Family Law

Family Law includes cases of divorce, custody, child support, paternity, adoption, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. Many people find themselves embroiled in one of these issues at least once in their lives, and it is often times the hardest thing they will ever have to face. When that happens, it is important to have confidence in the lawyer handling the matter, and to be able to communicate effectively with the entire team.

Divorce

The issues that have to be decided in a divorce case are: 1) division of marital assets and debts; and 2) orders regarding possession, access, and support for any children born or adopted during the marriage.

Some couples agree on these issues without the necessity of third-party intervention and go through an uncontested divorce. In such instances, one party retains our firm, advises us as to the agreements reached by both parties, and we streamline the process to finalize a divorce with the least possible cost and time involvement for the client.

Some couples cannot agree on any issue in the case, and have to rely upon the Judge to make final decisions on these issues through a litigated divorce. In those cases, our lawyers work with the client to gather and present all the evidence necessary to present the client's case to the Court or Jury. From the initial consultation, through temporary orders, until a Final Trial on the Merits, we guide the client through the process in an effort to achieve the client's desired results.

Most couples fall somewhere in-between the two extremes of an uncontested divorce and a fully litigated divorce. While a divorce may initially be filed as contested, and the parties may go through a contentious temporary hearing, many times the issues are resolved later through settlement conferences or formal mediation.