Family Law Attorneys in Pleasanton, California

Law Offices of John A. Guthrie

239 Main Street Suite H Pleasanton, California 94566 USA

 (925) 271-4342
 (925) 461-9930

www.johnaguthrielaw.com
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Law Firm Overview Free Consultation

Law Offices of John A Guthrie is located at Pleasanton, California. Their legal team is experienced in handling a variety of cases. Some of the areas that they practice in, are family issues, divorce or dissolution of marriage, child custody and visitation, child support, paternity, community property, domestic violence and so on. They also offer mediation services for people interested in negotiating terms for various family law issues.

Legal problems often affect multiple areas of a person's life. At the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie, we offer a comprehensive approach to help secure our clients' interests. The attorneys at our firm pursue legal solutions that address the complete picture instead of offering a narrow perspective. For example, we address how a divorce could impact an estate plan or how a criminal charge affects visitation and custody rights.

When you have questions in family law, we have answers. Often, a divorce involves a number of financial and legal issues potentially impacting you and your children for years to come. We are a skilled legal team prepared to explain how marital property and business assets are divided, how child support and spousal maintenance are determined, and what factors the court uses in determining child custody The depth of our law firm also includes handling contested and uncontested divorces, as well as high-asset divorces in litigation and mediation. Our firm's Pleasanton family law lawyers have the skills and determination to help secure the best interests of you and your children.

Practice Areas

Additional Practice Areas: Contested and Uncontested Divorce; High-Asset Divorce; Community Property; Business Valuation and Division; Enforcement Action; Restraining Orders; Living Wills; Healthcare Power of Attorney; Misdemeanors; Public Intoxication; Disorderly Conduct

Practice Areas Description

The Law Offices of John A. Guthrie offers a wide range of legal services in a variety of areas, including:

- Family Law

We provide comprehensive services in family law. From adoption services to handling grueling battles waged in custody contests, our firm's family law attorneys are committed to securing our clients' interests. Our firm's experience in and outside of the courtroom helps us achieve long-term solutions with minimal conflict. When the stakes are high in family law disputes, we focus on offering a compassionate approach tempered with judgment to effectively address our clients' pressing concerns over a divorce, child custody arrangement, and other areas of family law.

- Divorce

If you are considering a divorce or have filed divorce papers, you are dealing not just with legal issues, but with emotional ones, as well. You need a divorce attorney to assist you to effectively secure your best interests. At the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie, our attorneys will help you deal with your legal needs, so you can focus on your emotional concerns. Our legal team understands all the factors the courts must consider in making a child custody decision. If necessary, we work with investigators and psychologists in establishing significant facts about a child's emotional state and the personal life of an ex-spouse.

- Contested and Uncontested Divorce

At the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie, we have an extensive background handling contested and uncontested divorces throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. We are experienced negotiators offering a compassionate approach tempered with judgment to help protect your interests in a divorce. When couples choose to divorce, emotions can quickly rise up. Estranged spouses may dread losing a considerable amount of assets and even quality time with their kids. Other divorces are settled without a fight to lessen the emotional and financial cost associated with separating ways. Whether a contested or uncontested divorce is the right choice for you, secure assistance from an experienced attorney.

- Separation

Just as every divorce situation is unique, the factors involved in a legal separation can vary greatly. Our family law attorneys have represented clients looking to separate based on their religious beliefs. A legal separation can also be favorable for couples interested in preserving health benefits for a spouse with costly medical needs. This is also a step some people take to protect themselves from financially irresponsible spouses. The factors leading couples towards separation agreements differ, but consistently, couples must be willing to negotiate an amicable solution.

- Mediation Services

Mediation is a cost-effective, relatively uncomplicated means for settling family law disputes that place the parties affected in charge of their own fate. At the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie, our attorneys help parties in finding common ground so important for reaching a resolution mutually agreeable to the parties involved. As lawyers who facilitate the mediation process, we do not represent any one party or side; rather, we focus our attention on important financial and legal issues that affect both parties.

- Child Custody and Visitation

In California, the "best interests of the child" is the standard for resolving custody disputes. Contrary to what most people think, income is not a deciding factor. While your financial situation is of importance, the court also considers your child's attachment to you, the kind of home you can provide, as well as other factors involving you and your ex-spouse's personal life. While you may earn substantially less than your ex-spouse, if he or she has a history of drug or alcohol abuse, a criminal record, or a pattern of spending little time with your children, the court may award custody to you. At the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie, our attorneys understand all the factors that the courts must consider in making a custody decision.

- Child Support

Whether you are the parent who is likely to pay support or the parent more likely to receive support payments, the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie can help. We will discuss all the factors the court must consider in ordering support. We can calculate child support payments and determine how you will be impacted financially, regardless of whether you are required to pay support or are the custodial parent set to receive payments. Failure to pay child support can create substantial legal complications. Not only could your wages be garnished and your assets seized, you could have your driver's license suspended and be thrown in jail.

