Family Law Affects You: Child Custody, Divorce, and More

Written by: Undisputed Legal Inc.

This article will provide guidance on How Family Law Affects You: Child Custody, Divorce, and More. Family law focuses on domestic and family affairs such as child custody, adoption, divorce, civil unions, property disputes, and related topics. Any issue involving the law, whether filed in or out of court, may be addressed in this way. The field of family law encompasses a wide range of topics. Furthermore, there are connections between family law and other areas of law, such as real estate and criminal justice. Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions About Process Servers!

Going through a family court dispute requires you to pay attention to a lot of little details. You might lose thousands of dollars from minor slip-ups. Serving your papers here becomes crucial, and a private process service agency like Undisputed Legal can help you serve your papers carefully in these situations. Click here for information on How To Identify A Good Process Service Agency

State Law vs. Federal Law

There are two distinct judicial systems in the United States: the federal system and the state system. The federal government’s and individual states’ legal systems are distinct, and every state has its own set of laws. State laws have authority over family law. While the federal government has the authority to propose legislation about family law, the responsibility for interpreting and implementing these laws rests with the individual states. distinct states may have different laws. The laws of your state might have a profound impact on your case. Any matter about family law falls more under state law than federal law. Click here for information on How Rush Process Service Can Expedite Your Case.

The fact that family law often involves people’s deepest feelings is one of its most distinctive features. On occasion, it is two individuals who were previously profoundly in love but must now part ways for various reasons. Because of the sensitive nature of the matters at hand, the attorney representing the client has a fiduciary duty to maintain complete confidentiality and provide only that information that is absolutely required by law while appearing in court. Click here for details on How Service of Process Ensures A Solid Foundation.

Society has a significant role in shaping the family laws. Marriages between people of the same sex are a typical example. The legislation governing same-sex weddings varies from one state to the next. Not long ago, family law did not recognise same-sex weddings since some states did not permit them. As a result, these couples did not have any legal protections. Click here for information on How Process Servers Protect Your Rights: Myths Debunked

Divorce

To put it mildly, a divorce is a massive life shift. It is a stressful and emotionally taxing process. Decisions involving children, property, and money may need to be made. Every detail counts when going through a divorce, and some cases are more intricate than others. When you hire a divorce lawyer, you hire someone who can divide your marital assets fairly and devise a strategy for child custody, visitation, and financial support (spousal and child). Click here for information on How To Overcome Language Barriers in Process Service

Informal separations are an option for couples going through tough times and wanting to take a break. Couples may benefit from this since it allows them to reflect on their position. They have the opportunity to consider their next steps during this period. Couples must wait a certain amount of time before a divorce can be finalized in some states in the US. There are waiting periods for couples after filing for a divorce in several places, including California. Even though it seems to be an uncontested divorce at first glance, all those subtleties may turn the process into something quite abusive and hostile. Click here for information on How Timelines Are Important in Process Serving.

You must get the services of a knowledgeable divorce attorney from the outset of any divorce proceedings, whether you are planning to file for one or your spouse has already begun them. Divorce is one civil law issue where the stakes are high and may have far-reaching consequences for you and your family regarding the law, emotions, social life, and finances immediately and for years to come.

To begin the divorce process, one must submit a petition to the court, including the reasons for the divorce and any other relevant information. An essential step in initiating legal proceedings is filling out the necessary paperwork and sending it to the appropriate court. A private process service agency like Undisputed Legal can be beneficial in this manner. We can file your divorce petition online if you wish for a more streamlined option. By removing the need to attend the courthouse physically, this contemporary option streamlines the filing process by allowing the electronic completion and submission of necessary paperwork.

The steps to apply for a divorce online may differ by jurisdiction. Still, in most cases, you’ll need to visit the court’s website, fill out the forms, attach any necessary supporting papers, and pay the costs all in one convenient place. The court reviews the application, and then the process continues as needed.

