Family Law Attorneys Can Help

Raising a family can be one of the most difficult yet one of the most rewarding experiences of your lifetime. However, when things begin to go wrong between you and your spouse, this will likely be the most difficult time of all.

Many things can go wrong in a family, especially if you and your spouse decide to call it quits on your marriage. If this happens, you will have to go through many processes to end things and separate your lives, especially if you have children. In this case you will probably want to think about hiring a Denver family law attorney to help you through everything.

A Colorado family law attorney specializes in the processes that you will go through in ending your marriage and can be very effective in easing the situation. The processes that you will likely have to go through that this legal professional can help out with include a child custody hearing as well as a child support hearing.

Probably the most difficult part of ending your marriage will be when it comes time for the court to decide which parent will be awarded custody of the children. When it comes to this hearing, it is a major benefit to have a legal professional on your side fighting for you right to be awarded custody of your children. Additionally, after the custody battle is settled, you will likely have to go through the support hearing, which is just as important to have a professional on your team.

Ending a marriage is hard enough without attempting to go through the legal process alone. If you are facing this situation, you might want to think about hiring a family law attorney. These professionals specialize in the situation that you are going through and will have the knowledge you lead you through the process successfully.

Family Law Courts

Denver family law courts take up cases relating to all kinds of family related issues. These can be adoption, prenuptial agreements, marriage, divorce, separation, legal separation, annulment, alimony, division of the property accumulated during the marriage, domestic violence, negotiation, adjudication, child custody and support, child abduction, kidnapping or child seizure, emancipation, abuse in the marriage, parental rights, paternity, juvenile, felonies, and many such cases related to family.

Colorado family law courts also deal with regular cases relating to criminal laws, property related laws, probation law, trusts, and so on. However, the majority of the cases that come to family law courts are the divorce, separation, abuse or child custody cases. A number of details need to be considered when it comes to these cases. Family law courts are specialized in all the legalities involved in such cases.

As you can imagine, Denver divorce law courts are some of the most crowded courts in America. They deal with social and economic issues so universal that the courts can hardly bear the brunt of the demand. As a result, family courts are notoriously underfunded. Economically disadvantaged people often get left by the wayside when trying to gain monetary compensation for just cause.

Family law courts are the subject of much criticism as well for prejudice. Many think one gender or the other is favored in family courts. This may or may not be the case, but it might be impossible to study, since the numbers are so great. Until then, the family courts are a necessary aspect to a society in which people can treat each other unfairly sometimes.

Type of Child Custody

When parents divorce, they have to decide where the child will live. They also have to make decisions regarding the upbringing of the child. Child custody laws describe the rights and responsibilities of parents for their child. Each parent should retain the services of an experienced Denver family law attorney.

Physical custody will generally describe who the child will live with. The parent may agree on physical custody, or the court may order a parenting plan. In general, a child will live primarily with one parent. The parent would be considered as sole physical custody. The other parent would be non-custodial parent. If the child lives equally with both parents, the parents are said to have joint physical custody.

Legal custody will generally describe the decision making on upbringing of the child. In most cases, both parents will have joint legal custody of the child. However, the court awards sole custody to one of the parents in some cases.

Legal custody is very different from physical custody. For instance, a parent with legal custody has the right to decide on the child’s medical care, dental care, education, and religion. However, the child may or may not live with that parent. It is important for the parent to understand the difference before making a request for legal custody.

Legal battles over child custody can be long and expensive. Both parents will need to pay very expensive legal fees to family courts and Denver family law attorneys. If it is possible, parents should come to an agreement on physical and legal custody of the child without the family courts.

How to Communicate Effectively with Your Family Law Attorney

You have heard it said many times. For any relationship to flourish the parties involved ought to communicate, to relate their ideas and feelings. The relationship you have with your Denver family lawyer takes no exception. Only that your attorney works for you. Presented here is a brief guide on how to appropriately interact with your attorney.

General principles first: Make your mind known on any and every material issue. After all, it's your case-your life. Remember, however, that the Denver family law attorney is not a rubber stamp, merely, but has expert knowledge that can advantage you in legal proceedings. You should thus be willing not only to compromise but to trust, to trust that your attorney seeks the best possible outcome for you.

