ALL Trial Lawyers Expands CPS and DCFS Investigation Defense Across Southern California, Strengthening Statewide Leadership in Juvenile Dependency Law

ALL Trial Lawyers, APC, led by founding attorney Mohammad “Mo” Abuershaid, has expanded its Child Protective Services (CPS) and Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) investigation defense practice across all five major Southern California counties: Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego. The firm says the broader footprint makes it one of the most geographically comprehensive CPS defense practices in California.

The expansion comes amid what the firm describes as a sharp rise in parental defense inquiries tied to increased CPS and DCFS investigative activity in Southern California during 2025 and early 2026. ALL Trial Lawyers said it built county-specific juvenile dependency defense teams to respond quickly to parents who may have only hours to protect their rights during an active investigation.

The firm’s county coverage includes representation in Orange County, where cases are handled through the Orange County Social Services Agency; Los Angeles County, including proceedings before the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services and Edelman Children’s Court; Riverside County through DPSS Children’s Services Division; San Bernardino County through Children and Family Services matters across the Inland Empire; and San Diego County through HHSA investigations and juvenile court proceedings. According to the firm, each team is familiar with local social workers, supervisors, county counsel, and judges, which it says helps produce better outcomes.

Abuershaid said CPS and DCFS investigations can escalate quickly, with children sometimes removed from the home within 24 to 48 hours. He said many families contact an attorney only after crucial evidence has already been gathered, and that the firm’s goal is to intervene before a social worker prepares a detention report, before a petition is filed, and before a parent makes statements that may be used in dependency court. The firm also said it offers 24/7 emergency intake for active investigations.

The release outlined common triggers for CPS or DCFS investigations in 2025 and 2026, including anonymous hotline reports from mandated reporters such as school staff, hospital personnel, and pediatricians; domestic disputes involving law enforcement; allegations of substance abuse or mental health crises; custody conflicts involving false abuse or neglect claims; and hospital reports involving injuries, accidents, or unexplained bruising in children.

ALL Trial Lawyers said parents under investigation have constitutional rights, including the right to refuse entry without a warrant, the right to decline interviews, and the right to counsel, but that those rights are often waived because parents do not know them. The firm’s defense approach includes pre-petition intervention with social workers and county counsel, detention hearing representation, challenges to jurisdiction and disposition, reunification advocacy, and cross-jurisdictional coordination in cases involving multiple counties or criminal matters.

Abuershaid is the founding attorney of ALL Trial Lawyers, APC, a Southern California trial firm with 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. His practice includes criminal defense, juvenile dependency defense, and personal injury litigation.