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Family Law Attorney Referral
updated: Nov 05, 2011, 8:13 PM

I am looking for referrals for family law attorneys in Santa Barbara. I am specifically looking for attorneys who may have a sliding-scale fee system, may make payment arrangements, or work with clients in any way in terms of paying their fees.

I am a full-time student with very little income who is looking to defend myself against a retaliatory attempt to get custody to avoid paying child support. I am hoping there is a good hearted person out there who may be willing to work with me and help me protect my child. I know it's a long shot, but I feel it's worth trying.

Places People Are Talking About:

Legal Aid Foundation

Legal Aid Outreach Program

The Santa Barbara County Bar Association

What People Are Saying:

COMMENT 230323	2011-11-06 07:55 AM
Try Legal Aid Foundation. I think the number is 963-6754.
COMMENT 230349	2011-11-06 08:53 AM
GOOD LUCK !!
COMMENT 230356	2011-11-06 09:05 AM
The Santa Barbara County Bar Association has a Lawyer Referral Service: (805) 569-5511. They can provide several options for you.
COMMENT 230370	2011-11-06 09:37 AM
You get what you pay for around here, and any attn. who works on a sliding scale is not one you want working for you, especially if it involves money such as in a divorce settlement. Pay for a good attorney, and you will get more in return. Most good or recognized attorneys in town work together behind the scenes anyway and make compromises. The Judges know them and are willing to work with them based on prior experience and trust. An unknown or someone outside the loop won't help much at all if any. Bite the bullet in the beginning and reap the rewards later.
COMMENT 230378	2011-11-06 09:48 AM
Good Luck is right. Family Law in Santa Barbara County is one of the worst in the country. All the Lawyers and Judges hang out with each other and cases are very one sided. Spent every penny I had fighting a case and finally ended up representing myself which turned out for the better and was free. Buy some family law books which will be cheaper than a $400+ Hr Lawyer who really looks at your case as money. Better yet try to avoid the court all together and try to work out a deal with the other side. Best of Luck.
COMMENT 230381	2011-11-06 09:58 AM
consider inviting your ex to go to mediation to find a workable solution together. mediation is faster, cheaper, and nicer than litigation. look in the yellow pages under mediation and go on several free initial consultations with various family law mediators. it sounds like your ex has $ problems ? perhaps you can help resolve that so he won't need to use custody as a way to get $ ?
COMMENT 230385P	2011-11-06 10:07 AM
Child support is suppose to support the child, not the parent. Please protect your child by not using your child as an income stream to support you. "Family law" and fighting over the "support" is an excellent way of damaging your child. Throw in the psychologists, mediators and other welling meaning but inept professionals and you have created a recipe for a whole new generation of screwed up adults. Forget about the money, be nice with the other parent and resolve your differences with the other parent. The benefit will be a happy and healty child that grows up to be a happy and healthy adult. Avoid the industry that calls itself "Family Law". Chances are, once you engage this industry, the result will be a damaged child.
COMMENT 230389P	2011-11-06 10:17 AM
I'm sorry to e blunt about this, but you are in for a world of hurt. I'm assuming that you are the mother and that the father is the one who is being "retaliatory" and not wanting to give you all the money you believe you are entitled to, to raise "your" child. In California the father has the same parental rights as the mother. Meaning the child is not yours alone. This is one concept you need to learn, embrace and remember, starting today. This means 50/50 custody is fair and right when the parents make the decision to live apart. Another thing you need to understand is that in California BOTH parents are required to provide support for their child(ren). In other words, it looks like you are going to need to put your education on hold for awhile while you get a job and earn your fair share of the cost of supporting your son or daughter. Sometimes it really sucks to have to make the hard choices. You decided to have the kid, and you decided to split with the other parent (or not stay with him/her), despite the hardships these choices would bring. Now you have to suck it up and work your tail off. Lastly - please for your own sake and the sake of your child, do not villainize the other parent. Do not think that getting CPS involved by saying you need to keep your child safe from harm will help you. Do not make false accusations against the other person believing the judge or CPS or anyone will believe you. When there is a custody dispute all reports of abuse/neglect are suspect. A friend of mine lost her son to his father for a year (he was 3) because she made a horrible and false allegation against him. You obviously thought the other parent was good enough to sleep with (I assume you weren't raped), and now all of the sudden this isn't the case? Family law attorneys are generally terrible people who will sacrifice your child's health development for a win. If you find an attorney who will work for you for "free" or "on credit", beware. You will regret your choice both in the quality of representation you receive and in what is expected of you to repay your debt. Try to work things out civilly and FAIRLY with the other parent. In the end you will will be happier and more importantly, your child will have a better quality of life. Good luck to you.
