The Law Office of Christina Buchan, PA

The decision about who needs a family attorney can be complicated and usually comes down to what will best protect your rights within the family.

A family law attorney assists with marital status, adoption, custody issues, divorce settlements and other legal matters involving family relationships.

A family law lawyer can represent individual clients or companies that advise people on family law. It’s the lawyer’s responsibility to identify the client’s needs and then work to provide those solutions within the framework of applicable laws. Language barriers can complicate communication between divorcing spouses; thus translators are often necessary in order to make communication clearer for all parties involved in a divorce proceeding. Likewise, because different countries have different rules about child custody cases (some outlawing international child abduction), it is important for an American family law attorney specializing in this field to be aware of these differences so they can help their client navigate these tricky waters without running afoul of the law.

An experienced family lawyer can help you negotiate a fair divorce settlement and avoid drawn-out court battles by using mediation to reach an agreement with your spouse about how to divide marital property, deal with custody issues if children are involved, and settle other legal matters that may arise as a result of ending your marriage.

A family lawyer can also assist with some prenuptial agreements, if they are legally recognized in your state. This agreement is a written contract that sets out the property and financial rights of both parties should their marriage end. These contracts address everything from whether alimony will be paid to who pays what bills and how much support child custody payments will be.

The family lawyer may also draft wills, powers of attorney and living wills that specify what happens to property after death or if the client is incapacitated. These documents are particularly important for people with children under age 18 because they help ensure their kids will be cared for in case anything should happen to them before those children reach adulthood.

A family lawyer can also help you with adoption and child custody cases. If the couple is married, the court may grant sole or joint legal responsibility for a child to one parent based on who has been taking care of that baby over time. In some circumstances, such as if only one person in an unmarried couple lives with a child or when there is a dispute over the child’s biological father, the family court may determine who has custody by looking at various factors. If an unmarried couple splits up and there are no prenuptial or paternity agreements in place to settle issues about expenses for pregnancy-related care, support, health insurance coverage or other financial concerns that arise during pregnancy and after a baby is born, a family lawyer can help the couple draft a parenting plan that addresses those concerns.

In some cases involving child custody and adoption, grandparents may seek visitation rights with their grandchildren who have been adopted by other people. In Florida as well as many other states across America, family courts will generally grant these requests if there are no previous agreements in place that prohibit contact between the children and their grandparents.

Family law attorneys also represent clients involved with international family relationships. For example, a mother who has been raising her child abroad may want to bring that child back to America for an extended visit or permanently relocate here with them if they have not been living together as a family before. Because of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, family law attorneys need to know how this convention may affect cases involving children who have been abducted by a parent from another country.

Family lawyers can also assist parents with additional international child custody issues if their ex-spouse has taken or plans to take their kids abroad and refuses to return them. In these cases, family court judges will apply the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction and grant an order for “return” of children who have been taken out of their country without proper consent from both parents regardless of where they are now living.

Family lawyers also may be called upon to enforce or modify child support orders. If one parent changes jobs, gets a raise or takes on additional hours of work after this order has been established, the family lawyer may ask the court to adjust child support payments accordingly if there is reason to believe it will be in everyone’s best interests for that change to occur.

Family lawyers also represent parents who are seeking full custody of their children from a spouse who is not taking care of them properly. In these cases, legal standards do not require court officials to make custody decisions based on the sex of the parent but instead prioritize what will be in best interests for those kids and consider all relevant factors that contribute to healthy development for children including parental involvement and how much time each person spends with the children.

Family lawyers can help parents who are planning to divorce or already in the process of doing so by helping them create documents that list all assets and debts, estimate what each will bring at sale, address spousal support concerns if there is a significant disparity between incomes of both spouses as well as how they want property divided. If children are involved, family lawyers may help them create a parenting plan that works best for everyone in the household.

Family law attorneys also assist parents who have never been married with addressing custody and support issues when they break up. In many cases, this means helping unmarried couples draft agreements about finances during pregnancy as well as expenses related to their children’s birth, parenting arrangements and how to handle child support in the event of a breakup.

Family lawyers can also help unmarried couples who are living together draft agreements that protect both parents’ interests if they separate or one parent dies unexpectedly. For example, these types of “cohabitation” agreements can detail what will happen with any property each person has purchased or received as a gift, how any debts will be paid and what happens with children in the event of a death.

Family lawyers also help keep families together by representing parents who have been accused of domestic violence against their child’s other parent whether it is physical abuse or even just threats that might cause mental harm to another person. These cases can be very complicated when they involve allegations of abuse against a child and it is important to have the guidance of family law practitioners who understand what evidence needs to be presented in court and how best to defend clients accused by their spouses.

To learn more about these types of family law legal services, please connect with us. We offer free initial consultations so you can meet with a family law attorney and ask questions.

If you need help with family law in Orlando, Florida or an attorney who specializes in family law, contact The Law Office of Christina Buchan today! Our experienced professionals will do what they can to make your divorce easy on you.

Contact us now: (407) 299-6363

Whatever family law issue you face, you can rely on The Law Office of Christina Buchan as a team of legal professionals, we are set apart from other firms based on our awards, experience, and commitment to clients.