A parent in California who needs to attend a hearing in Children's Court over a care, custody or juvenile case has to get legal help. If it's not possible, then the court is able to assign a lawyer to assist each of the parents involved in the case. If the court is in LA County, it will mean getting help from Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers.
The dependency court location in LA County may either be in Monterey Park or in Lancaster, CA. The former is the Edmund D. Edelman Children's Court. The other courthouse location is at the Alfred McCourtney Juvenile Justice Center that is located in Lancaster.
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.
There are instances when a child may still be left in the parents' custody at this point. But the more usual process is to place them with a close friend or relative of the child or children until the initial hearing. In such cases, the parent is allowed to communicate with their children by phone, and the hearing must be held within three days.
The case only goes to court after the social worker has failed to convince the parents to agree to voluntarily accepting a plan to keep the children safe. Since it's already in court, this means the parent has one more opportunity to settle the matter by agreeing to the case plan. It's also a chance to disprove the DCFS claims and get back custody. This carries a risk because a loss in court means that the chances of securing a settlement that includes custody will be a lot lower.
Before any strategy is formulated, the lawyer must be provided all the documents related to the matter. Parents must also try and come up with a list of potential witnesses who may be able to support their claims. Since temporary custody of a child (pending the investigation) will be decided at this hearing, it is very important to put together a convincing case.
It's a huge win if the bench officer agrees to reunite the children with their parents immediately. But the more commonplace decision is to place the children with a close friend or relation for the duration. If this happens, the hearing will also include the process of establishing visitation rights. The parent may also be asked to enroll for programs deemed necessary.
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 dependency court location in LA County may either be in Monterey Park or in Lancaster, CA. The former is the Edmund D. Edelman Children's Court. The other courthouse location is at the Alfred McCourtney Juvenile Justice Center that is located in Lancaster.
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.
There are instances when a child may still be left in the parents' custody at this point. But the more usual process is to place them with a close friend or relative of the child or children until the initial hearing. In such cases, the parent is allowed to communicate with their children by phone, and the hearing must be held within three days.
The case only goes to court after the social worker has failed to convince the parents to agree to voluntarily accepting a plan to keep the children safe. Since it's already in court, this means the parent has one more opportunity to settle the matter by agreeing to the case plan. It's also a chance to disprove the DCFS claims and get back custody. This carries a risk because a loss in court means that the chances of securing a settlement that includes custody will be a lot lower.
Before any strategy is formulated, the lawyer must be provided all the documents related to the matter. Parents must also try and come up with a list of potential witnesses who may be able to support their claims. Since temporary custody of a child (pending the investigation) will be decided at this hearing, it is very important to put together a convincing case.
It's a huge win if the bench officer agrees to reunite the children with their parents immediately. But the more commonplace decision is to place the children with a close friend or relation for the duration. If this happens, the hearing will also include the process of establishing visitation rights. The parent may also be asked to enroll for programs deemed necessary.
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.