COMMENT 230395P	2011-11-06 10:30 AM
OP here. Thanks for the advice, no thanks for the judgements. I haven't recieved child support in quite some time. I have been raising my child without help, thank you. When some very serious lies about the other parent's income (hidden assets, other income that was well hidden for a LONG time, the other parent living a visibly extravagant lifestyle while pleading poverty) were exposed and the judge talked about the other parent having to pay after a long time, the other parent is trying to get custody to avoid paying anything. Despite all this, I do not utter a negative thing about the other parent in my child's presence. I don't ever want to be sitting in a therapy session in the future being told that things I said said disturbed or emotionally injured my child. Not remotely worth it to me. I have plenty of other ways to vent my frustrations. I absolutely do not consider my child or the support that may be paid as an income stream. Those are pretty wild assumptions being made about somebody you have no clue about. But you're right, each parent is responsible. I've been keeping up my end, why shouldn't the other parent? If I had the money to pay for a top-notch attorney I would not hesitate to do so. I would absolutely not nickel and dime such an important issue. I would sacrifice anything, however I don't have the means to do so right now. Legal Aid doesn't help with custody or child support matters and the Family Law Facilitator only helps with filling out paperwork and the filing process, not arguing on your behalf in court. Interestingly enough, the other parent can cough up lots of money for their own attorney to get out of paying, but won't offer a dime for their child's support. Hopefully that helps with any further assumptions or judgements being made about my situation. If anybody has any information about the actual referral, I am very grateful.
ARCHIE	2011-11-06 11:11 AM
Dear OP, I don't know why posters grab the soap box and make personal assumptions but they're pretty obvious when they do it. Hang in there. I've been through it and all we can do is try to protect our children the best we can. They still get scorched but mine came out ok.
COMMENT 230414	2011-11-06 11:30 AM
Dear Op, Paul Capritto is the best in town. He did work with me on finances...however, he usually makes it a point to work with people who need him because the other parent is so difficult. He likes a challenge and seeks fairness for the child. He helped me to gain support for my daughter, however, be advised that none was ever paid to me. The court can order it, but the DCSS is incompetent, and cannot seem to collect anything. I also went through the "custody" issue..he lived in Oregon, never wanted to see her, until I requested support......so I really feel for you. Paul can get the custody set so it is best for the child, and also create a fair support order for the child. He is amazing.
COMMENT 230421	2011-11-06 11:47 AM
Jamie Raney? with no money? really?
COMMENT 230423	2011-11-06 11:51 AM
Now that I looked at your post it is astonishing that you asked that. You are a parent and don't want to pay child support, but want custody so you can claim him/her and use your money on getting yourself through school. You should have though about all that before you decided to not play it safe and have a kid. Now it's time to grow up, put school on hold, and Get A JOB. You have a responsibility greater than getting your education. The fact that you posted that just shows me how immature you are and shouldn't get custody of your child, and have to pay child support by working or go to jail. It's reality, and you are on the cusp of entering it.
COMMENT 230431P	2011-11-06 12:16 PM
423 - did you even read the post? I can't believe that you wrote that! The OP isn't seeking custody to avoid paying support. The OP has custody and asked for support after not getting support for a long time, when lies about the other parent's finances came to light.It was only then that the OTHER parent attempted to get custody, to avoid paying anything. It doesn't seem immature to me, just asking for whats fair to the child. Read it again, carefully, and see if you form the same exact opinion that you stated.
COMMENT 230473	2011-11-06 03:57 PM
Try Legal Aid Outreach Program
COMMENT 230475P	2011-11-06 04:10 PM
Sliding scale? All my experiences with attorneys have been bad. Once one of my employees was trying to scam money out of me. So my friend who is an attorney helped me. Yes he got me out of the jamb I had to pay the employee $500.00. An I paid the attorney $7500.00. One time I called him to talk about our camping spot. I made the mistake of calling him at work, it cost me $75.00 to talked to him about our refugio camping spot. Sorry there is no sliding scale there is only an up scale. Good Luck.
COMMENT 230493	2011-11-06 06:55 PM
431P - I think you are mistaken. It sounds like the OP has de facto custody because she's the mom, gave birth to the child and never gave him/her up. Sounds like the court heard the case at some point, but she never comes out and says she has sole physical and/or legal custody. So, just because she has the child in her home, she doesn't "have "custody". This is an important legal fact. If this mother loves her child, she should endeavor to let him/her have the influence of both a MOTHER and a FATHER. The healthiest children have both, and of all the people I know, I can't think of one truly content person who has been raised by just one parent. If you have only a mom OR a dad you wind up feeling ripped off. And rightly so.
COMMENT 230495P	2011-11-06 07:18 PM
