What Can a Good Family Lawyer Do for You?

What Can a Good Family Law Firm Do for You?

Most people think of a family law firm playing a role whenever there’s a crisis, such as divorce. But a trusted family lawyer can do so much more than that – from helping mediate difficult issues before they escalate, to planning your family’s future for generations to come.

The field of family law covers everything related to domestic, familial, and custodial issues.

That includes marriage and divorce but also domestic partnerships living together without marriage. A family attorney can help with prenuptial agreements, postnuptial agreements, custody and parenting schedules. A good family lawyer can help with conflict, establish guardianship, and guide you through difficult domestic violence proceedings.

But most importantly, a good family lawyer is your confidante, coach, and champion when you need it the most. Someone who is on your side at every turn, anticipating the needs of you and your family and solving legal problems before they even arise.

Your family life is deeply personal and precious. You want to take a proactive approach towards any legal issues to protect them. Counsel from a skilled and trusted family lawyer could save you and your loved ones from future headache and heartache.

What’s the Role of a Good Family Attorney?

No matter what your issue is, a family lawyer should help you establish a better-defined relationship with your family. That could mean:

• Negotiating or updating the terms of a pre-nuptial or post-nuptial agreement in writing
• Establishing the legal terms and boundaries of your domestic partnership
• Mediating or litigating legally binding custody arrangements between parents
• Drafting property and asset division agreements between family members
• Clarifying the terms of any restraining orders between family members

Yes, family lawyers can help when a relationship between two people falls apart. But talking to a family lawyer doesn’t have to involve conflict or crisis. In fact, working through the legal realities of your family life could be a beneficial gift for the ones you love.

Divorce and Domestic Partnership Dissolution

Divorce cases can get complicated quickly, especially those involving high-income earners with significant assets. Bay Area divorces often end up dividing complicated types of assets, such as stock options and startup business interests. Same-sex domestic partnerships can face different types of challenges compared to divorce between heterosexual couples.

While the end of a marriage or domestic partnership is seldom easy for anyone involved, a good family lawyer can help you navigate your situation to your best possible advantage.

Property and Debt Division

Depending on the value of your assets, the economic stakes between couples, inheriting children, and other family members could be extremely high. Property division is often one of the most hotly contested parts of a divorce or domestic partnership dissolution.

In California, assets and debts are classified either as “community property” to be split in half by the couple or “separate property” that belongs to a single individual. A family lawyer with the right expertise can help you get your fair of the assets from your divorce.

Spousal Support and Child Support

Alimony is usually heavily negotiated between spouses. A knowledgeable family law attorney can help you calculate which spouse should pay alimony to the other, how much they should pay, and for how long. If your spouse refuses to provide reasonable spousal support, your lawyer can fight for your right to alimony in court.

In California, children have the right to live at the same standard as the wealthier parent. California state and county courts take into account several factors when determining which parent must pay child support and how much. In this case, our family lawyers at Moradi Saslaw review the financial information of both parents to present the best option to the court.

Child Custody and Visitation

Parents are often concerned about what will happen to their relationships with their children in the event of a divorce. If your family has lived together up until this point, it can be difficult to imagine living apart from your children for any period of time. But California courts determine custody matters based on the best interests of the child. To make matters more complicated, there’s a difference between legal custody and physical custody.

Your family lawyer can help by negotiating a custody arrangement with your co-parent. If you’re unable to agree, your child custody case may go to trial. At this point, your legal team would put together your best case for custody or visitation rights and present that to the court.

Move-Away and Relocation Custody Disputes Between Parents

If you share custody with a co-parent, moving even a short distance away could cause conflict with your custody or visitation schedule. One parent may feel threatened by the other if they wish to take their children with them when they move. Meanwhile, the other parent may be moving out of necessity – to accept a better job opportunity, for example.

These disputes could be emotionally charged and complicated, with court-appointed psychologists or mental health professionals carrying out the proposed changes in custody. You absolutely need a good family lawyer in your corner to represent your interests.

Domestic Violence and Abuse

Domestic violence is a serious charge with severe legal consequences for abusers. Victims of domestic abuse suffer intense trauma that can affect their legal family proceedings. Perpetrators of domestic violence could lose custody of their children and access to the family home. Your family lawyer can help you understand where you stand and fight for your rights.

What Makes a Good Family Lawyer?

Dedication, experience, knowledge, expertise, and passion are just some of the attributes that make a good attorney. The best family lawyers will help you through every step of the legal process, whether that involves submitting court filings or negotiating a settlement agreement.

Most of all, the best family attorneys are the ones you know you can trust based on their track record of fighting for satisfying resolutions for their clients.

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