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Family Law Attorneys in Butte County, California

Looking for a family law attorney near you in Butte County? Explore the county record for family law attorneys on the State Bar of California's official roll and review each profile for yourself.

Venue matters. Family law cases from Butte County are ordinarily heard at the Superior Court of California, County of Butte. A Sacramento Valley county seated in Oroville, with Chico as its largest city; the 2018 Camp Fire, which destroyed the town of Paradise, kept insurance and rebuilding matters on the local docket for years.

The law also keeps time: a divorce cannot be final sooner than six months after the respondent is served under 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. The plaque below carries the citation; the roster that follows carries the rest.

This page is the Butte County chapter of the registry's statewide record · Family Law Lawyers in California collects all 58 counties.

The clock & the court

Statute of limitations

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.

Court of record

Superior Court of California, County of Butte.

County seat: Oroville

Official court information, locations, and filing rules: www.butte.courts.ca.gov

Family Law · Butte County roster

46 attorneys on the official State Bar of California roll list family law among their practice areas with an address of record in Butte County.

39 of them hold an active licence; the remainder are recorded as inactive and are not currently eligible to practise.

The roster concentrates in Chico (37), Oroville (6), Durham (1) and Forest Ranch (1).

1 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.

1 are recorded as taking client work in a language other than English.

Admission years on this roster run from 1972 to 2025.

The employers most represented here are Bakke, Williams & Benedict, LLP (2), Brooks & Brooks (2) and Butte County Superior Court (2).

David S. Banks

Family Law · Chico

Bar #224942 · Admitted 2003

Official record

Matthew C. Bently

Criminal Defense · Chico

Bar #288352 · Admitted 2012

Official record

Keya C. Brown

Family Law · Chico

Bar #312054 · Admitted 2016

Official record

Fawne M. Crabtree

Criminal Defense · Chico

Bar #250427 · Admitted 2007

Official record

Alison Y. Diaz

Business Law · Chico

Bar #360709 · Admitted 2025

Official record

Krista C. Geddes

Business Law · Chico

Bar #288657 · Admitted 2013

Official record

Family Law matters in Butte County

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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Legal information, not legal advice · The AI reception identifies itself

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

Related counsel in Butte County

Family Law in nearby counties

Source: Cal. Fam. Code § 2339 · State Bar of California licensee records · Checked: · Maintained by the California Attorney Registry from official State Bar of California records. Legal information, not legal advice.

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