Most people associate the work of a family law attorney with divorce. Although divorce is often a large part of the practice of a family attorney, it is not the only area of family law they provide.
Child Support and Alimony
One of the areas of specialization for many family lawyers is the area of child support. Often there are changes that can occur in the life of either parent that can impact the ability to contribute to child support. People may be injured or become sick, lose a job or be moved from full time to part time employment despite their desire to work full time.
In these cases, a child support attorney can work with the parent to modify the child support agreement. Of course, there may also be situations where one or both parents has a sudden and dramatic increase in income which can also cause the need for modifications of the payments.
Alimony is typically ordered at the time of the divorce. It is separate and apart from child support, and it can take different forms based on the specifics of the divorce and the financial situation.
Visitation Issues
Visitation is often a problem in high conflict types of co-parenting arrangements. When one or both parents are not following the court orders or denying visitation, a family attorney can be instrumental in addressing the issue. For some individuals, simply understanding the potential legal issues that can occur if they fail to uphold the visitation schedule can be all that is needed to correct the issue.
Estate Planning
While a specialization that compliments family law, a family attorney trained in estate planning can help individuals to create Wills, Trusts, Living Wills and Power of Attorney documents.
After the divorce, existing Wills and other documents may need to be changed. Working with an attorney you know and trust makes this a much easier and more comfortable process.
