What is family law?
Family law is known as matrimonial law which is a practicing method concerning legal issues and domestic relations between family members. The law looks after marital, civil, and domestic partnerships and the termination of such relationships.
Some of the main roles played by family lawyers are given below.
- Divorce and annulment
- Child custody, support, and visiting rights.
- Domestic abuse
- Property and financial settlements
- Surrogacy
- Juvenile law etc.
Divorce and Annulment:
A divorce is a matter of separation by a couple who are married. The fights, quarrels, and stressful situations make a couple separate. The family lawyer come to the rescue by working out an amicable solution. They make the right provision for children!
Child Custody, Support, and Visiting Rights:
i. Child protection by adoption:
Due to parental conflicts and separation, the solicitors work on giving the right of taking care of the child by one single parent. In the case of further dispute, if both parents do not agree, the family law solicitors arrange for the child’s custody by step parents, legal guardians like grandparents, local authority adoption. According to special laws of the UK, US, there is provision for adoption. The special visiting rights will enable the parents to visit the child as permitted by law.
ii. Child abduction:
Solicitors will work according to the law enforcement agencies such as police, Courts, Child Abduction Unit in accordance with the ministry of justice, Interpol, and other specialist organizations globally to prevent abduction firstly and also to secure the safe return of the child.
Domestic abuse:
If a spouse is suffering from domestic abuse, threatening behavior or physical assault, or sexual abuse, the solicitors take immediate steps according to the law to protect the spouse abused and the child. The law restraints the couple from physical fights and counsels them to stay happily by reconciliation.
Property and Financial Settlements:
The solicitors in accordance with the law to divide the property or arrange for monetary distribution by the sale of the property. This includes movable and immovable property.
Surrogacy:
In the case of a spouse unable to conceive a child, the surrogacy laws allow them to arrange for a third party woman to help in conceiving the child for a certain sum agreed upon. The person is bound by law, to hand over the child to the parents and will have no legal rights on the child thereafter. This provision is for childless couples.
Juvenile law:
This law helps in securing a child who is a minor and has committed a crime like accidental murder, theft, or any other crime. They are handed to a remand home as a punishment for the period the court of law decides. After their punishment is over, they are handed over to their legal parents.
Summary:
Family lawyer represent their clients in court for contentious cases regarding divorce, domestic violence, and also advice on legal matters on family property, adoption, and guardianship.