The Father's Rights Group under Lawrence La Rocca has represented men in over a thousand cases, including many complex ones involving parent alienation and successfully defending fathers against false allegations of molestation, child abuse and domestic violence.

Mediation: the state requires all parties to attend mediation prior to a court making orders on custody and visitation.  The parties meet with a mediator, who is usually a person who has a master's degree or higher in social work or some other related field.  If the parties agree, then the court receives this mediated agreement, and makes it an order.  If the parties do not agree, then most counties have the mediator make a recommendation to the judge regarding orders on custody and visitation.    

• Child custody investigations: are usually ordered by a judge because he wants additional assistance in making orders on custody and visitation.  These investigations usually involve interviews with the parties, third persons, home visits, reviewing documents and records, and investigating one's personal history such as a criminal record.  These investigations can take uup to three months for the parties and court to receive the written report
  
  
• Fast track/expedited/limited nvestigations are less thorough investigations that a judge will order for purposes of making orders.  These usually are conducted in one day and the results are often given via testimony to the court and/or with a brief report.
  
  
• Forensic psychologists are more thorough than Child Custody Investigations as they also involve psychologoical testing of the parties, and sometimes the children.  These are expensive and usally take at least three months to conduct.  The court receives a lengthy written report and recommendation from the psychologist.
  
  
• Minor's counsel can be appointed by the court to protect the children's interest. 
  
  
• Therapists can be ordered for parties and/or the children. 
  
  
• Parent Alienation Syndrome (P.A.S.): occurs when one parent alienates the child from the other parent.  Alienating behavior may include putting down the other parent to the child and denying contact between the other parent and child and falsely accusing the other parent of abuse, domestic violence and other actions.
  
  
• Domestic violence by one parent against another creates a presumption that the perpetrator is presumed an unfit parent.  The court will usually not allow the perpetrator to share joint legal custody of the child.  Due to the seriousness of this issue and its consequences, some persons falsely accuse the ther parent of domestic violence to gain an upper hand in a custody battle.  These false allegations hurt the children, good parents and the real victims of domestic violence.