Many of our clients consider their pets as part of the family. When a relationship ends it can be truly devastating as to what’s going to happen to your pets and what is the court system going to do regarding custody and visitation for them.
This is where the situation can become more complex. In the state of California courts consider pets as property. What this means is that, in a divorce case, they’re going to be divided like they’re a piece of furniture or as if they were a vehicle. The courts are not going to put in place a custody and visitation schedule like they would with children.
This is where mediation can take place. Mediation is a process where the parties of a dispute come together with a neutral third party called the mediator to try to resolve all the issues, or some of them, regarding the case.
Mediation is a very important tool that can be used in any kind of dispute, not just divorce cases, however it can present many benefits when resolving cases where there are pets are involved.
If you’re currently going through a divorce and you do have pets, mediation could allow you to negotiate which one of you is going to keep the pets, if there is going to be a custody and visitation schedule and who is going to pay for future expenses. This type of agreements cannot be done in courts because as mentioned above, pets are viewed as property.
If you can reach a resolution at mediation, the agreement that you meet becomes a binding contract. What that means is that if you ever need to use that contract in the future, it can be used just like a court order.
Here at Contreras law we can be both the third party neutral, or we can assist you as your attorney at mediation.
At Contreras Law we can always take your pets into consideration, we understand that they are part of your family. We can help you with either drafting a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement or assisting you with mediation regarding your pet custody and visitation or any other aspect of your divorce case.
If you wish to learn more about pet mediation, whether you’re looking for a mediator, or if you’re searching for an attorney to help you at mediation, you can visit us for a free consultation, click here to schedule or send a SMS to 619-648-9652.
Legal advertisement. This is not legal advice.
