
Oakland Child Support Lawyer
A Compassionate and Skilled Advocate Making the Legal Process Easier for You in the San Francisco Bay Area
The family legal system may seem intimidating, especially when many important matters hang in the balance, such as your child’s future. However, at People Law Practice we will make the whole legal process easier and simpler for you to navigate. Attorney Susanna Tuan is a compassionate and empathetic attorney who seeks to provide her clients with a warm and patient environment in her office. While you recover mentally and emotionally, Attorney Tuan will handle the legal side with her amicable and strong negotiation skills.
With People Law Practice, you will find that you and your child will make it out just fine. Call (415) 849-2278 or contact us online for a consultation to learn more.
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“She was so helpful and professional about answering all the questions I had, as well as looking at my best interest.”
- Jo J. -
“She is knowledgeable, patient, personable, and straightforward.”
- Teresa T. -
“I was originally very intimidated by these documents, but after using Susanna, I felt comfortable with the entire process.”
- Amanda C. -
“She truly cares about her clients and advises them with a professional and thoughtful solution.”
- Lin O. -
“She truly listened and cared about my situation and was very thoughtful in her responses”
- Tracy V.
Calculating Child Support in California
Parents can decide between themselves how to pay child support or, if they cannot reach an agreement, defer to the court. In order to calculate the amount of child support a parent will pay, the California courts utilize a statewide formula (also called a "guideline"). The guideline calculation primarily depends on income concerns like:
- how much money the parents earn or can earn;
- how much other income each parent receives (e.g., salary, disability benefits, alimony from another previous partner);
- how many children the parents have together;
- how much time each parent spends with their children (time-share);
- each parent’s actual tax filing status;
- support of children from other relationships;
- health insurance expenses;
- mandatory union dues;
- mandatory retirement contributions;
- cost of sharing daycare and uninsured health-care costs; and
- other relevant factors.
The child support order can also require the parents to share the costs for childcare so as to allow the custodial parent to work or obtain training or schooling for work skills. Parents may also be required to share the costs for commuting between the parents and for the child’s educational and other special needs.
How Long Do Payments Last?
In most cases, the paying parent is legally required to provide child support until the child turns 18 years old and has graduated from high school; turns 19 years old; or marries, dies, or is legally free (such as by joining the military). Note that any child who is a full-time high school student or attends part-time due to a medical condition must continue to receive support. The court may also order both parents to continue support for a disabled adult child if that child cannot support themselves.
Modifying an Order
Understandably, a parent may face a significant change in circumstances that warrants a change in the support order. Changes in child support often occur if either parent has had a significant change related to:
- either parent’s income (e.g., lay-off or job loss); or
- the amount of time that each parent spends with the child.
The court will decide whether or not to grant a modification based on the current circumstances, which means the child support amount could either increase or decrease. An experienced child support attorney can better help determine whether a petition for modification may warrant such an increase or decrease.
Be aware that, even if their situation has changed as above, the parent requesting modification must continue to abide by the existing order until the court officially changes the order. So, even if a parent loses their job, they are still expected to pay the established support amount if their modification request has not yet been finalized.
Contact People Law Practice for Legal Guidance Today
If you are currently negotiating child support or seek to modify an existing order, contact People Law Practice for legal support today. Our firm understands the mental and emotional turmoil of dealing with child support negotiations, especially as you seek to protect your child from heated arguments. Rest assured that Attorney Susanna Tuan will provide the empathetic and compassionate helping hand you need to navigate an intimidating legal system. With her strong negotiation skills and deep dedication to her clients’ wellbeing, Attorney Tuan will do her best to help you obtain the favorable results you and your child deserve.
To learn more about how People Law Practice can help, contact us online or at (415) 849-2278 today.
the right Choice
Ensure your Voice is Heard
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Cost-Effective
We intentionally charge on the lower end of market rate because we want to be able to help a wide variety of people and help them feel good about their experience working with our firm.
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Compassionate Respresentation
Your experience is important to us. We understand what you're going through and will ensure your voice is heard.
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Holistic Approach
We are a highly intuitive, settlement-focused family law firm. Our intention is to help each client resolve their legal issue with efficiency and as peacefully as possible.
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Settlement Focused
We will first search for an amicable solution. If there is truly no amicable solution, we will provide our clients with a comprehensive account of their legal options and help them create the best case-strategy.
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