Top 5 Reasons to Hire a Family Law Attorney

Any time you enter a relationship, get married or decide to have children you do so with only the best of intentions in mind. The future is bright, and you’re building a family with the person of your dreams. Although you won’t want to hear it at the time, the reality is that plenty can go wrong to darken those bright visions for your life. A family law attorney can help you navigate through some intensely emotional situations. So just because you are angry, nervous about money or completely frustrated doesn’t mean you should forego legal representation. Here are five of the top reasons to hire a family law attorney.

First on the list has to be when you’re facing a divorce. Although you’ll certainly wish it was otherwise, the vast majority of divorces are far from amicable. And if you could resolve things on your own, you and your spouse probably wouldn’t be in this situation. But even in a relatively friendly divorce you should still speak to a family law attorney. A good lawyer will be able to look at your situation without emotions clouding the logic. He’ll help you save time and money, and get you through the process so you have the least pain and anguish possible.

In many divorce cases, the question of child custody comes up. These two issues frequently go hand in hand, but they can also come up when you have two unmarried people who are deciding to split up. Figuring out which partner will retain custody of the child is one of the largest issues in the lives of everyone involved. It impacts you in a significant way, but the implications for the child are massive. You will need a family law attorney to advocate on your behalf, especially if things aren’t clear cut. The final decision might end up leading you to stop fighting so hard, but the goal is to minimize court time and the negative effect on your child.

Another situation that could arise during a break up is the question of child support or alimony payments. This is often resolved during the divorce itself, but the issues often continue to arise for years to come. Both parties will end up unhappy in some shape or form, and even if you came to an amicable agreement several years ago on your own, you might need a family law attorney’s help now if the situation has changed. If you don’t have this professional arguing on your behalf you could end up in a serious financial constraint that will plague you for decades to come.

Aside from these gloomy issues, there is another sad situation where a family law attorney could be quite helpful. Estate planning is never easy, especially since most people only begin the process when they are facing their own demise. But if you have a family, you must decide who will receive your possessions, and how your assets will be split up. Perhaps you have clear ideas on this, or maybe you don’t even know where to begin. Without a family law attorney, your estate could become a muddled mess, and many of the assets you worked so hard to accrue could end up paid out in taxes to the government.

Luckily, not all situations when family law help is useful are this bleak. If you’re considering adoption, you might want to consult an attorney as well. Adoption is a beautiful choice, one that changes your family forever. But it’s legally quite complex. There is a huge amount of paperwork, and court appearances could be involved as well. With a family law attorney on your side, you’ll save a ton of time and money, and make sure there aren’t any hangups with the birth parents that could cause issues further down the line.