Criminal Defense and Family Law Attorney in Santa Cruz County

Law Office of Cherish Om

Serving Santa Cruz and Watsonville. Clear guidance, strong advocacy, and fast action when it matters most.

If you are facing charges like DUI, domestic violence, drug possession, or hit and run, your next steps are critical. I also help clients navigate divorce, custody, and other family law issues with a practical, steady approach.

 

Criminal Law

DUI

If you’ve been arrested for a DUI, it’s crucial to seek the expertise of a Santa Cruz County DUI defense attorney. They can provide you with essential legal guidance and strong representation to work towards the best possible outcome for your case.

Domestic Violence

When facing a domestic violence charge in Santa Cruz County, it’s crucial to seek the counsel of an experienced criminal defense lawyer. A domestic violence lawyer can provide expert legal guidance and strategic representation to help you navigate the complexities of the legal system.

Drug Possession

When facing drug possession charges, it’s imperative to reach out to a Santa Cruz County criminal defense attorney specializing in drug possession cases. Their expertise provides strategic representation to safeguard your rights effectively.

Assault

When facing an assault charge, collaborating with a Santa Cruz County criminal defense attorney is essential. They can provide you with expert legal counsel and representation to protect your rights and build a strong defense against the allegations.

Hit and Run

If you’ve been arrested for a hit and run incident, it’s crucial to consult with a Santa Cruz County hit and run accident attorney. An attorney for hit and run can provide you with essential legal guidance and strong representation to protect your rights.

Burglary

When facing a burglary charge, it’s essential to work alongside a Santa Cruz County burglary attorney. Their expertise ensures you receive expert legal guidance and effective representation to construct a strong defense against the accusations.

Criminal Threats

When you’re facing PC 422 criminal threat charges in California, it’s crucial to reach out to a Santa Cruz County criminal threats attorney for expert representation to address your case effectively and protect your rights.

Felony Reckless Evading

If you’ve been arrested for felony reckless evading of a peace officer, it’s imperative to consult with a Santa Cruz County criminal defense attorney specializing in reckless evading cases. Our expertise can provide you with the strategic representation necessary to navigate this serious charge.

Aggressive or reckless driving

If you’re dealing with a California reckless driving charge, it’s essential to consult a Santa Cruz County reckless driving attorney. Cherish Om is an attorney with expertise in reckless driving cases can offer the legal support needed to navigate your situation.

Fleeing arrest

If you’re facing a fleeing from police charge in California, it’s essential to consult a Santa Cruz County fleeing arrest attorney to navigate your situation effectively and protect your rights.

Family Law

Divorce

When facing the complexities of divorce, it’s crucial to have a skilled divorce lawyer for divorce by your side to navigate the process and protect your interests. Hiring a Santa Cruz County divorce attorney ensures that you have expert guidance throughout your divorce proceedings, helping you achieve a fair resolution.

Child Custody

Hiring a Santa Cruz County child custody lawyer is essential when navigating complex family law matters. A skilled child custody attorney can provide expert guidance, ensuring your rights are protected during custody disputes. You can trust Cherish Om, a qualified lawyer for child custody, to help you achieve the best outcome for your family’s future.

Child Support

When facing child support matters, it’s essential to seek the expertise of a child support attorney. A Santa Cruz County child support lawyer possesses the knowledge necessary to navigate the intricacies of family law. Count on a trusted child support attorney to work towards a fair resolution.

Spousal Support / Alimony

Divorces are difficult, it’s advisable to seek the counsel of a spousal support lawyer in Santa Cruz County can provide the legal expertise needed to navigate the complexities of alimony and work toward a fair resolution tailored to your specific situation.

Property Division

Property division can be a contentious issue during a divorce. Our experienced Santa Cruz County property division attorney is here to guide you towards a favorable resolution. Our dedicated team is well-equipped to tackle even the most intricate cases, ensuring your interests are protected throughout.

Visitation Rights

Child visitation rights are crucial for ensuring both parents have a significant presence in a child’s life, and a Santa Cruz County child visitation attorney can help you navigate this process effectively. With the assistance of a skilled child visitation attorney, you can establish a proper visitation schedule and secure your visitation rights.

Civil Harassment & DVRO Restraining Orders

When seeking a restraining order, enlisting the services of an experienced restraining order attorney is crucial. A Santa Cruz County restraining order attorney can guide you through the legal process, ensuring your safety and protection are a top priority.

