If you’re going through a divorce, child custody matter, or another family issue, you need a compassionate and seasoned Indio family law lawyer to represent you.
As a former police officer and private detective, attorney Heath L. Baker is uniquely qualified to understand the workings of the legal system. He spent many years working for the Riverside Police Department, giving him the rare ability to comprehend both sides of the legal system, investigations, and legal system. He is entirely familiar with the criminal justice system, and he can use this knowledge to fight tenaciously for you and your loved ones.
He is native to Indio, CA, and knows Californian family law intimately. At the Law Office of Heath L. Baker, we can help you with all family law matters such as divorce mediation, child custody, spousal support, visitation rights, adoption, and more.
What Is Family Law?
Your kids, home, marriage, retirement, and lifestyle are all impacted by family law.
The Family Law Division of the court deals with cases involving the dissolution of marriages or domestic partnerships, the determination of a child’s legal parents, and custody and visitation disputes. It also deals with the establishment or enforcement of child and spousal support obligations, and problems involving domestic violence.
It can be difficult, stressful, and draining to manage your family law situation alone. We understand how emotional and stressful it can be to go through a family law case. Our experienced and compassionate attorneys can help you go through the process with as little stress and hassle as possible.
Services Under Family Law In Indio
There are many different practice areas in family law. Family law frequently involves difficult problems that affect both your personal and professional well-being. Our Indio family law attorney has a wealth of knowledge in the following custody and visitation issues.
Divorce
Undoubtedly, one of the most difficult periods in anyone’s life is going through a divorce. Managing the divorce process can seem difficult and taxing on top of the personal feelings you are going through. You can benefit from the years of experience a family law lawyer has handling divorce cases in this situation. By assisting you in making future decisions regarding the division of earnings, debts, investments, and other issues, your attorney can make this process more manageable.
Certain marriages may be eligible for annulment, especially those that are just a few months old. A judge may declare your marriage void in the case of an annulment.
Spousal support
When couples have been pooling their resources throughout a marriage, spousal support can become a challenging process. When deciding on spousal support, the court considers a wide range of factors. The duration of the marriage, each partner’s income and earning potential, age and health, liabilities, assets, custody of children, and a range of other things are among them.
Financial issues will be a major concern once you and your spouse have decided that divorce is the only option moving forward. So that you can confidently plan your future, it is crucial to learn about spousal support issues.
Child custody
When parents can agree, it is best to resolve child custody issues through mediation. If this isn’t possible, the court will intervene and decide who gets what kind of custody, such as shared custody, legal and physical custody, or divided custody. It’s critical to ascertain what’s really best for the kids involved because different custody arrangements are suitable for various family situations.
It’s critical to decide how children of divorcing couples will spend time with their families going forward. As each parent may desire custody of their child, it can occasionally be difficult to determine these specifics. Our family law attorney will take into account your children’s best interests and work to ensure that they are given every opportunity to lead fulfilling lives.
Visitation rights
Child custody agreements serve as the foundation for visitation rights, which necessitate the formation of a visitation routine. The parents’ routines, kids’ schedules, as well as the future, should all be taken into consideration while creating this visitation schedule (i.e., holidays, vacations, birthdays, sudden days off).
In addition, Heath Baker is knowledgeable about stepparents’, grandparents’, and parents with disabilities’ rights to visitation.
Move away orders
Move away requests can be challenging because not all states consider a parent’s right to take their child with them when they move out of state. When moving, parents are frequently required to give the court a certain period of notice, and the court will take a number of factors into account. Moving with a child is typically permitted and justifiable for reasons like joining a new partner or finding a better job. The court will typically reject a request to move away for ill-intention reasons, such as reducing the child’s contact with the noncustodial parent.
Changes to child support
When one or both parents go through a life change, child support modifications frequently occur. If both parents agree to alter the terms of a child support order, the judge can sign off on the modification. A court date might be required to establish a new child support percentage if the parents are unable to come to an agreement.
Abuse and domestic violence
Families affected by domestic violence experience harm, confusion, and unspeakable suffering. A child, spouse, or any other member of the family may experience drastic changes in their lives as a result of even a single incident.
Domestic violence laws define abusive behavior in California to include:
- Sexual abuse
- Intentionally or carelessly harming someone physically
- Stalking, threatening behavior, property damage, or any other act that disturbs the peace
- Harmful threats or promises
At Heath Baker Law, our Indio family law attorneys want you to be free from any kind of physical, sexual, or psychological damage. We can assist you in getting the assistance you need to leave a threatening situation if somebody has threatened you with harm or is already causing it.
Legal document preparation
The process of creating legal documents can be very difficult and intimidating. The best way of ensuring your papers are prepared correctly the first time is to consult with an experienced family law attorney. Expert document preparation will also help you avoid needless delays in your case.