In the United States, it is usual for couples to agree to dissolve their marriage mutually. Compared to disputed divorces, this simplified procedure has fewer steps and less waiting time. The parties acknowledge their agreement to the separation conditions by filing a mutual divorce petition.

Making and signing a mutual consent agreement, going to court for hearings, and getting a divorce judgment are all parts of a consensual divorce procedure. While the details may differ according on the laws and processes of your state, a mutual divorce is often a quicker and less expensive option. The United States allows for a legal separation to finalize a divorce. In a legal sense, a ‘legal separation’ occurs when one spouse suing for divorce does not entirely end their relationship with the other—they only live apart. Either the parties may agree to this arrangement in writing, or the court can rule that the length of time the couple has lived apart is sufficient to grant a divorce. As a result, under family law, the couple is officially divorced.

The legal basis for a divorce might be based on blame or no fault, depending on the state. Every one of the fifty states offers some no-fault divorce, and many more provide fault-based reasons as an extra choice. Neither the husband nor the wife formally holds the other party responsible for the dissolution of the marriage in a no-fault divorce. ‘Irreconcilable differences,’ ‘irretrievable breakdown,’ and ‘incompatibility’ are common grounds for no-fault divorce. Another typical ground for a no-fault divorce is that the spouses have intentionally lived apart for a certain amount of time, the exact length of which varies from state to state. Adultery, mental or physical brutality, attempted murder, abandonment, chronic intoxication, drug addiction, insanity, impotence, or venereal disease of one’s spouse are among the reasons that might lead to a fault-based divorce.

Custody

Custody battles over children sometimes include solid emotions and arguments. Child custody battles significantly contribute to the time it takes to finalize a divorce.

Custody battles are stressful for everyone involved, but mainly for the child. Ultimately, a child custody lawsuit should prioritize the child’s best interests. Child support and custody issues may arise independently of a divorce or as part of a more comprehensive judicial procedure. Custody and visiting rights are the contentious issues that often divide parents, even when they agree on all other matters. It is far simpler to work out parenting and custody arrangements with a counsel you feel comfortable communicating with.

When a small child needs time with both parents, they usually work together to make it happen. However, there are instances where kid visitation is hindered due to personal issues, sincere conflicts, or residual animosity. A lawyer specializing in child custody may help by discussing your rights to visitation or arranging a time for visits.

Child support cases often include paternity. For a court to compel the biological father to pay child support, a single mother must first establish paternity. If the parents cannot agree on custody of their child, the courts decide custody based on ‘the best interests of the child.’ Determining the child’s best interests involves many factors, not one of which is the most critical factor.

Joint custody can mean either joint legal custody or joint physical custody. A joint custody order can have one or both forms of custody. Joint legal custody refers to parents sharing the significant decisions affecting the child, including school, health care, and religious training. Joint physical custody refers to the time spent with each parent. The time is flexible and can range from a moderate period for one parent, such as every other weekend, to a child dividing the time equally between the two parents’ homes. When the time spent with both parents will be divided equally, it helps if the parents live close to one another.

Payment for Child Support

When parents have a divorce, the parent who does not have primary physical custody of the kid is usually the one who must pay child support. Problems arise when one parent either does not want to pay, or flat-out refuses to pay child support. A family law attorney can explain your rights and options under the law and assist you in reaching a fair child support agreement.

All fifty states have adopted child support guidelines. Some states use tables that indicate a support amount for different income ranges, similar to tax tables. Although some states base support on the payer’s income, many states use an income share model based on both parents’ income. Usually, the parent without the child will pay support most of the time, but if both parents share time with the child equally, the parent with the greater income usually pays support. The support may be reduced based on the amount of time the payor spends with the child. Some states also cap support at a certain income level. If a parent is intentionally not working or is working at less than he or she is capable of earning, the court can ‘impute income,’ which means setting support based on what the parent is capable of earning rather than actual earnings. States vary on what expenses are included in child support. For example, some states include medical expenses and daycare, while others add those costs to the child support.