Child Relocation

Families frequently relocate for various reasons, but such moves can trigger disputes in child custody. Cherish Om Law, a trusted Santa Cruz County relocation attorney, specializes in assisting parents with relocation planning and resolving related disputes.

Divorce Mediation

When facing a divorce, hiring a skilled divorce mediator can provide a constructive and amicable approach to resolving disputes. A Santa Cruz County divorce mediator can help you and your spouse find common ground, facilitating a smoother and more cost-effective separation process.

Prenuptial Agreements

While prenuptial agreements may not evoke romance, they can offer vital security for your financial and emotional well-being. Collaborating with a Santa Cruz County prenuptial agreement attorney during this process can foster a deeper understanding of expectations and ultimately strengthen the bond between couples.

 

Cherish Om Law

Cherish Om is a Santa Cruz–based attorney dedicated to serving individuals and families in her local community. Having grown up in Santa Cruz, she brings a deep understanding of the people, values, and challenges unique to this area, and she is committed to providing thoughtful, compassionate, and effective legal representation.

Cherish focuses her practice on criminal defense and family law, often helping clients navigate situations where these areas intersect. She understands that legal issues can be overwhelming and deeply personal, and she works closely with each client to provide clear guidance, practical solutions, and strong advocacy at every stage of the process.

In addition to her legal practice, Cherish is actively involved in the local legal community. She serves on the board of the Santa Cruz Bar Association and is a member of the Santa Cruz Family Law Bar Association, the Women Lawyers Association, and the Trial Lawyers Association

LEARN MORE

The Intersection of Family Law & Criminal Defense

Criminal charges often have consequences beyond the courtroom. Arrests involving domestic violence, restraining orders, or allegations tied to family disputes can affect custody, visitation, and long-term family arrangements.

Cherish Om practices both criminal defense and family law. As such, she understands how these cases overlap and how decisions in one area can easily impact another. This dual perspective allows her to protect not only your immediate legal rights, but also your broader interests moving forward.

Criminal defense introduction

Cherish Om represents clients throughout Santa Cruz County who are facing criminal charges. She focuses on providing clear guidance, careful preparation, and strong advocacy for individuals dealing with serious legal situations and high-stakes decisions.

Assault

Facing an assault charge can be a deeply distressing experience that not only impacts your legal situation but also has far-reaching effects on family matters. Such charges can strain relationships, lead to custody disputes, and affect child visitation rights. During this challenging time, it’s crucial to seek the expertise of a Santa Cruz County criminal defense lawyer with experience in family law matters.

An assault and battery lawyer with this dual specialization can provide comprehensive guidance, ensuring that your legal rights are protected while also safeguarding your family’s best interests. This includes addressing any potential custody or visitation issues stemming from the assault charge, ultimately working toward a resolution that minimizes the impact on your family’s well-being.

Domestic Violence

Navigating a domestic violence charge is a challenging ordeal that can have profound effects on family matters. These charges often lead to strained relationships, custody disputes, and can impact child visitation rights. During this tumultuous period, seeking the expertise of a Santa Cruz County domestic violence attorney with experience in family law is crucial.

An attorney well-versed in both areas can provide comprehensive support, ensuring the protection of your legal rights while also safeguarding your family’s best interests. This entails addressing potential custody and visitation issues stemming from the domestic violence charge, working towards a resolution that minimizes disruption to your family’s well-being, and prioritizing the safety and security of all parties involved.

Drug Possession

Receiving a drug possession charge can be an incredibly challenging and overwhelming experience. These charges can have a lasting impact on your life, affecting your reputation, employment, and personal relationships. When facing such a situation, it’s crucial to seek the guidance and support of a Santa Cruz County drug possession lawyer.

A criminal defense attorney specializes in understanding the complexities of drug possession cases and can provide expert legal advice and representation. By enlisting their help, you can work towards a strong defense, explore potential alternatives to incarceration, and navigate the legal process with confidence, ultimately aiming for the best possible outcome in this difficult time.

DUI

After being arrested for a DUI, you enter a complex legal process that can have significant repercussions on your life. DUI charges can lead to license suspension, fines, and even jail time. To navigate this challenging situation and protect your rights, it’s crucial to seek the expertise of a Santa Cruz County DUI defense attorney.

A skilled DUI criminal defense attorney can assess the specifics of your case, examine evidence, and craft a strategic defense to minimize the impact of the charges. Whether it’s negotiating for reduced penalties, challenging sobriety test results, or exploring other legal avenues, having the right DUI lawyer by your side can make all the difference in the outcome of your DUI case, ensuring that you receive fair treatment under the law.