- Spousal Support

When you are just starting a divorce, it may seem as if the spousal support issues are not going to cause a big fight with your spouse. However, that may be because in California, spousal support is easily determined on a temporary basis. The larger conflicts arise later when the final judgment of divorce is at hand. At the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie, our attorneys are well-versed in all the factors that must be considered in making decisions about whether and how much spousal support should be awarded.

- Paternity

For mothers seeking child support from fathers who deny paternity, a positive determination of the father of their child provides the needed legal foundation for demanding child support. On the other hand, fathers who have been shut out of their child's life or refused any say in the adoption of their child can assert legal rights involving custody and visitation once their paternity is established. At the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie, our lawyers represent both mothers and fathers in paternity actions. Our firm prepares all necessary documentation and paperwork, requesting a court-mandated paternity test to determine the father of a child.

- Community Property

In the state of California, community property law regulates the division of property between divorcing spouses. Under California law, a property division order cannot be modified without a showing of fraud, mistake, distress, or other significant factors. That is why, if you are considering divorce, you need a lawyer who guards your rights from the very beginning. At the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie, our lawyers carefully review every category of real and personal property with each client to be sure that all property is classified properly.

- High-Asset Divorce

In California, marital property is distributed equitably between the divorcing couple. When the stakes are high, enlist the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie to help secure your rights in a high-asset divorce. The family law attorneys at our firm have a substantial background representing clients in divorces involving a significant amount of retirement funds, real estate property and other investments. Our firm's high-asset divorce lawyers in Pleasanton consult forensic accountants, actuaries and appraisers to establish the value of your community property.

- Business Valuation and Division

The valuation and division of business assets pose the risk of complicating your divorce proceedings. Enlist the help of an experienced divorce attorney prepared to help you secure a fair stake into the business profits. At our firm, we have an extensive background handling complex divorces involving substantial assets and debts. We offer an aggressive approach tempered with judgment to negotiate an equitable distribution of your marital estate. If the family business is still in operation, we will secure your interests to either preserve the business or liquidate the assets between you and your former spouse.

- Enforcement Action

When child support or spousal maintenance is paid, when visitation rights or the custody of your children are interfered with, an enforcement action may be necessary. The family lawyers at the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie represent clients in regard to the following enforcement actions: Payment of child support; Payment of spousal maintenance; Enforcement of visitation rights; Enforcement of child custody agreements. Our attorneys protect and assert the rights of our clients in matters pertaining to child support, spousal maintenance (alimony), the division of marital property, and parenting plans.

- Domestic Violence

When spousal abuse allegations are raised in a divorce, all the stakes are raised. In California, the law makes a presumption that a parent who abuses a child's other parent should not be given joint custody of the child. At the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie, our lawyers have extensive experience in representing both husbands and wives in cases alleging domestic violence. If you have decided to seek a divorce, discuss how domestic violence will affect the case before filing for dissolution. At our firm, our attorneys are very sensitive to domestic violence issues that are raised in the context of dissolution of marriage.

- Restraining Orders

At the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie, we represent clients who are in need of a restraining or protection order, as well as those who suddenly find themselves facing either. While a restraining order may not be hundred percent effective in providing total protection, it notifies law enforcement and the court of your situation and requires the person against whom the order is issued to comply with the following: Vacate an apartment or house if shared with the person feeling threatened; Avoid all contact with the person, their children, relatives, and specified others; Comply with federal law prohibiting ownership of a gun; Continue payment of child support and spousal maintenance if applicable; Visitation or custody of children may be denied or modified in cases involving a threat of abduction or abuse.

- Estate Planning

At the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie, our practice areas focus on individuals and their families. Our experienced attorneys know that planning for the future can help families achieve common goals. In working together to meet their shared purposes, they grow closer. To a large degree, families who plan together, stay together. If you have a family business or need a trust, will, or healthcare power of attorney, talk to us about your family estate plan. In addition, divorcing spouses need to update any wills, trusts, living wills, and powers of attorney to reflect their current family status.

- Criminal Misdemeanor Defense

The Law Offices of John A. Guthrie, concentrates on solving problems for individuals and their families. Sometimes our family law clients find themselves facing a criminal misdemeanor charge. When they come to us, they find compassionate lawyers ready to come to their defense. We know that while misdemeanor charges may seem like minor issues, for someone who has never been arrested before, facing criminal charges of any kind can be a major event. If you have been charged with drunk driving (DUI) or assault , put the matter into our skillful defense attorneys' hands.

Attorneys

Mr. John A. Guthrie Attorney Criminal Law, DUI, Family Law

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