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Parents in California who are involved in care or custody battles or juvenile cases involving their children need legal representation in the Children's Court. For those who need help, the court will usually assign a lawyer who can assist parents and appear on their behalf for the hearing. In LA County, this means getting help from Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers.
Dependency court locations in LA are in Lancaster and Monterey Park, CA. The latter is the Alfred McCourtney Juvenile Justice Center. The one in Lancaster is the Edmund Edelman Court.
The court has a duty to appoint a lawyer to parents who need help getting legal representation. This is true even if the parent concerned is not accused of abuse or neglect and/or is a non-custodial parent. Whether the lawyer should be paid or not will depend on whether the client can afford to pay.
It's possible the child or children in question may have been left in the custody of the parents, but they're more likely to have been temporarily placed by the social worker at the home of a close friend or relative until the first hearing. If so, the hearing has to be held within three days and the parent has the right to speak with their children by phone in the interim.
This typically happens only after the social worker has tried and failed to get the parent to take the necessary steps voluntarily. Once the case is in court, the parent will get another opportunity to agree to a settlement. Of course, it's also the parent's prerogative to deny the DCFS allegations and try to retain custody over the children. But a loss in this court could have serious implications in terms of regaining custody over the children and any chance of getting the same settlement again.
Before any strategy is formulated, the lawyer must be provided all the documents related to the matter. Parents must also try and come up with a list of potential witnesses who may be able to support their claims. Since temporary custody of a child (pending the investigation) will be decided at this hearing, it is very important to put together a convincing case.
It's as good as a victory if the lawyer and parent are able to convince the judge to return the child or children pending the outcome of the investigation. But custody is usually granted to someone else close to the children willing and able to take care of them. If so, visitation rights will be outlined and the judge may also ask the parent to enroll for a relevant program.
The most important thing that happens at the initial hearing is that the judge or bench officer will decide the seriousness of the case, and the future course of action. So the second hearing, whose date will be set, could end up as a time and place for a settlement. It could just as well be a trial hearing. In any case, first impressions count for a lot, so clients must dress for court and treat the bench officer with utmost respect.
Dependency court locations in LA are in Lancaster and Monterey Park, CA. The latter is the Alfred McCourtney Juvenile Justice Center. The one in Lancaster is the Edmund Edelman Court.
The court has a duty to appoint a lawyer to parents who need help getting legal representation. This is true even if the parent concerned is not accused of abuse or neglect and/or is a non-custodial parent. Whether the lawyer should be paid or not will depend on whether the client can afford to pay.
It's possible the child or children in question may have been left in the custody of the parents, but they're more likely to have been temporarily placed by the social worker at the home of a close friend or relative until the first hearing. If so, the hearing has to be held within three days and the parent has the right to speak with their children by phone in the interim.
This typically happens only after the social worker has tried and failed to get the parent to take the necessary steps voluntarily. Once the case is in court, the parent will get another opportunity to agree to a settlement. Of course, it's also the parent's prerogative to deny the DCFS allegations and try to retain custody over the children. But a loss in this court could have serious implications in terms of regaining custody over the children and any chance of getting the same settlement again.
Before any strategy is formulated, the lawyer must be provided all the documents related to the matter. Parents must also try and come up with a list of potential witnesses who may be able to support their claims. Since temporary custody of a child (pending the investigation) will be decided at this hearing, it is very important to put together a convincing case.
It's as good as a victory if the lawyer and parent are able to convince the judge to return the child or children pending the outcome of the investigation. But custody is usually granted to someone else close to the children willing and able to take care of them. If so, visitation rights will be outlined and the judge may also ask the parent to enroll for a relevant program.
The most important thing that happens at the initial hearing is that the judge or bench officer will decide the seriousness of the case, and the future course of action. So the second hearing, whose date will be set, could end up as a time and place for a settlement. It could just as well be a trial hearing. In any case, first impressions count for a lot, so clients must dress for court and treat the bench officer with utmost respect.
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You can visit www.paulmetzgerlaw.com for more helpful information about Get CA Juvenile Court Help From Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers.
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