"Garrison, Ellen, Kim and Supporting Staff: I wanted to thank all of you for all the hard work, support, and professional service you have provided. You guys are truly the "Dream Team." I think we've accomplished all the goals (and then some!) that I set out to accomplish. This proceeding would not have been as smooth or concluded as successful without the competent and professional service that your law firm renders." --Tom G.
"I appreciate everything you have done for me during the case. You went above and beyond your duty and helped give me confidence and strength to reach out and ask for help and say that I needed support that was coming from others in my same situation. Everyone in the entire firm was a pleasure to speak with."
--Abigail B.
"Attorney Klueck, in the span of one week, was able to remedy my problem with the DCSS. My previous, and supposedly prestigious, law firm took almost a year of going in circles and not accomplishing anything. I highly recommend Garrison Klueck to anyone needing family law assistance. He is honest and will work for you in the most expeditious manner possible."
--DR
"I guess it helps to have the best attorneys in the area."
-- Sheri D.
"Thank you so much for being there with me today! I'm very happy with how things turned out. I had prepared for and really already accepted the worst possible out come. I'm so thankful for the way things turned out and I know I couldn't have done it without you. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!"
-- Jenny Y.
"I want to thank you for your support and assistance during this round in court. Bud was amazing today. I finally felt heard, every point I had to make was finally made. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest that I've been carrying for the last two years, regardless of the outcome. I have nothing left to say and I 'm really satisfied that we all tried our best in this case. Thanks again for your commitment and hard work."
-- Lisa D.
"I just wanted to thank you for the great job you did today."
-- Alex N.
"Everybody in the attorney Klueck office did thorough and great work and, as a result, we received an excellent ruling from the Judge."
-- Kathy from La Mesa
"Mr. Klueck is extremely knowledgeable in family court matters. His staff was very supportive and understanding towards my needs through the entire process and I absolutely got the ruling I hoped for. I would highly recommend Mr. Klueck."
-- Renee J.
"Everyone I worked with was very knowledgeable and very supportive in my child custody case. I have the utmost trust and confidence in him in handling these difficult matters"
-- Gloria from Escondido
"Attorney Klueck answered all of my questions and did an outstanding job of coaching me throughout my divorce. I highly recommend him and his team!"
-- Brian from San Diego
Attorney Garrison Klueck has a substantial history of aggressive interactions with government agencies involved with the collection of child support and the establishment of child support orders. For years, attorney Klueck has worked effectively to protect clients from having to pay thousands of dollars claimed by the Department of Child Support Services (some of the details are below in this text).
Before we discuss in detail our history of serving our clients and saving them money, first a short history lesson. From the beginning of California, as a state in the 1850s, up to the year 2000, one of the duties of each County's District Attorney'S Office was to establish orders for and to collect child support. The District Attorney having this duty still exists in some states. However, in 1999 the California State Legislature eliminated this duty from the responsibilities of the District Attorney. The legislature voted to set up a Department of Child Support Services instead to establish and collect child support. Counties were permitted to make the switch-over on a county-by-county basis starting in the year 2000 and were required to have the task completed by the year 2003. Attorney Klueck's home County of San Diego made the conversion in October 2001.
Because the District Attorney acted in this capacity for so long, and the conversion happened so recently, many people still refer to government-agency-collected child support as "DA child support." However, whether you call it "DA child support" or "DCSS child support," it amounts to essentially the same thing. The government is coming after a citizen (usually a guy) to get that individual to either pay the government, pay back the government or to pay the custodial parent for the support of children.
There are basically two (2) types of cases initiated by the Department of Child Support Services ("DCSS") (formerly the "DA"). There are cases where the custodial parent had received governmental aid (child-related welfare or other governmental benefits such as medical benefits through Medi-Cal). The custodial parent typically would have received benefits through the TANF program ("Temporary Aid for Needy Families") or its earlier cousin AFDC ("Aid to Families with Dependant Children"). In the first type of case, the government, through the DCSS or DA's Office, is suing an individual to get that individual to pay back the government for money paid by the government on behalf of children for which the respondent (the sued person) is responsible. The second type of case is one where the DCSS is suing an individual to try to establish a child support order on behalf of another individual, the custodial parent.
As with anything involving the government, this basic pattern can get complicated. There can be variations on the two basic types of cases. There are lots of cases where the custodial parent, at one time, was on aid but later went off of aid. In such a case, the DCSS then is suing on behalf of the government (to get the government money back) and for the individual custodial parent. Additionally, they will sue for back support or "arrears"--past support ordered but not paid. There can be further complications because a given case could involve governmental arrears, current support for an individual custodial parent as well as arrears for the individual.
On top of all of the above complications, much of the law that applies is from a different Code than non-governmental child support. Child support, that does not involve the government, is established under the California Family Code ("FC"). Governmental child support is established under the Welfare and Institutions Code ("W&I"). However, the California guideline for child support, is established under the Family Code. Do not worry about the formula when you retain us; our office has the identical computer software program that the judges have.)
Additionally, the government, alone among all the world's creditors, takes the position that it does not have to calculate all that it claims that you owe it. Very often, the person will pay every penny that the government asked for on its most recent invoice. The government then contacts the person and says that the person owes a lot more money because the government reserves the right to recompute the bill until after you have paid everything that they previously claimed that you owed.
Contact Our Law Firm
If you have questions or wish to schedule a free initial consultation or appointment with one of our lawyers, contact our law firm by phone or by completing our online contact form. The Law & Mediation Offices of Garrison Klueck has five office locations for your convenience. Our primary law office is in La Mesa, California, near the San Diego State University College area. We also have satellite offices in La Jolla, San Diego, North County and Chula Vista.
