Top Los Angeles County CPS Defense Lawyer Mo Abuershaid

Private representation for parents facing DCFS investigations, emergency child removals, and detention hearings across Los Angeles Count

Why Parents in Los Angeles County Hire Private CPS Defense Counsel

When the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services opens an investigation, the average parent has days — sometimes hours — to make decisions that will shape their family’s future. By the time the detention hearing is scheduled, DCFS has already interviewed witnesses, reviewed records, and started building a case under Welfare and Institutions Code section 300.

Court-appointed dependency attorneys in Los Angeles are experienced and competent — but they are typically assigned at or just before the detention hearing, often handle large caseloads, and cannot begin pre-petition work on your behalf. Private retained counsel is hired to do something different: get involved before the petition is filed, before the hearing is set, and before the file becomes harder to fight.

Parents who retain private CPS defense counsel are most often facing one of these situations:

• DCFS has contacted them but a petition has not yet been filed, and they want to prevent court involvement entirely
• Their child was removed at the hospital due to a positive newborn toxicology screen, an unexplained injury, or a mandated reporter call
• They are a professional — nurse, teacher, social worker, doctor, peace officer — whose license, employment, or background check is at stake
• They are involved in a contested family law or custody matter where one parent has weaponized DCFS against the other
• The allegation involves medical misdiagnosis, a misinterpreted bruise or fracture, or an autism-related behavioral incident
• Criminal charges may be filed alongside the dependency case, requiring coordinated CPS and criminal defense

If your situation fits one of these patterns, private representation often pays for itself in outcomes that court-appointed counsel structurally cannot deliver — because the work begins earlier and is dedicated to your case alone.

What Private DCFS Defense Looks Like at ALL Trial Lawyers

Mo Abuershaid began his legal career at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, where he handled thousands of cases across criminal and juvenile matters. That public defender background informs how the firm builds CPS defense: by understanding exactly how government agencies build their cases, where the evidentiary weak points are, and how to challenge them before they harden into court findings.

When you retain ALL Trial Lawyers for a Los Angeles County DCFS matter, the work begins immediately:

Pre-petition intervention. If DCFS has contacted you but no petition has been filed, the firm intervenes directly with the social worker and the supervising deputy to challenge the basis of the investigation, present exculpatory evidence, and — when appropriate — push for the case to be closed at the investigation stage rather than escalated to the dependency court.

Detention hearing preparation. California dependency law requires that the detention hearing happen within 72 hours of removal (excluding weekends and holidays). The firm uses every hour of that window to gather records, line up witnesses, prepare the parent to testify or decline to testify strategically, and challenge whether DCFS has met its burden to keep the child out of the home.

Coordinated criminal defense. Many DCFS investigations in Los Angeles run parallel to LAPD or LASD criminal investigations — particularly in cases involving alleged abuse, drug use, or domestic violence. A CPS lawyer who does not also understand criminal exposure can inadvertently make statements or admissions that are used in the criminal case. The firm handles both tracks simultaneously.

Contested jurisdiction and disposition hearings. If the case proceeds past detention, the firm prepares contested hearings on the WIC 300 allegations themselves — challenging witness credibility, agency procedure, and the sufficiency of the evidence the County Counsel intends to present.

Reunification and case closure. When the goal is reunifying with your child, the firm tracks compliance with court orders, advocates for visitation expansion, and pushes for early case closure when the case plan is satisfied.

Los Angeles County DCFS Offices and Courts We Practice In

ALL Trial Lawyers represents parents across all Los Angeles County DCFS regional offices and the corresponding juvenile dependency courts:

• Edmund D. Edelman Children’s Court (Monterey Park) — the primary LA County juvenile dependency court
• Michael D. Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse (Lancaster) — serving families in the Antelope Valley region
• DCFS regional offices in Belvedere, Compton, El Monte, Glendora, Lancaster, Pomona, Santa Clarita, Torrance, West LA, and Wateridge
• Cases originating in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Inglewood, Compton, Lancaster, Palmdale, El Monte, Pomona, Whittier, Downey, Norwalk, Torrance, and surrounding communities

If you are unsure which DCFS office or court is handling your case, we can help you identify it during your consultation.

