Los Angeles Child Support Attorney
Los Angeles Child Support Attorney
Top Child Support Lawyer: Stephen L. Cawelti
Child support disputes are stressful by nature, which is why you need someone in your corner that you can trust.
Child support attorney Stephen Cawelti specializes in complex child support and child custody cases and has helped hundreds of individuals protect their financial rights. Voted as one of the top attorneys in Los Angeles by Pasadena Magazine, Stephen Cawelti is prepared to advocate for you and your child’s needs.
Our law firm has a high success rate of resolving even the most troublesome disputes and helping our clients arrive at fair and workable agreements. When disputes cannot be resolved through negotiation however, we are fully prepared to aggressively advocate for our client’s interests in court.
Our offices services Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena & the greater Los Angeles area. We would be honored to represent and protect your family.
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The California Child Support Formula is Complicated
How is child support calculated? California has a complex formula to determine child support. Stephen outlines the four factors that the formula takes into account, and the most important things parents need to know surrounding a child support case.
Stephen specializes in child support cases in California and has extensive experience handling complex custody/support cases.
Leave Nothing to the Unknown
We ensure our clients have every aspect of child support analysis reviewed and considered, whether for settlement or in court. From ensuring that your children have health insurance, childcare, and more, you can be confident that our office will leave no stone unturned.
How is Child Support Calculated?
When a California judge calculates how much each parent will need to pay in child support, he/she generally will look at 4 things.
Net disposable income is the income left over after taxes, required retirement contributions, health premiums, etc. The court will also weigh any additional sources of passive income. Passive income could include pensions, rental properties, stocks, unemployment benefits, commissions, etc.
Similarly to when you file for taxes, deductions will be made to the parents’ net income when calculating child support. Deductions include things like child care costs, health insurance, mandatory retirement, mortgage interest, property taxes, and more.
Time spent (child custody) with the child is a big factor that a judge weighs when creating the support order. Typically, child support is calculated after a child custody/time share arrangement has been established. Obviously, the less time a parent spends with their children, the more they will likely have to pay.
California is unique, in that the state requires the court to also consider the child’s current standard of living. In large part, support is intended to balance out differences in income between the parents. It is considered unfair to the child if he/she lives a very different lifestyle with one parent as compared to the other, especially if the only difference is the incomes available to each parent.
We all make decisions with how we spend and save our money. The court will not provide much help to a parent who spends unwisely or is positioning themselves to take advantage of their ex. This is why it’s critical to have a seasoned, child support attorney on your side, who can work with the subtleties of your case and ensure that you receive a fair result.
The Child Support Formula
The child support formula is obviously complex, but 
California has provided a calculator for estimating the potential amount that will be owed. Remember, this calculator provides only an estimation.
Enforcing Child Support
Unfortunately, even after child support has been ordered, it’s not always the end of the drama. Enforcing support (including calculating past due child support) is a critical part of Stephen Cawelti’s knowledge base.
Collecting past due support can be a hassle and confusing. For those who have gone years without collecting support, many don’t want to “bring it all back up again” after their case is over. It is important to remember however: child support is for your child, not you.
You have many tools available to get the past due support. Often, this support is due with penalties and interest. Once recovered, that money can be used for future college expenses, other educational needs, or whatever your child requires.
As an experienced child support attorney, Stephen Cawelti and his team are committed to helping you get the support that you, and most importantly your children, deserve.
Child Support Modifications
Unlike some spousal support issues, child support is generally flexible depending on the income available to each parent. This means that when things legitimately aren’t so good for an earning parent, child support can be lowered. Likewise, as a parent’s financial picture improves, a portion of that good fortune should help the child.
An Experienced Child Support Attorney
Stephen L. Cawelti
Stephen is a board certified divorce attorney who has specialized in complex family law matters since 2006 in California. His extensive educational background in child development and psychology uniquely qualify him to help parents navigate through the stress of child custody matters. Stephen has acted as the lead attorney on hundreds of divorce/child custody cases and argued before the Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura County Superior Courts. He was voted by Pasadena Magazine as one of the “Top Family Law Attorneys” in the area for 7 years in a row and named a “Rising Star” by SuperLawyers.
Serving Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena & the Greater Los Angeles Area
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