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.
The LA dependency court locations are in Monterey Park and in Lancaster. To be specific, it will either be the Alfred McCourtney Juvenile Justice Center in Monterey Park or the Edmund Edelman Children's Court which is in Lancaster. The social worker handling the case will have provided documents which should indicate which court will hold the hearing.
The court appoints lawyers for parents who do have legal representation and are not able to secure their own lawyer. This right is available even to a parent who is not accused of neglect or abuse, and also for non-custodial parents. The client's ability to pay is taken into consideration when figuring out if and how much the lawyer should be paid.
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.
Parents will typically land up in court only if the social worker has already tried to offer the parent a way out and has been refused. So the case is now in court, and parents can once again accept or refuse the same settlement. Many also try to dispute the DCFS' claims and will try to win back custody of a child. Note that a court bench officer may not be as sympathetic as the social worker, and the end result could be very serious.
The lawyer will need to see all the documents associated with the case before the hearing in order to devise and suggest a strategy that both the lawyer and client agree on. A parent attending the hearing should also bring a list of potential witnesses who can help make their case and verify their version of events. This is critically important in the first hearing where temporary custody of the children is decided, pending the results of the investigation.
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 key action that is taken at the first hearing will be a decision on the future course of legal action to be taken. The date of the second hearing is set, and a decision is made about whether it will be a settlement or a trial. A lot of these things depend on what kind of impression the parent makes on the bench officer, so it's vital to dress properly and be very respectful at all times.
The LA dependency court locations are in Monterey Park and in Lancaster. To be specific, it will either be the Alfred McCourtney Juvenile Justice Center in Monterey Park or the Edmund Edelman Children's Court which is in Lancaster. The social worker handling the case will have provided documents which should indicate which court will hold the hearing.
The court appoints lawyers for parents who do have legal representation and are not able to secure their own lawyer. This right is available even to a parent who is not accused of neglect or abuse, and also for non-custodial parents. The client's ability to pay is taken into consideration when figuring out if and how much the lawyer should be paid.
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.
Parents will typically land up in court only if the social worker has already tried to offer the parent a way out and has been refused. So the case is now in court, and parents can once again accept or refuse the same settlement. Many also try to dispute the DCFS' claims and will try to win back custody of a child. Note that a court bench officer may not be as sympathetic as the social worker, and the end result could be very serious.
The lawyer will need to see all the documents associated with the case before the hearing in order to devise and suggest a strategy that both the lawyer and client agree on. A parent attending the hearing should also bring a list of potential witnesses who can help make their case and verify their version of events. This is critically important in the first hearing where temporary custody of the children is decided, pending the results of the investigation.
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 key action that is taken at the first hearing will be a decision on the future course of legal action to be taken. The date of the second hearing is set, and a decision is made about whether it will be a settlement or a trial. A lot of these things depend on what kind of impression the parent makes on the bench officer, so it's vital to dress properly and be very respectful at all times.
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