Santa Monica Bar Association from 2018 to 2019. He has been selected to the Super Lawyers list each year from 2020 through 2024, and U.S. News named him among Best Lawyers from 2020 to 2022. He also holds a 10/10 rating from Avvo and is a member of the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists. His bar admissions include California and the U.S. District Court.

Understanding Parental Rights Cases

What Are Important Aspects of a Parental Rights Case?

The outcome of a parental rights case depends heavily on a parent’s documented involvement in the child’s life. Judges review school records, medical records, and communication between the parents, so we collect that evidence at the start of a case. A parent who has followed existing orders and maintained regular contact with the child is in a stronger position than a parent who has not.

Timing is also important, because an informal arrangement that continues for a long period can influence the schedule a court later adopts. A parent who is being denied time should raise the problem promptly, whether it arises in a custody dispute between two parents or in a less common setting such as surrogacy. A planned relocation by either parent should also be raised early, because it changes the schedule that is practical for the child. These cases carry a significant emotional impact as well, and a Torrance parental rights lawyer at our firm advises clients on their conduct and communications while the case is pending.

Legal Parentage and the Rights of a Parent in California

California law ties parental rights to legal parentage. The following concepts define what a parent can ask a court to order.

• Legal parentage. Only legal parents can obtain custody and visitation orders about a child, and legal parents are also responsible for supporting the child financially.
• Establishing parentage. Unmarried parents can establish parentage by signing a voluntary declaration or by asking a judge to decide the question in a parentage case.
• Legal custody. A parent with legal custody decides matters of the child’s health, education, and welfare.
• Physical custody and visitation. Physical custody concerns where the child lives, and visitation defines the other parent’s scheduled time with the child.
• Best interest standard. Courts decide custody and visitation according to the child’s best interest, and neither parent is preferred for being the mother or the father.

What Is The Parental Rights Case Timeline?

The sequence below applies to most contested parental rights matters in Los Angeles County, although the time required varies with the issues in dispute.

1. Petition or request for orders. A parent files a parentage petition, a divorce petition, or a request for orders in an existing case.
2. Response. The other parent files a response and may ask the court for different orders.
3. Temporary orders. Either parent can ask the court for interim custody and visitation orders while the case is pending.
4. Mediation. Parents who disagree about custody or visitation attend mediation through Family Court Services before the hearing.
5. Hearing and order. The judge hears evidence on the unresolved issues and issues orders, which remain in effect unless the court later modifies them.

A parental rights attorney in Torrance prepares the filings and the evidence required at each stage.

What Should You Bring to Your Parental Rights Consultation?

The documents that establish your legal relationship with your child are the most useful starting point for a consultation, and the following items help us assess your position.

• Your child’s birth certificate and any signed declaration of parentage
• Existing custody, visitation, or support orders
• Papers that you have filed or that have been served on you
• A record of the time you currently spend with your child
• Messages in which the other parent has denied or limited your time

During the consultation, we explain which of your rights are already established and which require a court order. We also review the evidence that supports the orders you want and identify any deadline for responding to papers you have received.

Torrance Family Court and Local Resources

Parental rights cases from Torrance are filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, which has a courthouse in Torrance. Two Los Angeles County programs also address legal parentage, and a Torrance, CA parental rights attorney can explain how each one affects a pending or future court case.

• Parentage Opportunity Program. This voluntary program allows eligible parents to establish legal parentage by signing a declaration, without filing a court case.
• Child Support Services Department. The county’s child support agency establishes parentage as part of its child support cases and coordinates genetic testing when parentage is disputed.

Reach Out to Skarin Law Group to Schedule a Consultation

Skarin Law Group represents parents in Torrance who need to establish, defend, or enforce their rights regarding a child. A consultation with our attorneys covers your current legal status, any existing orders, and the filings required to obtain the orders you want. Our fees are billed hourly against an evergreen retainer. Contact us to schedule a consultation with a Torrance parental rights lawyer about your parentage, custody, or visitation matter.