Family Law And Marriage
If you are looking to do just about anything legal related to marriage, then you probably need a family law attorney. Whether it's divorce, a civil union, or marriage, you should consult a family law attorney first. They cover a huge number of complex issues, but here's a brief list of their specialties:
Marriages and unions: there are a lot of legal minutia involved in marriage and similar institutions, and family law attorneys are experts in that area. They can help explain the legal definition of every possibility and exactly how they could benefit you, such as:
- Marriage: a binding contract between a man and a woman. Depending on your state, marriages may also between same-gender couples. Marriages are the strongest union covered by family law, and allow a number of benefits to both partners, ranging from tax benefits to insurance deductibles.
- Prenuptials: a contract signed before marriage which describes exactly what will happen in the event of divorce. Common outcomes include the division of property or guardianship.
- Cohabitation: a fairly common occurrence in the western world, cohabitation is simply when two individuals who are dating live together. In some states, cohabitation can lead to common-law marriage, a somewhat informal version of marriage that is still legally recognized. However, the exact criteria for common-law marriage varies greatly from state to state, and year to year. Thus, a family law attorney's expert opinion is highly valuable if you are interested in pursuing a common-law marriage.
- Civil union: a pseudo-marriage generally between two individuals who are not a man and a woman, such as as between a man and a man, a woman and a woman, or relationships involving transgender individuals. The legitimacy of a civil union is highly depended upon the state, and many recent laws have been made regarding civil unions.
- Domestic partnership: a union which confers very few rights when compared to marriage. Generally, domestic partnerships are couples which live together for a long period of time but do not qualify for common-law marriage.
Ending marriage: unfortunately, some marriages end in divorce .In those cases, it is absolutely crucial that you consult a family law attorney in order to make the process as painless and fair as possible.
- Divorce: the termination of a marriage and the division of what was shared. This may include child custody, income, or debt. The specific agreement involved will depend highly on both the quality of your attorney and how agreeable your spouse is.
- Alimony: the obligation for the more financially stable spouse to support their partner after the divorce. Due to gender equality-inspired reforms in the United States, alimony is no long exclusively paid from the husband to the wife.
- Parental Rights: the most divisive issue in many divorces is parental rights. It can be impossible to determine who gets custody of the children and what weekends the other spouse may visit. Many cases also involve child support, which is similar to alimony in that the financially stronger partner supports the other. However, this is becoming less common as gender roles are lessened.
There are many issues involved in forming and dissolving marriages, so it can help to have an expert like one from Mills & Mills Law Group explain the many facets of these issues to you. Family law attorneys can help you understand exactly what your options are and how to proceed.
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