What can I do if I do not like the judge’s decision?

Several legal options may be available to you if you are unsatisfied with the judge’s decision in your child custody, child visitation, divorce, or other family law case: motions for a new trail, motions for reconsideration, requests for modifications, filing a writ and or an appeal. As experienced family law attorneys, Hosford & Hosford can advise you about post trial motions and proceedings.

You may be able to alter the terms of your child support, spousal support, visitation, or other areas of concern with a request for modification. Courts may grant your request if you are able to demonstrate that changing circumstances call for a revision to the earlier court decision.

For example, if you are paying your ex-spouse support money and he / she remarries, you may be able to revise the amount you are paying. Courts may also consider changes to your own circumstances, such as losing your job or taking a pay cut. For more details about modification, see our recent post, “How do I change my custody / visitation and support orders?” or selected topics throughout our website.

Hosford & Hosford also represents clients in appeals for their family law cases. Appeals are different from modifications, however, in that they more often focus on the application of law and not the circumstances you or your spouse face.

In an appeal, a reviewing court will evaluate how the judge for your case applied the law. In certain situations, judges make legal errors that must be corrected, and these errors can help you to change the decision to your favor or get you a new hearing.

One important thing to remember: in almost every case, no issue can be raised in an appeal if it was not first raised during the trial. This means that your legal team must be knowledgeable enough to prepare for appeals during the early stages of your trial. Otherwise, you may not be able to resolve the issue even if a legal error was made. We invite you to explore our review of appeals in San Luis Obispo family law cases for more details.

Find out about modifications and appeals for your case. Call Hosford & Hosford at (805) 439-1906 or toll-free at (855) 675-4496.