Being accused or convicted of a crime can have a far-reaching impact on your life—including, possibly, your child custody rights. This can happen regardless of your guilt or innocence if the courts become convinced that the child is at risk. You need a strong legal advocate in your corner to help protect the relationship between you and your children. Attorney Miles A. Harris not only works to fight against unfair criminal charges—he can also work on your behalf to make sure no one uses your past to sabotage your future relationship with your kids.
Child Custody in California
California custody laws are designed to put the best interests of the children first. While that's a good thing, it's not a perfect system because the courts can't always make the right call as to what is in the child's best interests. The courts may deny custody or visitation rights if the judge believes there's a health and safety issue—for example, the presence of drugs or a criminal past. Judges are specifically required by law to deny custody and visitation rights to a parent convicted of certain violent crimes against the other parent—unless there is clear evidence that the parent's history poses no risk to the child's health and safety. If you're involved in a custody battle with an ex-spouse or former partner, it's also very common for the ex to try and use your criminal record to prove your inability to parent a child, and the courts often rule in favor of the ex out of an abundance of caution.
How Miles A. Harris Can Help
Bottom line: If you have a criminal record of any kind, or even if you've faced criminal charges but have beaten them, you may be fighting an uphill battle when it comes to child custody issues unless you have a good attorney to help. Mr. Harris understands how this system works, and he can go to bat to make sure your past is not unfairly used against you in a child custody battle. He can provide the details and nuances of any prior records or current cases and provide evidence both to prove your competency as a parent—and to disprove any claim that you pose a threat to your own child.
Don't let your past dictate your future, especially when it comes to raising your kids. Let Miles A. Harris step in and help. Give us a call at 559-492-9572 to discuss your options.