Merrisa L. Coleman-Bishop - San Jose Child Support LawyerIf you have questions concerning your rights or obligations concerning the support of a child whom you no longer live with, or if you need help either enforcing or changing the terms of an existing child support order, contact Santa Clara County child support attorney Merrisa Coleman-Bishop for advice and representation. In her fifteen years of family law practice, she has helped many South Bay, East Bay, and Silicon Valley parents with difficult child support problems. Whether the child support situation arises in a divorce or otherwise, for example after adjudication of paternity, child support obligations are first determined under the California child support guidelines. The guidelines spell out a child support payment amount based on the incomes of both parents and the percentage of time that each parent has custody of the child. If other circumstances - such as unemployment, financial responsibility for other children or elderly parents, medical conditions, or hardship situations - indicate that the child support amount should be adjusted up or downward, then the parent seeking the adjustment must convince either the other parent in negotiations or the Family Court judge at a hearing. In cases involving a parent's extended unemployment without acceptable excuse, the other parent can argue either for an imputed income adjustment to reflect what the other parent should reasonably be earning, or apply to the court for a Work Search Order that will require the unemployed parent to find work soon or risk contempt of court. Whether you're engaged in divorce proceedings now, or need help with the enforcement or modification of an existing order for child support, contact Merrisa Coleman-Bishop for a clear explanation of your options and the experienced representation that you need. |
350 West Julian Street
Building 6
San Jose, CA 95110-2305
Phone: (408) 294-4392
Fax: (408) 294-4172