431- OP here,and no, I don't have de facto custody. I have custody because after a trial, a judge deemed me the best parent to have sole physical custody. So yes, I do have "custody". You are making giant assumptions about whether or not my child has the influence of both parents, which in fact is the case. There is lots of visitation and plenty of influence. The issue is the other parent wanting full custody now, after being ordered to pay child support, in order to avoid paying said support. Not a year ago, not 6 months ago, but now after lies were exposed and support ordered based on facts previously hidden. Perhaps that clears up the assumptions you've made. Thank you to everybody who gave referrals. I fully understood that posting would open up a can of worms in terms of the judgement and assumptions that are passed along in comments. It was worth the risk, however, and I'm grateful for the support and kind words that were also passed along in comments. It's amazing how a kind word from a stranger, or somebody telling me they've stood in my shoes, can help lift a person's spirits. Thank you.
COMMENT 230508P	2011-11-06 09:25 PM
So - just so I understand things correctly. You have already gone to trial and been awarded sole custody of your child. You and the child's father have an agreed upon (or the court has ordered) a custody schedule. The father has frequent visitation, and all is well in that regard. So why post for an attorney referral on Edhat? It seems to me that you have already managed to resolve many of the legal issues confronting parents who separate. Did you do this on your own as "a full-time student with very little income"? When you say, "I am hoping there is a good hearted person out there who may be willing to work with me and help me protect my child", what exactly do you mean? Are you just trying to get more money? Did you represent yourself at the previous hearings, or did you have an attorney? Why do you need a referral for an attorney now? It sounds like you are a pro and know your way around the family law "scene". I think your plea for a referral to help a poor, defenseless mother is fraudulent.
COMMENT 230509P	2011-11-06 09:27 PM
230495P - Good luck with your case, and I think your child has a great mom. I'd also like to commend you for answering in a calm and intelligent manner, a completely baseless and unjustified dressing down. I am astounded at the bluntness of comments that are way off the mark, and hark back to the days when a woman was always wrong. And in my own blunt fashion, I would suggest that some read more carefully.
COMMENT 230510P	2011-11-06 09:51 PM
508P- OP here. I never said defenseless, or a mother, it is true that I have limited means. If you read everything I stated very carefully, you'd read that a. I have custody b. the other parent is in our child's life c. I haven't recieved child support in years (therefore I'm not going after MORE money) and c. the only reason the other parent is seeking full custody is to avoid paying child support. If I were a "pro", I wouldn't be here asking for a referral. Going to court for child custody is very different than going to court for child support. I was able to represent myself then and was intelligent enough to uncover some very serious lies and prove that the other parent indeed had assets and income that had been hidden for quite some time. Based on that information, I was finally awarded child support. It was only then that the other parent retaliated by seeking full custody in order to avoid paying child support. I wouldn't leave anything to chance by representing myself against an attorney (neither of us had an attorney for the child support case but now the other parent got an attorney for the custody case), there's too much at stake. I'd rather give up child support than lose custody of my child and that's what the other parent wants, to bully me into giving up. I'm not one to be bullied even if it is easier to give up. You are entitled to your opinion, if you still think I'm a fraud, so be it, it's not going to ruin my day. I came here for referrals, got some, and even got some unexpected kindness along the way.
COMMENT 230541P	2011-11-07 07:10 AM
I would like to second 509P. Good luck and stay strong. My kids watch their dad living a life of luxury (vacations, new cars, nice clothes) while we barely make ends meet. I have always worked full time at a good job and do my best to support kids in SB. It's hard, but it's home- always has been always will be. I would like to hear/see more referrals and less judgement and off-base assumptions.
COMMENT 230659	2011-11-07 02:00 PM
Wow. 230385P, 230389P, and 230508P are probably the same misogynistic creep, one that has made a career out of dodging child support, but if they are two or three separate people that wouldn't surprise me either as there are tens and hundreds of thousands of them out there.
COMMENT 230757	2011-11-07 06:59 PM
Hi again, I thought about your post today...and really think you should call Paul Capritto. If he cannot help you, he will refer you to someone who can. He is a good man, and his 2nd...Andrew is terrific too. I have been in your shoes, and I hope that when this gets settled, you are able to relax, and enjoy being a mom. Call Paul, he really is a terrific support.
COMMENT 230764P	2011-11-07 07:33 PM
OP, again. This time I'm happy to only say that I am grateful for the kind comments and encouragement, instead of defending myself against judgemental comments. Joyful, your referral is just what I was looking for and I will be contacting Mr. Capritto for sure. I feel a little more empowered, thank you.
COMMENT 231335P	2011-11-09 01:50 PM
Wow, it's amazing people can't just help a person out with a referral...that's all OP asked...not to be judged. OP, I'd give you a referral if I had one, GL to you!