Farzad Family Law, APC

Divorce and family law deals with real life problems. Your children and family, your home, your business and finances are the things you hold dear and want to protect. Our Orange County divorce lawyers don't just practice family law. We have devoted our full time commitment and energy to it. Here is our firm philosophy on each area of divorce and family law

1. Child custody: Is anything more important than your children? Would you ever compromise their safety or welfare? Of course not. We feel the same way. Our law firm's philosophy is that children need to be protected from the sometimes hostile nature of a divorce case. Custody orders have to be consistent with the children's best interest. Custody should be shared between two parents who are fit to handle it. Custody and visitation should be limited to unfit parents and taken away from parents who abuse their children or are a danger to them.

2. Child support: Child support is a basic and fundamental right in the State of California. Our Orange County divorce lawyers work hard to make sure child support orders are fair and consistent with the law. Underpaying child support or overpaying it are just as bad and each parent has an equal responsibility to financially care for their children. That is California law.

3. Spousal support: The goal of spousal support is to maintain the status quo and, ultimately, the marital standard of living. Our philosophy on spousal support is very similar to child support. The goal is a fair order. Neither side should get a windfall but it's important to understand that both spouses have a duty pursuant to California law to become self sustaining, especially in a short term marriage.

4. Property division: California is a community property state. Our law firm's philosophy is that what is and is not community property should be diligently discussed and, when necessary, investigated through the discovery process. That is how property issues, including business buyouts, get resolved.

5. Domestic violence: Perpetrators of domestic violence as well as those who make false allegations of domestic violence should be punished and the victim should be protected. Our law firm philosophy is simple - litigate the truth. There is no excuse or justification for domestic violence anymore than there is one for making up false allegations. When children are involved, we work hard to protect them from abusive parents.

6. Modification proceedings: Too often, spouses and ex spouses bring modification proceedings of custody or support matters without thinking it through. Our philosophy is that before any modification request is brought, the facts and the law have to be clear. On custody, that generally requires, at a minimum, a change that is in the children's best interest. On support, the court generally expects there to have been a significant change of circumstances from the last order to the one a person seeks.

7. Mediation and collaborative law: Divorce doesn't have to be contentious. It doesn't have to be a "war". You should be wary of people who refer to it as such. Our philosophy on mediation is the objective and non-adversarial approach to resolving issues. Complete honesty between the spouses is a must and we insist on it before we will agree to mediation. Our Orange County divorce lawyers are willing to participate in the mediation process as a client's representative or, if both spouses want to use us as mediators, we are willing to do so. We do have a very firm rule that if we serve as a neutral mediator, we cannot ever represent one side or the other.

8. Lawyer's fees: Our fee agreements are clear, concise and fair. We don't "churn" files like so many divorce lawyers do. We don't take unreasonable positions in family court. We litigate as professionals and set forth our client's position with the strength of the facts and law on its side. Our fees are also reasonable. We are not "cheap". In our business, you do get what you pay for. For the quality of the legal representation, we believe our fees are quite fair.

9. Communication: Communication is at the heart of the attorney-client relationship. You don't hear our clients state that they tried to reach their lawyer but he or she won't call the client back. That just doesn't happen with us because we are diligent, not just in responding to clients, but proactively communicating with our divorce clients about their case.

10. Trust: We don't leave our clients guessing. When we act, we do so with our client's knowledge and consent. Our clients and our lawyers put together a strategy that makes sense. We work on a budget to keep the fees in line with the case and needs. We are honest and forthright with our clients. All of this builds trust. Our clients trust us and we have earned that trust.