The RegistryPractice Area · Statewide
Find Family Law Lawyers in California
Counsel for divorce, custody, support, and the agreements that hold families steady. This is the statewide record for family law in California: every attorney on the State Bar of California's official roll whose published practice reaches this area, shown in neutral directory order.
Californians search this field under many names · family law attorney, family lawyer, divorce lawyer, divorce attorney, child custody attorney · and the registry answers all of them from the same source. Below: the governing deadline with its citation, what to weigh as you read the record, the questions Californians ask with the code sections that answer them, and family law coverage county by county, from Del Norte to San Diego.
The clock & the craft
A divorce cannot be final sooner than six months after the respondent is served.
Cal. Fam. Code § 2339
Residency first: six months in California and three months in the filing county (Cal. Fam. Code § 2320). Custody, support, and property orders can issue while the six-month clock runs.
Reading the roster
In a family matter you will likely work with your attorney for months, so weigh responsiveness and temperament alongside experience in the county's family law departments, local practice on disclosures, mediation, and settlement conferences varies by court. Ask how the attorney bills (family law is typically hourly with a retainer), how they approach settlement versus litigation, and who in the office handles day-to-day filings.
Family Law · statewide roster
9,347 attorneys on the official State Bar of California roll list family law among their practice areas, with an address of record in 57 of California's 58 counties.
8,861 of them hold an active licence; the remainder are recorded as inactive and are not currently eligible to practise.
The largest county rosters are Los Angeles (2,492), Orange (1,072), San Diego (1,016), Santa Clara (524) and San Francisco (428).
1,400 hold a State Bar Certified Legal Specialist designation, a certification issued by the State Bar's Board of Legal Specialization, and not a rating or a ranking.
481 are recorded as taking client work in a language other than English.
Family Law matters in California
The matters this field covers, as Californians search for them. Each attorney's own profile states which of these they take.
- divorce and legal separation
- child custody and visitation
- child support
- spousal support
- community property division
- prenuptial and postnuptial agreements
- paternity
- domestic violence restraining orders
- move-away requests
- adoption and guardianship
- modification and enforcement of orders
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In the last 30 days attorneys have read 1 filed matter on the registry.
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Family Law questions, cited
How is property divided in a California divorce?
California is a community property state. Assets and debts acquired during the marriage are generally community property (Cal. Fam. Code § 760) and are divided equally at divorce (Cal. Fam. Code § 2550). Separate property: what each spouse owned before marriage or received by gift or inheritance (Cal. Fam. Code § 770), stays with that spouse, though tracing commingled assets often becomes the real dispute.
How long does a divorce take in California?
At minimum six months and one day from service of the petition, Cal. Fam. Code § 2339 bars an earlier termination of marital status. Uncontested cases can be ready for judgment when the waiting period ends; contested custody or property cases routinely take longer, driven by the county superior court's family division calendar.
How is child custody decided in California?
By the best interest of the child, per Cal. Fam. Code §§ 3011 and 3020, weighing the child's health, safety, and welfare, any history of abuse, and each parent's contact with the child. California public policy favors frequent and continuing contact with both parents where safe. Most counties require mediation through Family Court Services before a contested custody hearing (Cal. Fam. Code § 3170).
How is child support calculated in California?
Under the statewide uniform guideline formula in Cal. Fam. Code § 4055, which turns primarily on both parents' net disposable incomes and the percentage of time each parent has physical responsibility for the children. The guideline amount is presumptively correct (Cal. Fam. Code § 4057); courts depart from it only in limited circumstances.
Do I need to live in California to file for divorce here?
Yes: one spouse must have lived in California for six months and in the county of filing for three months before the petition (Cal. Fam. Code § 2320). If neither spouse yet qualifies, a legal separation can be filed first and amended to a dissolution once residency is met.
Legal information, not legal advice.
From the answer files
Family Law in all 58 counties
Family Law by city
Adjacent shelves of the law
Full Family Law rosters, by surname
If cost is the concern
Court self-help, legal-aid organizations and attorney-stated fee options, with source links. No account or case submission is needed to use them.
Read the record. Then decide.
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Find Your Counsel278,688 attorneys · 58 counties · Official State Bar records