Family Law Firm in Orange County—Practice Areas Overview

Since 1988, the Timothy Peabody Law Firm has been assisting clients throughout Orange County in all types of family law matters, including the following:

We understand that you want more than just knowledgeable legal support.  Family law is an area of law that is emotionally charged—and family law firms in Orange County must provide compassionate and highly personalized support for their clients.  Our firm focuses solely on family issues, and each client receives assistance directly from Timothy P. Peabody.  This level of support is not always available from larger family law firms that rely on paralegals and other staff members to manage a large volume of legal work.

Divorce

In most cases, it may be beneficial for the spouses to negotiate a marital settlement agreement that addresses such issues as spousal support, child custody and support, and the division of community property.  If the spouses are unable to come to an agreement, we aggressively advocate for the interests of our clients in the courtroom.

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Divorce Mediation

As an experienced divorce mediator, Timothy P. Peabody has helped many spouses work out their disputes through confidential mediation sessions.  By guiding clients through the mediation process, Mr. Peabody is often able to help preserve an amicable relationship while saving time and money.

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Legal separation is an alternative for spouses who do not want to officially divorce, but who do want to live separate and apart from each other.  While a divorce ends a marriage, a legal separation does not, and a legally separated spouse cannot remarry or enter into a partnership with another person.  However, a legal separation does allow the spouses to request court orders regarding support and custody, and legally separated spouses cease to accrue community property together.

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Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreements

Prenuptial agreements (prenups) are contracts made by spouses before a marriage, whereas postnuptial agreements (postnups) are written after the marriage becomes official.  Both agreements help spouses determine their rights and responsibilities in their marriage and protect them in the case of divorce.

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Adoptions

When a former spouse remarries, the new spouse may seek to adopt the children.  However, adoption by a stepparent can result in the termination of the parental rights of the parent who is not a party to the marriage.  When contemplating an adoption, it is important to first discuss the ramifications with an attorney.

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Child Custody and Visitation

When spouses with children divorce, they must either work out a custody agreement through negotiations and/or mediation, or seek a custody order from the court.  As an experienced negotiator and mediator, Timothy P. Peabody has helped many spouses successfully work out responsible, effective custody arrangements without the need for litigation.

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Child Support and Spousal Support

The courts may consider many different factors when determining whether an award of spousal support is justified and how much should be awarded, including the spouse's ages, health, earning capacities, and assets, as well as the duration of their marriage.  Child support, on the other hand, is set by a mandatory, uniform California State guideline, which calculates the support payment based on the income of the parent and amount of time spent with the children.

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Domestic Partnerships

California's law gives same-sex couples, or heterosexual couples where at least one partner is 62 years old or older, the right to enter into a domestic partnership.  Although not legally married, registration with the state entitles domestic partners to receive many of the rights and benefits given to married couples. In domestic partnership agreements, the partners can negotiate property rights, palimony (similar to spousal support), child custody, and child support.  The firm can also assist domestic partners in terminating a partnership, which is oftentimes as complicated as a divorce.

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Grandparents' Rights

California law only allows grandparents rights to visitation with their grandchildren in limited cases.  For example, if one parent refuses to allow the grandparents to visit the children after a divorce or the death of the other parent, then is it possible that the grandparents may be able to obtain visitation if they had a preexisting relationship with the grandchildren and continuing that relationship would be in the best interest of the grandchildren.

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Paternity

Establishing paternity is the legal determination of who the father of a child is, and it is essential to obtaining child support or child custody or visitation.  The firm is able to assist both fathers and mothers who wish to establish or challenge paternity.

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Domestic Violence

If a client has suffered domestic violence, the firm can help by requesting emergency protective orders and temporary restraining orders from the court to protect the client and his or her family from harm.

Experienced Orange County Family Law Firm

For over 22 years, attorney Timothy P. Peabody has been utilizing his skills in negotiation, mediation, and litigation to help clients achieve closure in all types of family law cases.  To schedule a free initial consultation with Mr. Peabody today, contact the Timothy Peabody Law Firm or call the firm at (949) 200-4610.