Family lawyers specialize in handling cases involving sensitive personal matters and can assist clients with everything from divorce and domestic violence cases, to restraining orders and estate planning.
Family lawyers can be highly rewarding professionals; however, the profession demands patience and resilience. A bachelor’s degree in government, sociology, psychology or history will prove useful when applying to law school.
Divorce
Divorce can be an emotionally draining process that involves many legal matters and legal complications. An experienced family lawyer can assist clients through this complex journey by protecting their rights while helping navigate child custody, property division and alimony agreements.
Divorce can be an emotionally charged time for the whole family, particularly if there are children involved. Determining the proper parenting timeshare schedule and costs distribution among both parties may prove to be challenging tasks.
Manchanda Law Office PLLC in New York City provides complex family law representation. Their firm boasts three decades of experience representing individuals and families in cases relating to divorce, custody, support, paternity and relocation issues. Their attorneys speak English and Hebrew fluently; additionally they represent victims of domestic violence by filing orders of protection. Furthermore, the firm holds memberships at New York, Connecticut, American Bar Associations.
Child custody
Child custody can be one of the most challenging issues in divorce proceedings, determining where a child lives and who is responsible for their wellbeing. A lawyer could assist in helping determine the most suitable form of custody arrangement for your family.
Custody arrangements are determined through court orders. A judge makes their decision based on various factors, but ultimately must prioritize what’s in the best interests of their child. In general, judges give preference to the parent who was the primary caregiver – but in cases involving same-sex couples the judge may award custody equally between both partners.
An attorney could also assist you with other child-related matters such as restraining orders. Vangorodska Law Firm of New York can assist clients with legal matters related to divorce, restraining orders, spousal support, child custody disputes, domestic violence claims and property division. As well as paternity suits.
Restraining orders
If you feel in danger from a family member, state law provides for protection with orders of protection. These orders, which vary depending on your jurisdiction and are independent from divorce proceedings, are sometimes known as domestic violence protective orders or injunctions for protection from domestic violence.
After filing your petition, the judge will typically issue an ex parte order of protection (temporary protection order or TPO), temporarily isolating and restricting abusive parties until a full court hearing can take place. At that hearing, both you and the respondent can present testimony and evidence; such evidence might include photographs, text messages or voicemails, witness testimony or police reports.
Once a court issues a permanent order of protection, you must serve it on both parties involved and notify law enforcement immediately. Any violator can be arrested for criminal contempt.
Estate planning
An estate plan is the process of devising how assets and debts will be distributed upon an individual’s death, as well as assigning someone to handle their finances and health care should they become incapacitated in some way.
An effective estate plan can ensure that heirs receive what is owed them while also mitigating tax implications. For instance, a grandfather might prefer to transfer his assets into an entity like a 529 plan instead of passing his fortune directly on when he dies, which would trigger multiple tax events and significantly diminish available funding for their college educations.
Family lawyers can assist their clients in creating an estate that will avoid probate and other legal complications, while reviewing beneficiary designations on life insurance, retirement accounts and other assets to make sure they are correctly named. Furthermore, they may suggest strategies to lessen gift and estate taxes.
