Tuesday, 27 October 2026 02:00 PM
Company Update
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESS Newswire / October 27, 2026 / ALL Trial Lawyers, APC, a Southern California trial firm led by attorney Mohammad "Mo" Abuershaid, today announced a set of county-specific resources for parents facing a Child Protective Services (CPS) or Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) investigation. Each resource is written to the agency, terminology and dependency court that parents in that county actually encounter.
Parent guides explain what to do when a social worker calls, how each county's child welfare agency investigates, and how private defense counsel can step in before a petition is filed
The firm's statewide juvenile dependency and CPS defense hub anchors the network. It links to dedicated investigation pages for Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties, where parents can learn how an investigation unfolds locally and what rights they have at each step.
"The investigation is the stage where parents have the most room to protect their family, and it is the stage where they usually have the least information," said Abuershaid. "A parent in Monterey Park, Orange or Murrieta is dealing with a different agency, a different courthouse and different local practices. These resources meet parents where their case actually is."
County resources
- Los Angeles County: Los Angeles CPS defense for parents investigated by DCFS, whose dependency cases are heard at the Edmund D. Edelman Children's Court in Monterey Park.
- Orange County: Orange County CPS investigations for parents contacted by the Social Services Agency (SSA), with dependency matters heard at the Lamoreaux Justice Center in Orange.
- Riverside County: CPS investigations in Riverside County for parents working with DPSS Children's Services, from the city of Riverside to the Southwest region and the Coachella Valley.
- San Diego County: San Diego CPS investigations for parents involved with Child Welfare Services, whose cases are heard at the Meadow Lark Juvenile Court.
What the resources cover
The pages explain, in plain language, what parents most often need to know in the first days of a case: how to respond when a social worker comes to the door, what a safety plan is and why it deserves careful review before signing, how interviews of children are handled, and what happens if a child is taken into temporary custody. In that situation, California law requires the agency to file a petition within 48 hours, excluding nonjudicial days, and the court to hold a detention hearing no later than the end of the next judicial day (Welfare and Institutions Code sections 313 and 315).
"Parents have the right to speak with a lawyer before they answer questions or sign anything," Abuershaid said. "Private counsel can be involved during the investigation itself, before a petition is ever filed, and that is often where the most important decisions are made."
Parents can reach the firm's dependency defense line at 866-811-4255. More information is available on the firm's juvenile dependency and CPS defense page.
About ALL Trial Lawyers, APC
ALL Trial Lawyers, APC is a Southern California trial firm founded by Mohammad "Mo" Abuershaid, a former Orange County Public Defender. The firm's practice focuses on juvenile dependency (CPS and DCFS) defense, criminal defense and personal injury litigation, with more than 50 years of combined experience. Abuershaid has been named to Super Lawyers and Super Lawyers Rising Stars (2020 to 2026) and was recognized as an OCCDLA Top 10 Young Lawyer in 2023. He represents clients in English, Spanish and Arabic.
The firm has offices in Orange, Newport Beach, Irvine, Costa Mesa, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Diamond Bar, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ontario, Palm Desert, Sacramento, La Jolla and San Diego.
Media contact
ALL Trial Lawyers, APC
Phone: 866-811-4255
Website: alltriallawyers.com
Attorney advertising. This release is general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
SOURCE: ALL Trial Lawyers