Child Support Lawyers

Working to Negotiate a Fair and Balanced Child Support Agreement
Are you seeking, trying to negotiate, or wanting to get an amendment to a child support agreement? Our experienced team of child support lawyers and moderators have successfully helped clients just like you negotiate a fair resolution for child support agreements both in the courtroom and through mediation.

Child support agreements can be one of the most contentious and stressful components of paternity, child custody and/or divorce proceedings. Having a knowledgeable child support lawyer to provide you with legal advice, explain the process, and negotiate on your behalf is the best way to achieve a positive outcome.

While child support is meant to prevent the children from the relationship from becoming the victims, in some cases it is used to punish the other parent. If you are currently in a family law case with a contested child custody, contact our law firm to schedule a free consultation today.

A photo of a father playing a guitar with his son playing with records

Schedule Your Free Child Support Consultation Today

Call for Your Free 1 Hour Consultation 1-877-864-5193
Call NOW

How Much Is Child Support in California?

The amount a parent pays for child support can vary based on an array of factors. In the best-case scenario, both parents will come to an agreement without needing the California family law courts to get involved.

If both parents are close to agreeing on child support, one option available from our law firm is mediation. In mediation, an impartial 3rd party will help bring both sides to an agreement that satisfies the needs of both parents.

When both parents can’t come to a child support agreement the California Family Code requires the courts to adhere to statewide uniform guidelines when setting child support orders. The code takes into account each parent’s gross income, amount of time spent with each parent, tax and mandatory payroll deductions, childcare costs, and other factors

I trust Kim’s experience!

“I trust Kim’s experience! Kim has been helping me through my child custody case. Kim has been great to me. She tells me exactly what needs to be done and I trust her experience. She answers all my questions and gives me clear answers. She has also been very patient which I appreciate…” ~ Avvo

Know Your Child Support Rights!

Schedule a Free Consultation Now

Proven Child Support Process

No matter if you seeking to receive child support, negotiate a fair agreement, or want the court to consider amending an existing order, when you choose to hire Lewellen | Strebe Family Law Firm, you are getting the expert legal advice we have acquired from years of representing clients just like you in securing favorable outcomes. While each client’s case can have unique issues and we craft our approach to each specific situation, we start each case with our proven process which includes:

Free Initial Consultation

Any case involving contested child support agreements can be stressful and exhausting, so understanding your rights and the legal process is key to a successful outcome. Our free initial one-hour consultation allows you to get to know our law firm and attorneys who take the time to listen to your concerns and answer your questions. We offer a free initial consultation rather than charge you because we do not feel the need to charge our potential new clients for learning about our firm and how we can serve them. It is also another small way we can help people who may not be able to afford hiring an attorney.

Establish Goals and Method

From the very beginning, you meet with attorney Kimberly Lewellen, who will work directly with you every step of the way when you choose to have us represent you. They examine the unique issues surrounding your case and work with you to establish the goals and identify what legal tools to use to best achieve them.

Prepare A Legal Strategy

Once we understand all the issues surrounding your case, we prepare a legal strategy to achieve your goals. We also begin to gather all the documents and documentation the California family courts will require.

Mediation Point 4
We Diligently Represent You in Court

Should your case go to court, you can have peace of mind that you are being represented by an attorney with years of experience negotiating, arguing for, and attaining results that are in the best interest of our clients and their families.

Additional Family Law Services We Provide

Child support cases can vary due to many factors including divorce, child custody, property division, high-wealth cases, just to name a few. Our family law attorneys and professionals provide our clients with an exceptional depth of experience handling cases involving a wide range of legal issues, including:

Frequently Asked Questions About Child Support

What happens when someone doesn’t pay child support?

When the court orders a non-custodial parent to pay child support and that parent fails to make the payments as ordered, arrears with interest will accrue. Depending upon the reasons for failure to pay support, the obligor could be found in contempt of court which is a quasi-criminal proceeding. . The court will inform them of the charge and order them to appear in court, if they fail to appear the court will issue a bench warrant for their arrest. The court can penalize the offending parent in many ways including garnishing their wages, suspending driving privileges, put a lien on bank and/or properties, and jail time, among other things. It is important for an obligor to file a request for modification of support if the reason is a material change in his/her circumstances, otherwise, he/she will accrue arrears and interest for non-payment. An informal agreement that is not reduced to a court order is generally insufficient to legally modify a child’s right to court-ordered support.

Can an existing child support order be modified?

An existing child support order can be modified when the conditions surrounding the original order materially change, including (without limitation) loss or change in job, changes in custody and/or visitation, special needs of the child. When this happens, you may petition the court to modify the order. If both parents agree to the changes, you can write up an agreement and send it to the judge to review and sign as a new order. If both parents don’t agree, you will need to file a motion asking for a modification and the judge will decide the amount of support, if any, owed by the obligor to the obligee.

Can I fight a child support order?

Yes and No. You can not fight a child support order just because you don’t want to, or you feel you shouldn’t have to. There are many ways to limit support or object to the amount of support sought by the other party. We encourage you to use our complimentary consultation (phone, video conference, or in person), to understand your rights.

Can the court order child support if we share 50/50 custody?

When parents share 50/50 custody (joint custody) of the children the court can still order one parent to pay child support. The main point the court will consider a support order is finances. When there is a significant difference between the parent’s incomes the court may require the higher earning parent to take on a higher level of the financial burden.

If a parent doesn’t pay child support can I stop their visitation?

Just as a child support is a court order, child visitation is also an enforceable court order. This mean that even if a parent does not pay the support, if the other parent prevents them from seeing the child they can be held in contempt of court and be required to report to court.