What happens if a parent does not pay court-ordered child support? Various enforcement mechanisms exist against these so-called ‘dead-beat parents,’ including automatic withholding of the obligor’s income or ‘garnishment of wages’. The court can hold a party in contempt for violating a court order. The contemnor must be allowed to ‘purge’ the contempt to comply with the order. If the contemnor does not purge the contempt and can pay, the court has the power of incarceration, although usually for a limited time, such as six months per contempt citation. In addition, many states have criminal penalties for failing to pay child support. Recently, Congress has enacted many new enforcement mechanisms, creating greater collaboration between federal and state governments. These include suspension of driver’s licenses and professional licenses, seizure of tax refunds, seizure of bank accounts and investment accounts, and even publishing the name and picture of the individual on posters and in newspapers. The law also improves interstate enforcement by bolstering federal services to locate parents across state lines and by requiring all states to have standard paternity procedures in interstate cases.

Spousal Maintenance

Spousal maintenance and the distribution of marital assets are two of the most contentious aspects of divorce. One of the spouses may be granted alimony, spousal support, or spousal maintenance by the court in case of a marriage dissolution. These are granted either by mutual consent between the couples going through a divorce or by an order from the court. Neither child support nor the split of marital assets includes this.

An ex-spouse may have opted to stay home and raise the kids instead of pursuing a profession, so financial support is necessary. They could have even footed the bill for the other partner’s education so that they, too, could have a better career. Learning how to work and earn a living wage can take them a while. An additional purpose of spousal support is to enable a former spouse to continue living at the same level as they did while married. It should be noted that the law has evolved to recognize that men and women alike may be entitled to spousal assistance.

Numerous forms of spousal assistance exist. The court may provide rehabilitative alimony to the lower-earning spouse for some time while they return to school or get professional training to raise their income. Until the spouse can take care of their financial requirements, this help will be provided. When determining the length of time a support payment would be required, a court will often consider the length of the marriage.

Paying alimony in the form of a reimbursement allows one spouse to recoup financial losses sustained during the marriage. In many cases, one partner in a marriage has helped support the other financially while they pursued further education or occupational training. This partner could have gone so far as to cover the expenses for training and further study. Instead of going out and getting a job, one partner may have remained at home to take care of the kids and the house. The advantages that the ex-spouse gained from the support are balanced out by this kind of spousal support.

While a divorce is pending, a court may decide to provide spousal support in the form of a temporary alimony order. As an element of a valid dissolution of marriage agreement, a court may mandate this. Once a divorce is finalised or a new support arrangement is in place, the temporary assistance is often ended.

When one spouse is unable to work or provide for oneself because of age or disability, the court may decide to give permanent alimony. Spousal support may be granted by the court to parents whose children’s requirements make it impossible for them to work and pay for living costs. It may not last forever. After a specific number of years have passed or the supported spouse dies or remarries, spousal support will end. A court may decide to grant alimony in the form of a single, large payment. An alternative to regular monthly payments is a lumpsum amount that the ex-spouses may agree upon. State alimony laws are different. When deciding whether to provide spousal support, judges have a great deal of discretion, in contrast to the more precise standards that dictate child support. The amount and duration will be determined by the family law court if ordered.

Many state’s spousal support laws derive from the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act. A judge may mandate spousal maintenance for a certain length of time or for an indefinite amount of time. This becomes much more evident when one partner is elderly, crippled, or sick. Payments of spousal support must continue until the court specifies a different date if the divorce decree does not do so.

Rehabilitative alimony has recently become more common in court orders. The duration of this kind of assistance is determined by how long it takes for the spouse receiving it to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to become financially independent. When a recipient remarries, most awards cease to be valid. When people start living with someone else, it could come to an end. Although it is not always the case, spousal support might terminate upon the payer’s death. he court may direct assistance to be paid out of the payer’s estate or life insurance profits if the receiving spouse is unable to find gainful employment because of age or health.

