A parenting coordinator is a neutral professional who helps high-conflict parents carry out custody orders and settle daily disputes.

Court-ordered drug testing in custody cases must use the least intrusive method and follow federal testing guidelines.

DARVO is a manipulation pattern of denying, attacking and reversing victim and offender roles, and it can be countered in court.

Joint legal custody means shared decisions on health, education and welfare, while physical custody and visitation cover time with the child.

A move-away case arises when a parent wants to relocate with a child in a way that would significantly disrupt custody.

Courts must consider a child’s custody preference when the child is old enough and able to form an intelligent preference.

Clear, respectful communication between separating parents protects the children and helps avoid costly court disputes.

A narcissistic spouse or co-parent can turn a divorce or custody case into a prolonged, high-conflict battle.

A 730 evaluation is an assessment by a court-appointed neutral expert, usually a psychologist, who recommends a custody arrangement.

Family Code 3044 presumes custody to a parent who committed domestic violence harms the child, and that presumption can be rebutted.

Unmarried fathers have no automatic rights in California until paternity is established by declaration or court order.

Best interest of the child is the standard for every custody decision, with the child’s health, safety and welfare first.

Unmarried parents establish legal parentage by signing a voluntary declaration or by filing a petition in court.

Soberlink is a portable real-time alcohol monitoring device used in custody cases involving a parent’s history of alcohol abuse.

California presumes that giving custody to a parent who committed domestic violence is against the child’s best interest.

Courts can sanction a parent, witness or attorney who knowingly makes a false child abuse allegation in a custody case.

A non-custodial parent cannot be denied access to a child’s medical, dental and school records just for lacking physical custody.

California doesn’t treat parental alienation as a diagnosis, but courts take alienating behavior seriously.