The question now arises: how does one build this trust? Well, try calling your attorney every now and then. Ask for updates on progress made and inquire on the general strategy being used to argue your case. True, you don't have to call everyday, but do call. Email, and fax too, can accomplish the same goal. Even snail mail will do. Of course, which mode of communication you ultimately choose will depend on the urgency of your concerns. The point here is this-that you need to communicate with your attorney.

But communication is a two way process. The attorney-client relationship will not work well unless the attorney also communicates. More pointedly, your attorney must respond to your communications. Otherwise there is no point in you communicating in the first place. You deserve answers. You deserve to know what is going on. A good attorney will keep you up to speed on all details relevant to your case through regular communication and by timely responding to your questions and concerns.

So be on the lookout when you visit a Denver family law attorney for an initial consultation. Face to face communication is the only way to establish rapport; this is how you decide whether you are going to retain a particular attorney or not. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Take notes if you have to. Bear in mind that the person before you could the one to see you through a time among the most difficult times in your life, be it divorce, child custody, or any other family dispute. You wanted a trusted partner in these critical moments. Choose an attorney who understands you and has your best interests at heart.

Understanding the Basics of Child Custody and Divorce Law - Protect Your Parental Rights!

When two adults get divorced and there are children involved, decisions as to which spouse will gain custody of the children are always a critical - and emotionally draining - issue.

Child custody and divorce laws vary from state to state, so for the sake of this article we will be focusing on Divorce Law in the state of Colorado. If you do not live in the state of Colorado, I recommend that you read this article to get a basic understanding of Child Custody & Divorce Law in general, and then check with an attorney in your home state to see how your state's particular laws may vary.

Under Colorado Divorce Law, Colorado does not favor either the mother or the father. Rather, Colorado divorce law strives to analyze the relationship each child has with each parent, and work towards the best interest of the children.

Colorado divorce and family law allows for a number of different types of child custody, including: temporary custody, sole custody, split custody, and joint custody.

Temporary custody under Denver divorce law is exactly what the name implies. It involves which parent has custody of the children at that moment. Temporary custody can be overturned easily under Colorado law if it is discovered that the children are in an unsafe situation.

Sole custody under Colorado law is often referred to as 'legal custody.' This means that one parent has the authority to make long range plans that include (but are not limited to) moves, education, or life changing circumstances that affect the children. If a parent has sole custody under Colorado law, they do not need to have the permission of the other parent to make these decisions.

Split custody under Colorado law is where two or more children are involved, and the children live with different spouses. Oftentimes this decision is based upon the preference of the children as to whom they would prefer to live with.

Joint custody under Colorado law is where both parents have control over the upbringing of the children involved. In this type of custody decision, both parents must be able to communicate for the benefit of the children, and be able to come to agreements about how to raise the children. If the spouses are constantly fighting, the court can (and often will) deny a request of joint custody.

When issues of child custody come up in a Colorado divorce, many wonder or not they should hire a Denver divorce attorney. While a Denver attorney is not always needed, I do highly recommend that you have an attorney licensed to practice in the state of Colorado and familiar with Colorado Child Custody and Divorce Law on your side. Importantly, if you are involved in a hostile divorce, or if the other spouse has a Colorado attorney representing them, I definitely recommend that you hire experienced Colorado divorce attorneys, such as the legal team at Cohen & Cohen who are Divorce Attorneys in Denver.

Of course, there are times when two spouses going through the divorce are able to come to a mutual agreement regarding child custody. If this is the case, then a stipulation and consent order should be filed with the court. The order must be very specific as to the custody of the children. The order should include which parent will have legal custody of the children after the divorce, as well as which parent will have the children during holidays. Also, all sorts of contingencies must be taken into consideration. If one parent is running late and can not meet scheduled visitations, do the visitations get rescheduled? No mater how trivial it may seem, every conceivable issue regarding the divorce and custody of the children need to be discussed and placed in the consent order to prevent misunderstandings in the future regarding child custody.

It is important to note that many parents will want to change or modify their child custody agreement after it has been made. If you desire to do this, then you must provide evidence as to why the agreement should be modified. The state of Colorado wants the child to live a stable life.

Remember, when you are thinking or discussing child custody, the most important factor will be the best interests of the children involved. Their feelings, thoughts, and most importantly their safety and stability are the primary concern of the courts under Colorado law. To protect your rights and the rights of your children, we highly recommend you have a knowledgeable Denver divorce attorney by your side every step of the way.