Common Allegations We Defend in Los Angeles County

Welfare and Institutions Code section 300 covers a wide range of alleged conduct. The firm regularly defends LA County parents against:

• Physical abuse allegations under WIC 300(a) — including bruising, fractures, and injuries the parent contests as accidental or medically explainable
• Failure to protect under WIC 300(b) — including allegations involving substance use, domestic violence in the home, or supervision concerns
• Sexual abuse allegations under WIC 300(d)
• Severe physical abuse of a child under five under WIC 300(e)
• Sibling abuse allegations under WIC 300(j)
• Newborn positive toxicology cases — meconium screens, umbilical cord testing, and maternal screens at delivery
• Medical misdiagnosis cases — including alleged abusive head trauma, fractures attributed to abuse that have medical explanations, and autism-related incidents misread as abuse
• False allegations originating from family law disputes, custody battles, ex-partners, or estranged family members

What to Do Before You Call

If DCFS has contacted you, the following will help your attorney move quickly during your consultation:

• Write down the social worker’s name, badge number, phone number, and the date and time of every contact
• Save all text messages, voicemails, and written notices from DCFS
• Note the names of anyone DCFS has stated they intend to interview (your child, your child’s school, your pediatrician, neighbors, family members)
• Do not give written statements, sign safety plans, or consent to drug tests, home searches, or child interviews without first speaking to an attorney — your right to counsel attaches before any of these steps
• If your child has already been removed, find out from the social worker the date and time of the detention hearing

If DCFS or law enforcement is at your door right now, you have the right to ask whether they have a warrant, the right to remain silent, and the right to call an attorney before you answer questions or allow entry.

If You Cannot Afford Private CPS Defense Counsel

We understand that not every family facing a DCFS investigation is in a position to retain private counsel, and we want to be straightforward about that. If you cannot afford a private attorney, you have the right to court-appointed dependency counsel at the detention hearing. Court-appointed dependency panel attorneys in Los Angeles County are experienced lawyers who handle these cases full-time and are advocating for you.

If you are looking for free or reduced-fee help in Los Angeles County, the following resources may be useful:

• Children’s Law Center of California (representing children in Los Angeles dependency court): childrenslawcenter.org
• Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers, Inc. (the LA County panel that represents parents): ladependencylawyers.org
• LA County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service: smartlaw.org
• Public Counsel (free legal help for families in crisis): publiccounsel.org

We would rather you get the right help than the wrong help. If your situation calls for court-appointed counsel, that path is legitimate and we will tell you so.

Why Mo Abuershaid

• More than 2,000 juvenile dependency matters personally handled
• Annually certified as a juvenile dependency practitioner in California
• Authorized to practice dependency law in every county in the State of California
• Former Orange County Public Defender’s Office attorney with thousands of cases handled across criminal and juvenile matters
• Admitted in California, the Central District of California, and the Southern District of California
• Recognized by Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Avvo Client’s Choice, Justia 10/10, Lawyers.com Gold Client Champion, and OCCDL Top Ten Young Lawyer of Orange County
• Featured in CNN, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, NBC, ABC News, Fox, KTLA 5, Good Day LA, Yahoo, Chicago Tribune, Orange County Register, and Business Insider

Frequently Asked Questions

How quickly do I need to act after DCFS contacts me in Los Angeles County?

Immediately. If your child has been removed, the detention hearing must occur within 72 hours (excluding weekends and holidays), and decisions made at that hearing affect everything that follows. Even if no removal has occurred, the period between first contact and a filed petition is when private intervention has the most leverage.

What is the difference between CPS and DCFS in Los Angeles?

In Los Angeles County, the agency is called the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). “CPS” is the more common term used statewide, but in LA, official notices, court paperwork, and social worker business cards will say DCFS. They refer to the same function: the county agency that investigates child abuse and neglect allegations.

Can DCFS take my child without a court order?

Yes — California law allows DCFS social workers to remove a child without a warrant if they have reasonable cause to believe the child is in immediate danger. When that happens, a detention hearing must be held within 72 hours so a judge can decide whether the removal continues.

What is a WIC 300 petition?

A WIC 300 petition is the formal document filed by County Counsel on behalf of DCFS that begins the dependency case. It lists the specific allegations against the parent and the subsection of Welfare and Institutions Code section 300 (a, b, c, d, e, g, i, or j) under which the case is brought.

Will hiring a private attorney make me look guilty?

No. Hiring counsel is a constitutional right. Judges in dependency court are not influenced one way or the other by whether a parent retains private counsel or accepts appointed counsel. What matters is the quality of the defense and the evidence presented.

Can my CPS case lead to criminal charges?

It can. DCFS is required to cross-report certain allegations to law enforcement, and severe abuse, drug-related, or sexual allegations frequently result in parallel criminal investigations by LAPD, LASD, or other local agencies. This is a primary reason to have a defense team that handles both dependency and criminal matters.

Do you handle cases outside Los Angeles County?

Yes. The firm represents parents in juvenile dependency matters in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties.

Call Before Your Detention Hearing

If your child has been removed, if DCFS has contacted you, or if you have a hearing scheduled, the time to act is now.

Call (866) 811-4255 for a confidential consultation.

[Confidential intake form]