As the name suggests, family law involves all the legal cases that might occur in a family relationship including adoption, custody, and divorce. Surrey family lawyers represent their clients in courts for family proceedings and related negotiations. They also help their clients to draft legal documents- for court petitions or property papers. Family attorneys specialize in different aspects of family law. For example, lawyers who specialize in divorce cases might not help you draft property agreements.
What are some of the most Important Terms in Family law?
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- Emancipation – It is a court process that helps minors with their own self-support and takes all the responsibilities like adults for their own welfare. Here, the minors would no longer need to be under their parent’s or guardian’s care.
- Marital Property – Cases related to joint properties held by partners who are about to undergo a divorce.
- Alimony – An allowance demanded by one spouse from another to maintain their lifestyle after undergoing a divorce.
- Paternity – These cases include the confirmation tests to determine a child’s biological father.
- Prenuptial Agreement – Legal agreement that is done between a man and woman before their marriage, which confirms each other’s right to individual properties in case of divorce or death.
Why do you Need a Family Lawyer?
Most of the family law cases involve divorce and other related issues. However, talking about family laws, covers a broad spectrum, from foster care to reproductive rights. These are complex issues and need the attention of experienced family attorneys who are thorough with the concerned laws and are sensitive.
According to Alistair Vigier, a family law expert, both the client and the lawyer should be able to have trust in one another to work seamlessly throughout the case. By hiring a good family lawyer, you will increase your chance of winning the case and protect your interest throughout the proceedings.
Some of the most common cases where you would need a Family Lawyer are:
- Divorce – In these cases, both the partners hire their own attorneys who will first try to go through a settlement plan to avoid trial. Apart from helping their clients to get a divorce, they also help with alimony, marital properties, etc.
- Child custody or child support- It is also a part of divorce cases, wherein the attorneys help to make the agreement for custody or support. These cases can be revisited with the change in the conditions and situations.
- Paternity – Mothers mostly file these to secure child support from their biological father who denies duty. To establish the biological relationship, the court of law orders the child and the father to go through a DNA test.
- Adoption or foster care – These are some of the most complex cases that might vary with each case. The code of law changes with things like – type of adoption, where the child is from, and so on.
Many other cases might be included in the family law, like domestic violence or child abuse. Hire the best attorneys, whatever might be the case as they help protect their victims’ interests.