When you need a lawyer for a family law case, it’s a good idea to find a family solutions law group that can help. When you need a divorce attorney or another kind of family law attorney, you need to find a lawyer who practices within these family law practice areas. To find a good lawyer for separation near me, it can be helpful to get a referral from someone you know. Ask around to find out who other people have used.
If you’re looking for cohabitation lawyers, adoption lawyers, etc., you can also go to neighborhood apps like NextDoor and find out which attorneys people there recommend. You can also look at reviews online to find attorneys in your area who are well-reviewed. It’s always best to find one of the better lawyers in the area so that you get good representation in court during your case.
Family law is a specialty that tends to be much more emotional than many others. It takes an attorney with the right temperament to handle these cases and to understand all of the emotions that come to the surface for clients. A good family law attorney will put you at ease during your case.
Marriage is a major life step for any adult today, but not all households end up being a functional family unit, and whenever two spouses choose to become legally separated or divorced, they may contact a divorce law firm to get divorce help from the specialized lawyers who work there. A family law attorney may be called into the case when the two spouses have one or more children in the household, and this can complicate matters such as who lives where, custody, and more, along with the division of other assets of that household.
Often, when one spouse is threatening or abusing the other verbally or physically, the other one may find a family law attorney to proceed with a legal separation or a divorce, and divorce papers may soon be filed if need be. The victimized spouse and any kids involved may be relocated to an undisclosed location for their own safety while each side hires a family law attorney so that those sides can get what they want. When it comes time to choose a divorce lawyer, a client should take care to approach the right firm and hire someone they can trust to get the job done.
Rates of Divorce Today
The act of divorce, once relatively rare, has become commonplace, and both men and women file may end up filing for divorce or at least calling for a legal separation when there is trouble in a marriage and family. Two out of three divorces are filed by women, and according to a study published by the Journal of Family Issues, the leading cause of divorce was infidelity, and 21.6% of respondents said that such an act ended their marriage. Another major cause for divorce today is incompatibility between the two spouses at about 19.2% of the time, and in 10.6% of cases, a family law attorney or divorce attorney was contacted because of drinking or drug abuse by the other spouse. (Although in some households, it may be the case where both spouses are abusing drugs or alcohol.)
What are some trends of marriage today that explain these divorces and the widespread need of a family law attorney? Sometimes, two people who marry without getting to know each other well enough may have unexpected trouble with their marriage, and statistics show that those who date each other for a longer period will probably have a more secure marriage. In general, couples who date for three or more years before their engagement will be 39% less likely to get divorced than couples who dated for less than a year before their engagement. This gives the two people more time to figure out compatibility, or a lack thereof, in terms of major arenas like spending, temperament, “personal baggage,” future life plans such as travel or college, and more.
The Divorce
When a spouse contacts a family law attorney in the middle of a divorce, they may also seek protection from the other spouse’s violence, drug abuse, or threats, and the spouse filing for divorce may bring the kids with them to a new, private residence while this procedure is underway. Custody of children under the age of 18 is a major issue for families going through a divorce, and this is how a family law attorney can help. The other spouse, the one who did not file for divorce, may want to get their own legal protection and hire a divorce or family law attorney as well so that their side of the divorce is represented, and these two lawyers may compete with each other to promote their respective sides, often in terms of division of money, assets, and custody of any kids involved in the marriage. Only in 29% of custody cases was a third party not involved; custody of a child can be a bitter contest on both sides. However, even if a spouse loses this contest for custody, he or she may end up visiting the kids every so often. For example, it has been found that 22% of fathers who live apart from their children may visit their kids once a week or so. A skilled and trustworthy family law attorney is certainly to be desired.
