Family lawyers play an essential role in handling all legal issues affecting the family unit. While this is the basic definition of a family lawyer, many of the legal issues they handle involve everything from real estate, constitutional law, tax law, etc.
And this is why it’s said that your lawyer for family issues is amongst the few people that should be dependable in your life because your family attorney can give you peace of mind when you’re handling emotionally charged events in your life, like divorce, child custody battles, adoption, etc.
Therefore, you need to learn some of the different tasks family lawyers handle in their daily activities.
Handling Divorce Cases
Divorce is the dissolution of a marriage contract. Most people are unaware that couples don’t know their rights to marriage dissolution. The ignorance of individual rights and the strain associated with divorce proceedings make it one of the most strenuous events for most families.
Therefore, the role that family lawyers play in divorces is key. They provide information to the divorcing couple and help mediate a divorce agreement with the best interests of their clients at heart.
Handling Child Custody Arrangements
Today, many couples may separate for various reasons, whether married or not. And in cases where children are involved, the separation can become challenging and messy.
Some couples find it challenging to decide which parent will be the primary caregiver. Therefore, disagreements may arise over children’s custody, a situation that could traumatize innocent children.
Family attorneys help resolve these child custody battles by drafting child custody agreements that both partners can live with. And in some cases, they can help amend a previous child custody agreement to ensure it favors their client.
Handling Wills And Estates
Wills are important documents that explain how your estate/assets will be divided once you die. Without a proper will, the division of your assets could bring about a legal battle among all who claim your property.
The role of your family lawyer is to help you draft a will that will ensure your wishes and desires are appropriately stated. Your family lawyer is also responsible for ensuring your estate is administered as instructed in your will.
Handling Adoption Processes
Family law lawyers don’t only help families to navigate through a crisis. They also help bring moments of joy to families. For example, family attorneys play an essential role when adopting.
If you’re planning to adopt, you need the help of an experienced family lawyer. An attorney will help you navigate the legal red tape and ensure you have all the necessary documents to complete your adoption successfully.
When push comes to shove, you’ll need the help of your family lawyer to handle the intricacies that arise.
Handling Pre-nuptial Agreements
A prenuptial agreement (prenup) is a document explaining how a couple about to get married will divide their assets if they divorce in the future.
While prenup contracts may vary, they mainly detail how the couple will divide their estate/assets and spousal support agreements. You should note that child custody and support are not issues documented in a prenup.
And like divorce agreements, the best person to help you draft a prenup agreement is your family lawyer. With their help, you can ensure that the document you sign has your best interests at heart.
Litigating In Court
Representing clients in court isn’t common in family law. However, some cases require your family law attorney to represent your interests in court. When you disagree about a legal issue concerning your family, the next best option is to allow the court system to decide.
And if you find yourself in a situation where you need a family lawyer to represent you in court, ensure your lawyer has the necessary experience to represent you properly because experience presenting cases in court is different from expertise mediating peace between two parties.
Family law is crucial in our legal system since it tackles issues important to our society’s values and culture. You require a lawyer you can trust because of how delicate the family setup can be. It would help if you had confidentiality and empathy from your legal team to ensure such matters do not lead to any psychological trauma for your kids, you or your partner. Therefore, the importance of family lawyers to our overall society can’t be overstated.
