What Is Family Law?
Any legal issue that arises between the family members will be settled with the help of family law. It is complex and includes various laws for various situations which is why there is a need for experts who will learn and practice family law.
A family is a connection between individuals either through blood or through marriage and the family law exists to settle disputes between these individuals. Most of the cases that come under this law involve cases such as divorce, property divisions, child paternity or custody, domestic violence and many more. As such cases are the ones that arise with one’s own family members, they can cause a high level of emotions such as anger, heartbreak, anguish, hatred, etc to both the parties involved. This is precisely why there is a need for a third-party professional in this law so that he/she can settle the dispute without getting lost in his/her emotions.
How Is Family Law Helpful?
Every other family is different in their own situation. Everyone will have a problem different than the others but the law will be applied to everyone in the same manner. Usually, the cases involved in this law are supposed to be solved without going to court in trial and that’s why the professional involved, i.e. the family law lawyer is supposed to solve the case perfectly without allowing it to go on trial. These lawyers are skilled communicators and negotiators and so they help both the parties reach a satisfactory conclusion in their case without taking it to court. Here are some of the topics that a family lawyer can provide guidance or assist you in:
- Provide legal understanding and counselling regarding your situation.
- Give advice on what to do next and how the case might turn out in the future.
- Help with whatever documents will be needed to be obtained for the case.
- Do negotiations with the other party while representing you.
- Help you come up with a legal strategy to win the case.
- Help you make judgements regarding your case that will positively
Common Family Law Issues That Occur
While the law covers a multitude of subjects and cases, there are some that occur the most frequently and here is a list of those cases:
Divorce
When one wants a divorce, he/she wants to dissolute his/her marriage. They can either file for a case at the family court for divorce or the marriage can also be ended through an annulment. An annulment is a legal procedure that will cancel out a marriage. From the point of view of a legal perspective, the marriage will be erased, i.e. it did not exist in the first place.
Child Custody
Child custody is a very sensitive as well as a complicated matter which is why there is a need for a professional to oversee it. Many emotions are involved and it’s a case that needs to be handled with great care.
The custody of the child may go to one parent depending on who wants him/her or depending on who is more capable of raising him/her. The custody of the child can also be divided between the parents.
Child Support
Both the parents are equally responsible for raising and financially supporting their children as long as they are dependent. A child is usually considered dependent until he/she turns eighteen or sometimes longer.
In most cases, the parent who will be spending the least amount of time with their child will be paying for their child’s support as it will help to cover the cost involved in taking care of the child.
The amount of child support will depend on the income of the parent who is liable to pay the child support and how many other kids he/she might have.
Spousal Support
Spouses are also responsible for supporting each other financially. The spousal support may be paid by the partner with the higher income out of the two, to the spouse that earns less.
The amount that is given in support and for how long will depend on the facts like the length of the relationship and whether or not the other spouse is staying at home to look after their kid or not.
Property Division
When couples divorce, they must share the increase in their assets or money they had that occurred at the time of their marriage. They also equally share the right to continue living in the home that they lived in when they were married. It doesn’t matter which spouse bought or rented the home.
These are the most commonly occurring cases as seen by the lawyers who handle and solve cases related to family law.