Tools for Los Angeles Minor's Counsel, Therapists and Mediators

A co-parenting app and case tools you can recommend to the Los Angeles families you work with, whether you serve as a minor's counsel, a therapist, or a mediator. Messaging between co-parents is free for both parents, and every message is time-stamped and tamper-evident.

If you serve as a minor's counsel, a therapist, or a mediator for families in Los Angeles, you already know the pattern: two parents, one child, and a record of what happened that lives in two different phones. FamilyCourtHelp.com gives the parents you work with one organized place for co-parent messages, schedules, parenting plans, expenses, and records, so the time they spend with you, and in front of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, Family Law Division, goes to the children instead of the screenshots.

Area covered: Los Angeles County.

Court for custody cases: Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, Family Law Division.

Appointed for the child: Minor's counsel.

Custody mediation: Usually required in custody disputes (Family Court Services).

Parenting coordinators: Appointed by court order.

Parenting class: Depends on the county or judge.

State family law: California Family Code.

Co-parent messaging (Free): One time-stamped, tamper-evident thread, free for both parents, with a Tone Meter that offers calmer rewrites.

Invite a professional into the conversation (Free): A parent can add a guardian ad litem or mediator to the co-parent conversation with a single-use link.

Parenting plan, built and shared (Free to build): Parents draft a parenting plan and can share it with you to read and comment on.

Verify a chat export (Free): Check that an exported message record (the JSON file) has not been changed. No account needed.

Court-Grade Journal (Paid plan): A dated, no-delete journal; a parent can send you a packet of chosen entries.

Expense Tracker (Paid plan): Shared child costs with receipts; a parent can give you a view-only look.

Parents can create an account and message their co-parent for free, with no credit card. Building a parenting plan is free; sharing, downloading, and printing it, and the tools marked as a paid plan, are part of a monthly plan a parent can start and stop.

For minor's counsel in Los Angeles

In California, the court can appoint a minor's counsel in a custody case. What the role involves is in the FAQ below.

Nothing here opens a family's account to you on its own. When a parent wants you in, they send a single-use invitation into the co-parent conversation; you join with your own free account, see the full thread and the shared calendar's change requests, and can post. They can also share the parenting plan for you to read and comment on.

The invitation a parent sends is labeled Guardian ad Litem, the title most states use. It works the same if you serve as a minor's counsel in Los Angeles.

For therapists and counselors in Los Angeles

Court-involved therapists, reunification therapists, co-parenting counselors, and custody evaluators in Los Angeles get no seat in the conversation and no access to accounts. Parents keep their own time-stamped record and decide what to show you, which keeps your role clear. For co-parenting work, the Tone Meter in the free messenger shows a parent how a message will land and offers a calmer version before it is sent.

For mediators and parenting coordinators in Los Angeles

In California, custody mediation is usually required when parents disagree about custody. The court program is Family Court Services. Courts can appoint a parenting coordinator by order. The details are in the FAQ below.

Parents can bring you in before the first meeting in Los Angeles: a single-use link adds you to the co-parent conversation, and a shared parenting plan lets you read the draft and comment on it. After the session, what was agreed stays in writing in the thread, and schedule changes run through the shared calendar's request and approval record.

Parenting coordinators can be added to a shared plan as a viewer who reads and comments.

Family court programs in Los Angeles

Custody cases in Los Angeles are heard in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, Family Law Division. The court-connected programs below were checked against official sources.

E-filing is mandatory for attorneys and optional for self-represented litigants.

Family Court Services, Child Custody Mediation: Free, confidential child custody mediation with a court mental health professional. What parents say in mediation is not shared with the judge. Parents are asked to complete the Our Children First orientation first.

Family Court Services Child Custody Mediation Appointment Request: Online request form for a Family Court Services mediation appointment.

If you searched for a minor's counsel, a family therapist, or a custody mediator in Los Angeles, the court that has your case, the order in it, or your lawyer is the place to find who is appointed or approved. This site does not appoint professionals or refer you to one. What you can do here is come prepared: keep every message with your co-parent in one time-stamped thread, write down what happened with dates while it is fresh, and work on a parenting plan before the meeting.

Free help for parents in Los Angeles: the court help desks and legal aid offices below were checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Self-Help Center (Stanley Mosk Courthouse), (213) 830-0803. Downtown self-help center for family court forms. LA County runs about a dozen more self-help centers by area.

Los Angeles legal aid: Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, (800) 433-6251.

FamilyCourtHelp.com is a self-help platform, not a law firm and not a court, and nothing on this page is legal, clinical, or mediation advice. Court rules and local programs change, so confirm anything that matters for a case with the court, the order that appointed you, or the program itself.

Frequently asked questions

Where are custody cases heard in Los Angeles?

The Family Law Division hears divorce, child custody and visitation, support, parentage and restraining order cases. The main family law courthouse is the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, with other family law courts around the county.

Is there a court mediation program in Los Angeles?

Yes. Families with a case in the local court can use the Family Court Services, Child Custody Mediation. What it offers, and the official link, are in the family court programs section above.

Where can parents in Los Angeles get free help with a family court case?

Free court help for parents without a lawyer: Los Angeles County Self-Help Center (Stanley Mosk Courthouse). Free legal aid: Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County. Phone numbers and links are in the parents section above, checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

How can parents prepare for custody mediation in Los Angeles?

Bring the family calendar, a draft parenting plan, a list of the issues still open, and a list of shared costs with receipts. Parents can put all of that together on FamilyCourtHelp.com before the first session. Families with a case in the local court can ask about the Family Court Services, Child Custody Mediation.

What does a minor's counsel do in a Los Angeles custody case?

In a custody or parenting time case, the judge can appoint a private attorney to represent the child. These attorneys are usually called minor's counsel. They gather and present evidence about the child's best interests and, if the child wants, tell the court what the child wishes. You may also see "attorney for the child" and "court-appointed counsel for the child". The rule is in Family Code 3150; Cal. Rules of Court, rules 5.240 to 5.242. This is general information, not legal advice; the order in the case controls.

Is custody mediation required in California?

When parents disagree about custody or visitation, the court must send them to a Family Court Services session before the hearing. Each county uses one of two models. In a recommending county, the counselor writes a recommendation for the judge if parents do not agree. In a non-recommending county, the mediation stays confidential and only an agreement goes to the judge.

Does California use parenting coordinators?

California has no statewide parenting coordinator statute. Some county courts appoint a parenting coordinator when both parents agree in a signed stipulation, using a local court form. How it works differs from county to county.

Do parents in California have to take a parenting class?

There is no single statewide parenting class. Many county courts require an orientation before the custody mediation session. Los Angeles asks parents to complete the Our Children First orientation, and San Diego shows an orientation video before the counseling session.