If you are like many people, you know that you can go to a family lawyer like the one you would find at www.kenphillipslaw.com for a divorce. But you may be wondering just what else a family lawyer would provide? For most of us, we probably hope that we will never need to make that dreaded phone call to a family lawyer to talk about the steps we need to take for a divorce.
But there can actually be some good reasons to talk to a lawyer that specializes in family law. Yes, that is what a family lawyer does, and for many it is a very satisfying position as opposed to working as a criminal lawyer. To understand what a family lawyer can provide, let’s take a look at the type of services that they will generally provide.
Divorce
Of course, this is the one service most of us think of when someone says they are a family lawyer. But even here there are differences between different types of family lawyers. Some specialize in negotiated settlements where a sort of collaboration takes place between the two parties. These are usually less dramatic and for some lawyers are the ones they prefer to handle. Others specialize in handling difficult ones, particularly when child custody disputes are part of the negotiations. Sometimes a divorce will involve more than simply the relationship between the two partners. This is when many lawyers may bring in specialists.
Paternity
While this isn’t as common, we are seeing more and more cases these days where the paternity of a child needs to be determined for legal reasons. It might involve a will, custody for divorce cases or even to find out for medical reasons. Because this can be a very emotional issue for many, the lawyer who is involved with paternity cases will often have a scientific background to help them to understand the science behind the decisions as they work on the legal aspects of paternity cases.
Visitation Rights
While this does go hand in hand with many divorce cases, it isn’t always the case. As more and more women make the decision to raise their children on their own, we are seeing the fathers of these children coming to lawyers to fight for visitation rights of their children, even if they have never lived with the mother. Considering how many times we see lawyers having to track down “deadbeat dads” to simply get them to help care for their children, this can be quite an emotional case when the tables are turned in this way, legally.
Writing a Will
Although it is true that often a will is changed in the case of a divorce, there are a number of good reasons that a family may want to see a lawyer about a will. One, of course, is when a couple have their first child. Having a child changes many families, and if the estate is of any substance then a will can become a very important document to ensure your family is provided for in case anything happens to one of the parents.
