Experience You Can Rely On
Areas of Expertise
Dissolution / Divorce
Minor’s Counsel
Ending a marriage is an emotional and sometimes traumatic life event. Steen Family Law will give you expert legal representation during your divorce, coupled with compassion as you navigate this difficult process. Terry Steen has experience you can rely on, whether you are engaged in a high-conflict divorce, are able to settle all of your issues amicably, or your case falls somewhere in between.
Complex Asset Division
Steen Family Law specializes in assisting high-net-worth clients for whom discretion is key. Our cases have included high-profile parties, professionals, and executives. We will help you determine whether assets should be characterized as community or separate property. Whether your assets are held in the form of business ownership, real property, retirement assets, employment and restricted stock units, intellectual property, investments, cash, or otherwise, Steen Family Law has the necessary expertise to help you.
Paternity/Parentage
Steen Family Law can assist you with establishing or disputing legal parentage for children born to unmarried parents, including same sex couples or cases with more than two parents. These cases also encompass pregnancy/birthing expenses, child support, child custody, and attorney’s fees and costs issues. We have the experience to help you navigate this sensitive situation.
Custody
In California, Courts have discretion to determine legal and physical custody based on what is in the best interests of the child. Legal custody refers to which parent has the authority to make legal choices for the child such as education and health decisions. Physical custody, sometimes called a parenting plan, refers to which parent a child lives with at a given time. Steen Family Law has extensive experience in custody matters, including with high-conflict cases. Although this list does not involve every custody issue, common issues that arise are choice of school, doctor, or specific medical treatment; who is responsible for transporting the child; where custody exchanges will occur; setting up or modifying a parenting plan; using specific programs such as Our Family Wizard or Talking Parents to communicate about your child(ren), and how custody may change when a parent moves away. No matter what issue you are facing, we can help.
Support
Spousal support is based on many factors, including how long the parties were married; their financial need, work qualifications and experience, and ability to work; and whether there was domestic violence. Child support is designed to ensure that all parents support their children and that the children have similar living standards in each household. Steen Family Law has the knowledge and expertise to help you determine your spousal and child support rights and obligations.
Attorney’s Fees
The Family Code gives courts authority to order that a party, and sometimes third parties, help pay another party’s attorneys’ fees and costs where such help is needed to ensure fair access to the courts. The Court also has authority to award sanctions for failure to adhere to rules regarding civility and sharing of information. Steen Family Law can help you whether you are the party seeking or opposing an award for fees and costs.
Marital and Cohabitation Agreements
Prenuptial agreements allow you to make binding financial decisions before you get married regarding ownership and division of specific assets and/or amounts and duration of spousal support in the event that you later divorce. They are especially helpful for business owners or individuals expecting to inherit or receive trust proceeds. Although they may seem intimidating, prenuptial agreements can strengthen your relationship, as they open communication about each person’s finances, and more importantly, expectations for this marriage.
Postnuptial agreements are entered during the marriage. They allow you to make the same type of binding financial decisions, but are made during the marriage when you have fiduciary obligations to one another. This means there are stricter rules for sharing information that relates to the agreement.
Cohabitation agreements are a binding contract regarding ownership and division of assets for parties who live together but are not yet contemplating marriage. These are helpful to ensure that everyone has the same understanding regarding what will happen if you decide to stop living together and are recommended for addressing ownership of the residence, responsibility for the lease, timelines for moving out, and the terms of any agreement to provide financial support after a breakup.
These agreements are recommended to make sure both parties understand the expectations of the other and to provide financial certainty if the relationship ends. They can help reduce tension and arguments when otherwise, the stress and emotional pain you are undergoing may not allow you to be at your best. We will discuss your rights under the default rules in California and help you negotiate an agreement that meets your needs for security and predictability.
Domestic Violence Restraining Orders
If your current or former spouse or romantic partner has hit, made threats, harrassed, stalked or otherwise committed emotional or physical abuse against you or someone in your household, you can seek protection in the form of a restraining order. A domestic violence restraining order can protect you and those you live with, including pets. NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO SUFFER ABUSE. Unfortunately, because the existence of domestic violence impacts spousal support and custody orders, some individuals wrongfully seek restraining orders for strategic purposes even when there has been no abuse. Whichever situation you may find yourself in, Steen Family Law can help you.
Minor’s counsel represents a minor child* in a custody and abuse case similarly to how an attorney represents a party in that case. The attorney has to follow the same rules of maintaining client confidentiality and gathering or introducing evidence. There are some differences though.
The most important difference is that minor’s counsel is required, by law, to represent the best interests of the child. Based on the evidence gathered, minor’s counsel will objectively determine what orders to request on the child’s behalf. Adult clients determine their own best interests and the orders that they want to request.
The other difference is that minor’s counsel is not hired by the child-client, or their parents or guardian. Instead, minor’s counsel is appointed by the judge in the case. Minor’s counsel must meet the educational and experience requirements set by law. Terry Steen meets all of these requirements.
Your judge will choose from a list of qualified attorneys, but may allow the parties to suggest attorneys. The judge may decide to appoint minor’s counsel on their own, based on how the case is proceeding, or may do so at the request of a party. However, even if the parties agree that they want minor’s counsel involved, they must submit their agreement to the judge, who will then decide whether to issue an order of appointment.
While performing their job duties, it is important that Minor’s counsel remains neutral and objective. Minor’s counsel does not make custody recommendations, nor do they act as a therapist or investigator. Minor’s counsel does try to provides a buffer between the child and the pressures that arise in emotionally charged cases, and works to ensure the child’s well-being.
To gather evidence of the child’s best interests, minor’s counsel will talk to the child to determine if the child has a preference about custody, but they do not force a child to choose between the parties. When appropriate, minor’s counsel will share the child’s preferences with the court. Minor’s counsel will also speak with the parents/guardians and any other people who may have helpful information. This includes the child’s educators, health professionals, social workers, or anyone else minor’s counsel believes has such information. Counsel also has access to the child’s records and the court file, just as a party does.
When a judge appoints minor’s counsel, and the parties are not able to afford minor’s counsel based on an income and expense declaration each party must file with the court, the court will pay the attorney’s fees and costs on their behalf. Otherwise, the judge will decide to what extent each party is responsible for the attorney’s fees and costs.
*One attorney may be appointed to represent multiple siblings in the case or the judge may appoint different attorneys for different children in the case.