Father’s Custodial Rights

By Anne C. Adams

Anne C. Adams is the principal of Law Offices of Anne C. Adams, with offices in Los Angeles and Canoga Park. Anne is a certified family law specialist certified by The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. In addition to family law, Anne practices in the areas of bankruptcy and debt collection defense as well as estate planning. She is a Past Chair of the Solo and Small Firm Section of The State Bar of California.

When parents start living apart from each other, fathers are sometimes surprised to discover that the time they can see their children is frequently significantly less than the time mothers are able to spend with the children. Some fathers assume that their children will spend 50% of their time with their mother and 50% of their time with their father.

Other fathers consult an attorney when the mother of their children refuses to let the father spend time with the children. Sometimes the mother tells the father that he can only see his children if he pays her a specific amount for child support, which may be more money than the court would order as child support.