Practice Areas · 01
Family Law
Divorce, custody, support, parentage, and protection — handled with the steadiness of hundreds of contested hearings.
Few cases are more personal than a family law case. The orders a family court makes will shape your home, your finances, and your time with your children.
Mr. Bali has handled hundreds of long cause evidentiary hearings in California family courts — contested trials over property division, child and spousal support, and custody — along with domestic violence proceedings on both the requesting and responding side. That courtroom record matters even if your case never sees a judge: positions supported by preparation settle better.
Divorce, paternity, custody and visitation, child support, spousal support, domestic violence — this office does it all, with full scope and limited scope representation available to fit your legal needs within your budget.
And a promise about how the work is done: this is not a volume business. We give you our time, the facts, and the law so that every decision you make is an informed one — because a swift resolution is not always the best resolution, and the value of your case should never be compromised by a premature deal.
Family Law
How we can help.
Divorce & Legal Separation
Dissolution from filing through judgment: financial disclosures, negotiation, and trial where needed. California imposes a minimum six-month waiting period before marital status ends.
Fam. Code § 2339Child Custody & Visitation
Legal and physical custody, parenting plans, move-away requests, and modifications — all decided under California's best-interest-of-the-child standard.
Fam. Code § 3011Child & Spousal Support
Guideline child support calculations, temporary and long-term spousal support, and modifications when income or circumstances change.
Fam. Code § 4055Property Division
Characterizing community versus separate property, and dividing homes, businesses, retirement accounts, and reimbursement claims.
Fam. Code § 760Domestic Violence Restraining Orders
Whether you need an order of protection or the best defense against one, our litigation and trial experience helps you every step of the way — with custody and firearm consequences on the line.
Fam. Code § 6200 et seq.Paternity & Parentage
Establishing enforceable custody, visitation, and support orders for children born outside of marriage — including formalizing arrangements between amicable co-parents.
Fam. Code § 7570 et seq.Post-Judgment Matters
Modification of support or custody on changed circumstances, enforcement and contempt, and set-aside requests.
The Road Map
The family court process, step by step.
Most clients have never been through this. Here is the honest version of what happens after a Petition for Dissolution, Legal Separation, or Parentage is filed — and where good lawyering changes the outcome.
Filing — and the automatic restraining orders.
The moment a petition is filed and served, standard family law restraining orders take effect against both spouses or partners — automatically, no hearing required. Absent an agreement or court order, the ATROs prohibit:
- Removing your minor children from California, or applying for or replacing their passports
- Changing beneficiaries on insurance or other coverage held for the benefit of the parties or their children
- Transferring or borrowing against real or personal property, outside the usual course of business or the necessities of life
- Making nonprobate transfers that change how property passes at death
The response — 30 days.
Once served, the responding party has 30 days to file a response. If none is filed, the petitioner can request entry of default — though specific procedural requirements must be satisfied first. Either way, the case is now moving; this is not a deadline to sit on.
Financial disclosures.
California requires each side to lay its finances on the table. The petitioner must serve a preliminary declaration of disclosure within 60 days of filing the petition; the respondent, within 60 days of the response. Preparing disclosures completely — and early — moves your case through court efficiently and saves you attorney's fees in the long run.
Fam. Code § 2104(f)Support: the guideline, and the negotiation around it.
Child support in California is set by a statewide guideline formula, run through certified software — courts commonly use DissoMaster. Support can be negotiated, but recipients rarely agree to less than guideline, so knowing the numbers before you negotiate is everything. You can run the State of California's own calculator at childsupport.ca.gov/guideline-calculator.
Fam. Code § 4055Motions — Requests for Order.
At any point, either party can file a Request for Order (Form FL-300) asking the judge to decide support, custody, move-away requests, fees, or any other issue in the case. If you have been served with an RFO, contact the office immediately — the response deadlines run on court days, and missing one surrenders ground you may not get back.
Form FL-300Code Civ. Proc. § 1005Discovery.
Discovery is the formal exchange of written questions, document demands, and depositions. It is often the most expensive and most grinding stretch of a family law case — and often exactly what protects you. We use it deliberately: enough to know the truth of the numbers, never as a meter that runs for its own sake.
Code Civ. Proc. § 2016.010 et seq.Settlement conference — where deals are made.
Nearly every case reaches a settlement conference before trial dates are set. Depending on the county, the neutral may be a sitting judicial officer, a retired judge, or a volunteer attorney. This is where most cases resolve — and we arrive prepared, in lockstep with your goals, presenting the facts and the law. A swift resolution is not always the best resolution: the value of your case will not be compromised by a premature deal.
Trial.
To win at trial, we know the facts of your case as well as you do. We argue the law, marshal the evidence, and guide you through every step. Where it strengthens the case, we ask the court to appoint experts under Evidence Code section 730, so the facts as we present them carry independent weight. When we advise going to trial, it is for one of two reasons: we have a great legal argument — or the other side has left us no other choice.
Evid. Code § 730Paternity
Establishing parentage.
When both parents are present at a child's birth, a voluntary declaration of parentage is typically signed at the hospital. But life is rarely that tidy — and when a child is born outside of marriage and no declaration is signed, a parentage case is the only way to obtain enforceable custody, visitation, and support orders.
Here is the part most people learn too late: police can only enforce court orders for custody and visitation. A handshake agreement — even a friendly one — has no enforcement power, and that vacuum can have dire consequences. Even parents who get along well should formalize their arrangement with a court order, often without ever setting foot in a courtroom. The added safety net pays dividends for years.
Fam. Code § 7570 et seq.Questions
Asked often.
How long does a California divorce take?
At minimum six months from service of the petition — that's the earliest the law allows marital status to end. Contested cases involving custody, support, or property disputes commonly take longer; timelines depend on the county and the issues.
Who decides custody?
Parents can agree on a parenting plan, and courts generally respect workable agreements. If parents can't agree, the court decides according to the best interest of the child, weighing factors like each child's health, safety, and welfare and each parent's ability to care for them.
Do I really need a lawyer for a restraining order hearing?
DVRO hearings are real evidentiary hearings with lasting consequences — including custody presumptions and firearm prohibitions. Whether you are seeking protection or responding to a request, representation matters.
How are your fees structured?
Family law matters are billed hourly, with the arrangement explained clearly, in writing, before representation begins. Limited scope representation is available when a full-scope engagement isn't the right fit for your budget.
Facing a family law matter?
Tell us what's happening. We'll give you a straight assessment of where you stand.