Divorce is never a fun topic to discuss, in general, it can be very difficult for everyone involved. Unfortunately, it is a part of life, and at present, women file for the majority of divorces (about two-thirds). You might be thinking you need a divorce lawyer, or a divorce attorney, however, it is important to know the difference, since you might actually need to hire a family law attorney. So what is a family law attorney, and what kind of cases do they handle? To make it easier to understand, we will first define family law. Family law is the area of legal practice that focuses on problems with family relationships. These can include adoption, divorce, child custody, and more family law attorney can represent their clients in family court proceedings, draft legal documents, and help in other related negotiations. If you think you might need a family law attorney, and these might be some helpful terms to know:
- Emancipation: when a minor wishes to achieve legal independence from their parents.
- Marital Property: any property acquired during the period of marriage that may be subject to division during the divorce process.
- Alimony: This is money that one spouse pays to another as a support payment during or after their legal separation/ divorce.
- Prenuptial Agreement (Prenup): This is a document that both parties sign prior to a marriage that says in the case of death or divorce, neither is entitled to the other’s property.
As mentioned before there may be several reasons why you would hire a family law attorney. Most often times family lawyers are hired to represent clients in divorce proceedings. However family laws technically a very broad practice, there a whole host of issues including child support, custody, and paternity cases.
A family law attorney is not limited to family cases. It is important to note that family law often has a crossover with a range of other practice areas. One example would be for instances of domestic violence or domestic abuse, or child abuse. All of these involve a criminal investigation, but family courts are then tasked with how to proceed to make sure that everyone is in a safe environment.
So a family law attorney may be consulted in a scenario such as that. If you have any questions about a court proceeding, process, or representation, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and ask a family lawyer. Solve your family law issues today!
