Santa Maria Family Law Experienced lawyers to give you the results you deserve.

Family Lawyers in Santa Maria

Representing Clients Throughout Santa Barbara County 

At Morales Law, P.C., we understand that family law matters can be a source of anxiety for our clients because these cases can involve your spouse, children, business, home, financial future, and other deeply personal and important aspects of your life. With so much at stake, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed, but that’s why it’s important to retain reliable counsel. 

Our team has decades of legal experience, and our founding attorney, Marcus Morales, is a Certified Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of CA, Board of Legal Specialization. This designation means that our attorney has a high level of competence in family law, evidenced by experience, continued education, and rigorous testing. 

We pride ourselves on our ability to provide timely and effective legal representation. Our firm is recognized for our prompt response time, ensuring that our clients' concerns are addressed efficiently. We believe in open communication and transparency, and we are dedicated to keeping our clients informed every step of the way. From complex property divisions to contentious child custody disputes, our attorneys have the skill and experience to handle a wide range of family law matters.

To learn more about how our Santa Maria family law attorneys can help you, call (805) 422-7966.  

Types of Cases We Handle in Santa Maria

We offer compassionate counsel in the following matters: 

  • Child custody. We can help you advocate for your desired custody arrangement in and out of court. 
  • Child support. We can advise you on how California courts calculate appropriate child support amounts and help you navigate child support cases. 
  • Divorce. Our firm can help you file a contested or uncontested divorce. We also represent clients in military divorce cases. 
  • High-asset divorce. Our team can handle complex divorce matters, including divorces involving a large number of assets. 
  • Legal separation. While you take time apart, we can help you establish temporary spousal support and custody arrangements, as well as defined living arrangements. 
  • Paternity. We can help you establish or challenge paternity claims. We represent fathers who wish to obtain legal rights or other parties who wish to obtain child custody or support orders (but need to first legally establish parentage). 
  • Property division. We can help you compile a list of separate and community (i.e., marital) assets and develop a strategy to protect your right to a fair share of the marital assets. We can also advise you on how domestic abuse and wasteful dissipation can impact your case. 
  • Business valuations. Whether you have a restaurant in Western Village Shopping Center, an internal medicine practice, or another business in Santa Maria, our team can work with experts to determine its value and negotiate a fair settlement that helps you protect your business and ownership status. 
  • Spousal support. Our attorneys can help you evaluate eligibility, calculate appropriate amounts, and negotiate or litigate support agreements.
  • Modification and enforcement actions. If you experience a change in circumstances or suffer because another party violates the terms of your court-order agreement, our attorney can help modify or enforce the existing orders. 

How Is Community Property Divided in California? 

California is a community property state, meaning that most assets acquired during a marriage are considered jointly owned by both spouses. Dividing these assets when a marriage ends can be a complex issue.

To simplify the process and protect their financial interests, many couples choose to establish a marital agreement, commonly known as a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement. This legal document details how assets will be divided in the case of divorce or separation. If a couple lacks such an agreement and cannot reach a consensus during their divorce, the court will decide how community property is allocated.

In California, the court is obligated to split community property equally between the spouses. Although this might seem straightforward, the process can be complex due to the various assets involved. Factors such as each spouse's earning potential, the standard of living experienced during the marriage, the length of the marriage, and which party has physical custody of minor children can all influence the court's decision. 

Let Our Santa Maria Family Law Attorneys Help Protect Your Interests

Known for not being “afraid to […]  go to bat” for our clients and for being “very professional and available for even the smallest of questions,” our firm is skilled in handling family law cases. Working with our firm, you can trust our team to offer responsive and personalized counsel. 

Give us a call at (805) 422-7966 to learn more about our family law services. We offer free initial consultations. 

Contact Us Today

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Our Client Testimonials

    "Extremely helpful and professional."
    Morales Law, P.C. has been extremely helpful in explaining the legal process of divorce and guiding me to an educated decision. The team is always professional and available for even the smallest of questions. I'm so happy to have them represent me in this difficult case.
    - Satisfied Client
    "Professional and fights hard for your case!"
    Morales Law, P.C. was professional, courteous, and fought hard for my family during my divorce case. They didn't back down from challenges and made a complicated situation seem simple to the judge, who ruled in our favor. Knowledgeable and gets the job done!
    - Satisfied Client
    "Improvement in leadership and responsiveness."
    Although our custody case isn't over, we’ve seen drastic improvement in leadership, dedication, and responsiveness compared to our previous attorney. Morales Law, P.C. truly helps clients achieve their goals with honesty and fairness. Highly recommend.
    - Satisfied Client
    "Morales Law renewed my faith in the judicial system"
    Morales Law renewed my faith in the judicial system. Marcus Morales and Mollyanne Wincek are calm, professional and extremely knowledgeable about their craft. They helped me navigate a prolonged and difficult case, made more difficult by an ethically lenient opposition. Marcus always gave me his opinion, but supported my decision if I decided a different direction. I would recommend Morales Law to anyone seeking legal advice.
    - Bob S.
    "I am forever thankful to him and his team"
    I am a single father to an amazing 11 year old daughter, who I would go to hell and back to protect and secure a bright future for. Mr. Morales helped me through the journey to hell and back. He helped me protect my daughter and secure a bright future for
    - Morgan V
    "Mr. Morales and his law staff are always there"
    I have hired attorneys before and never had so much confidence that I would get the results I was asking for. Been dealing with child custody courts for over 10 years for my two children. Mr. Morales and his law staff are always there if you have questions, they keep you well informed about what the courts and the other party are doing. I know my case was a hard one what I don’t know is how Mr. Morales and his team made it look so easy. I have full custody of my kids now and it’s all thanks to Morales law. I’m thankful ,my children are thankful we couldn’t have asked for more.
    - Jaime G.
    "The Morales Law Team was absolutely professional."
    Morales Law helped me through a difficult divorce!! The Morales Law Team was absolutely professional - everyone handled me and my case with care - I am so thankful to them and relieved for myself and family that it is over and ended as best it could thanks to Morales Law's support and counsel.
    - Julie D.
    "The Morales Law Team was absolutely professional."
    Morales Law helped me through a difficult divorce!! The Morales Law Team was absolutely professional - everyone handled me and my case with care - I am so thankful to them and relieved for myself and family that it is over and ended as best it could thanks to Morales Law's support and counsel.
    - Satisfied client