In contrast to child support, which may be subject to annual cost-of-living hikes, alimony orders are often static. The ex-spouse will not get any advantages from a rise in taxable income or big bonuses at work, unlike a kid who receives an increase in support. It is difficult to forecast alimony awards, and it is much more difficult to foresee whether the paying spouse would comply with a maintenance order. In contrast to child support enforcement, which might resort to ‘teeth’ like as salary garnishment, liens, and even arrest, spousal support enforcement does not.

A former spouse who is due alimony may utilise the same tools that are available to enforce any court order, as alimony can be ordered by a judge. To get their money back, alimony recipients might go to court again in a contempt case. From the 2015 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to legalise same-sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges, spousal support patterns are also altering. Married couples of the same sex have all the legal protections and social benefits enjoyed by any married pair. No matter the marital status, the rules for spousal support awards are the same.

Marital Assets

In a divorce, the assets that one or both spouses amassed while married will almost certainly be contested. This wealth is often referred to as marital property. Bear in mind that the division of marital assets is identical to that of community property in jurisdictions that have established such a legislation. The distribution of marital property is the responsibility of the court in places where community property law is not applied. Separate property is another idea. One spouse’s pre-marital assets are considered separate property. Also included under this category are assets that one spouse received as a gift or an inheritance.

In most cases, when divorcing couples enter into a legally binding document known as a ‘marital settlement agreement,’ which splits assets and debts and handles other matters related to the divorce, the parties involved are free to divide the property as they feel appropriate. Even while many divorces start out contentiously, most end up resolved out of court without a judge having to determine anything about the assets or other matters. It is the responsibility of the court to decide on the division of property if the parties are unable to reach an agreement. State laws differ from one another. To begin, a lot of states let spouses retain what’s considered ‘nonmarital’ or ‘separate’ property.

In splitting marital or community property, the regulations differ from state to state. Communities own their own homes in some states. Some states, including as California, feel that marital property should be shared equally unless a prior agreement stipulates otherwise. Most jurisdictions, however, adopt the notion of ‘equitable distribution,’ which means the court distributes the marital property as it sees fair. That divide may be fifty-fifty or could be different according to your dynamic.

Mediation: What is it?

Mediation is the process of resolving legal disputes by bringing together disputing parties. It is with the assistance of a mediator that the mediation procedure is carried out. Any third party that maintains objectivity towards the disputing parties may serve as a mediator. The ideal course of action when disputing parties cannot resolve their differences via litigation is for them to come to an amicable resolution outside of court. Getting a mediator is the best option if you want to avoid having the court decide for you and if you want to avoid having solicitors handle everything on your behalf. Remember that using a mediator is entirely optional. There is no obligation to participate in mediation if you do not choose to.

There are occasions when spouses choose to part ways amicably, but there are other examples where family law disputes go very acrimonious. They have come to an agreement to divorce and separate ways. In such circumstances, the court processes take place in a pleasant and cordial setting. A private process service agency like Undisputed Legal can help you serve your papers regardless of what kind of family law proceeding you are undergoing.

Unpredictable twists and turns may occur in family connections. Feelings of sadness, anxiety, and bewilderment are common outcomes of a relationship that has soured. Conflicts between spouses are common in divorce proceedings and may arise over issues such as child custody, division of assets, child support, and alimony.`

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Sources

1. The Act suggests the following considerations for courts for making alimony determinations:

The mental and physical health, age, and financial stability of the two parties’ ex-spouses
How long it would take for the beneficiary to become economically independent after completing their degree or training
During their marriage, the couple’s level of living
Duration of the union
Ability of the supporting spouse to maintain their own standard of living while also providing for the beneficiary

2. Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644

3. Some of the considerations assessed include:

the quantity of nomarital property each spouse owns;
each spouse’s earning ability;
services as a homemaker;
dissipation;
fault;
length of the marriage;
and age and health of the parties