What Exactly Does a Family Lawyer Do?

We’ve all heard the term ‘family’ lawyer, yet many of us are unaware of some of the services such a professional would offer, and in this article, we will examine some of the services you can obtain from a family lawyer.

• Child Custody – In the event a relationship is irreparable and there are kids involved, the children’s welfare must take top priority, and when this happens, both parties are rarely in agreement regarding the custody of the kids, which is why you need a family lawyer. One parent would possibly request regular visitation, with the children in the care of their partner who is still living in the marital home, while in some cases, one parent has the kids during the week, and the other takes over at the weekend. Child custody can be extremely complex and unless you enlist the services of a good family lawyer, you risk not getting the desired outcome if the case reaches the courtroom. There can be conflicts, especially if one parent wishes to cause emotional suffering to the other, and sadly, the children are sometimes used in this way.
• Divorce & Separation –When a relationship ends, there are many things that need to be discussed, and often, there are high emotions and dialogue can be difficult, which is why it makes sense to have your family lawyer represent you at mediation talks with your partner’s lawyer. Your family lawyer would always have your best interests at heart, and he or she can advise on the best way forward to achieving a satisfactory outcome, with the minimum of stress. When looking for family lawyers in Adelaide, or anywhere else for that matter, Google will locate a nearby law firm who can help.
• Property Settlement – More often than not, the couple who are separating have taking out a joint loan on the marital property, and when they wish to end their relationship, both parties must agree on how the property is divided. Sometimes the man or woman decides to stay in the marital home and a financial agreement is made to compensate the other party, or the property might be sold, with the proceeds (minus legal fees) divided equally.
• Financial Agreements – These are legally binding documents that relate to the individual assets of both parties in a relationship, which clearly define what are marital assets and what are not. It is quite normal for a person with many assets to ask their potential partner to sign a financial agreement, which was formerly called a prenuptial agreement, or ‘prenup’, for short. Unless you do enter into a binding agreement with your partner, it could turn out that they are entitled to 50% of all your assets, regardless of when they were acquired. Ideally, both parties would sit down and create a list of individual assets, while also agreeing as to what assets are considered ‘marital’, and therefore shared in the event the relationship ends.

If you are ever in need of a good family lawyer, an online search will bring up a list of local law firms focus on family law, and with some careful browsing, you can seek essential legal aid concerning any of the above scenarios.