Burglary

After getting arrested for burglary, especially if it’s not your first time, you’re in a tough legal situation. Burglary charges can lead to serious punishments, like going to jail, paying fines, and having a criminal record. To help you through this challenging time and make sure your rights are protected, you should hire an experienced Santa Cruz County burglary attorney.

A skilled robbery and burglary lawyer can look closely at your situation, study the evidence, and come up with a smart defense strategy to try and reduce the charges. Whether it means questioning the evidence against you, talking to the prosecutor to get lighter charges, or exploring other legal options, having the right attorney on your side is vital to getting the best result and safeguarding your future.

Let Us Help

Cherish Om has gained invaluable experience with the justice system to guarantee that she will zealously advocate for you whether you are criminally charged or find yourself facing family law issues. Ms. Om’s priority is her clients. She is compassionate, honest, and dedicated. She will work with you to achieve your goals.

Family law introduction

In addition to criminal defense, Cherish Om assists clients with a range of family law matters. She takes a practical, steady approach to issues involving divorce, custody, and support, helping clients navigate difficult transitions with clarity and care.

Divorce

Divorce, or the dissolution of marriage, is a challenging and emotional process that often requires a lawyer for divorce proceedings. Our Santa Cruz County divorce attorney understand the complexity of this decision and are committed to guiding clients through it efficiently and compassionately.

We prioritize reducing conflict and helping clients make well-informed legal choices during the divorce proceedings. Our goal is to provide clarity, alleviate stress, and protect marital and parental rights by explaining various process options and offering tailored recommendations to each client’s unique situation.

Child Custody

When it comes to child custody matters in Santa Cruz County, the court prioritizes the best interests of the child, considering factors like parental conflict levels. There are distinctions between “physical” and “legal” custody. Sole physical custody means the child resides with one parent, while joint physical custody involves equal or near-equal timesharing between both parents.

Similarly, sole legal custody grants one parent exclusive decision-making rights regarding the child’s well-being, while joint legal custody allows both parents to share in such decisions. For expert assistance in these cases, consider hiring The Law Offices of Cherish Om, a trusted Santa Cruz County child custody lawyer.

Visitation Rights

When the court grants sole physical custody to one parent, it retains the authority to order visitation time with the other parent. Courts are obligated to provide reasonable visitation periods if it is deemed in the child’s best interest. In cases where the child is particularly young, closely attached to the custodial parent, or has limited contact with the non-custodial parent, the court may mandate supervised visitation, either by the other parent or a third party.

If a protective order is in effect, the court can require supervised visitation or even suspend, limit, or deny visitation, depending on the nature and timing of the underlying incidents. A Santa Cruz County visitation rights lawyer can guide this process, whether you are pursuing or opposing visitation rights for your children, whether supervised or unsupervised.

Property Division

In Santa Cruz County, property division during divorce proceedings follows California’s community property laws. Typically, property acquired during the marriage or domestic partnership is classified as community property, with specific exceptions. Separate property includes assets acquired by a spouse prior to marriage or through gifts or inheritance during the marriage.

When spouses cannot come to an agreement on property division, the court steps in to ensure an equitable distribution. While community property is often divided equally, disputes can complicate matters, and an equitable division may not necessarily entail a strict 50-50 split. To navigate these intricate property division issues effectively, it’s advisable to seek the guidance of The Law Offices of Cherish Om, a Santa Cruz County divorce lawyer, who can provide expert legal support and representation.

Spousal Support / Alimony

Money concerns often play a significant role in divorce decisions, and it can be a determining factor for those who feel trapped in an unhappy marriage due to financial constraints. Many individuals sacrifice their careers, exit the workforce, or forgo pursuing higher education to support their spouse’s ambitions, raise children, or manage household responsibilities. In such situations, California family law offers a solution in the form of spousal support, commonly known as alimony.

If your marriage is unraveling, and you anticipate needing financial assistance as you transition to an independent life, it’s reassuring to know that spousal support is available as an option. Whether you’re seeking support or may be required to pay it, ensuring the fairness and feasibility of alimony amounts is essential. At Cherish Om Law, our seasoned Santa Cruz County spousal support lawyer can provide the guidance and representation you need for this critical aspect of your divorce.

What Clients Are Saying

Clients turn to Cherish Om during some of the most stressful moments of their lives. Here’s what they’ve shared about their experience.

    First Name

    Last Name

    Phone Number

    Email Address

    Message