LONG ISLAND FAMILY LAW LAWYERS

Family court hears cases that involve family and domestic relationships. Family law cases can have many legal implications. Thus, it is imperative that you take steps to protect your rights and interests in your family law case. Here, we will examine several areas of family law, and will discuss how an attorney can help in your family law case.

Divorce, legal separation, nullity:
In a divorce or legal separation case the court ensures that the parties’ marital assets and debts are equitably divided. However, determining how to equitably divide assets and debts is not always so clear. In these situation, having legal counsel represent your interest can ensure that you receive your full share of the marital estate. In cases, involving a request to nullify a marriage, a spouse is asking the court to void the marriage as if it never occurred. A nullity case can be complicated if the parties have acquired assets or debts together. In this situation, it is important to consult with legal counsel to understand your rights and/or obligations.

Establishing parentage:
Generally, an action to establish parentage is initiated between unwed parents. In a parentage case a family law judge can order parents to take part in DNA testing, mediation, and can make orders regarding each parents custodial time with their child.

Restraining order/Domestic violence:
According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, in the U.S. an average of 24 people per minute are victims of domestic violence [Hotline,http://www.thehotline.org/resources/statistics/]. If you are a victim of domestic violence, you should seek a family law restraining order against your abuser as soon as possible. A family law lawyer can help you stand up to your abuser.

Child Support:
Child support is based primarily on two factors (1). How much income each parent earns; and (2). How much time each parent spends with the child. Although, these two factors may seem easy to establish, disputes do arise. If your child support case is in Long Island, consult with a Long Island family law lawyer that is familiar with the local court and procedures for accurately calculating child support.

Spousal Support:
There are two primary forms of spousal support/alimony orders, temporary and permanent. Temporary spousal support is generally awarded for a fixed amount of time pending the divorce proceedings and/or half the length of the marriage. Permanent spousal support is generally awarded in marriages of long duration, and are intended to be in place indefinitely. Spousal support is typically a very important issue to both spouses. On one hand, the spouse receiving support is reliant on these funds to be able to restart their new life. One the other hand, the spouse responsible for paying support wants to ensure that he or she is not overpaying or inaccurately paying support. An experienced family law lawyer can help you ensure that your spousal support order is accurately calculated.

Child custody and visitation:
One of the most important functions of family court, is to make orders regarding custody and visitation. In making orders regarding custody and visitation, the court looks to the children’s best interest doctrine for guidance. An experienced family law lawyer can help you establish custody orders that are in your child’s best interest.

Consult with experienced Long Island family law lawyers to ensure that your family law rights are protected.