If you’re involved in a legal issue related to your family, you need to find a lawyer who specializes in family law. These professionals help people resolve their conflicts in ways that are beneficial for their family and their situation.

These lawyers handle divorce, paternity and custody cases. They also work with adoption and child support issues.

Child Custody and Visitation

If you are going through a divorce and need assistance with child custody and visitation, we can help. Led by New York and New Jersey family lawyer Paul Goldhamer, we work with parents to find reasonable resolutions that are in the best interests of their children.

In order to determine which parent should have custody, the court looks at a variety of factors. These include a child’s physical, emotional, intellectual and basic health and safety needs.

The judge will also consider whether a parent has behaved in a way that is contrary to his or her rights as a parent. For example, if a parent has been physically or emotionally abusive to a child, the court may put limits on that parent’s time with the child.

In some cases, the court may allow the non-custodial parent to have supervised visits with the child. These visits are supervised by a third party and are designed to ensure the health, safety and security of both the child and the non-custodial parent.

Divorce

Divorce is a very emotional time, filled with sadness, resentments, regrets and financial insecurities. It is also a very complicated legal process involving the division of property and alimony, child custody and support, and the rights of the spouses to make important decisions regarding their children.

Family law attorneys help with these issues and many more, including divorce. They can advise their clients on the legal procedures associated with a divorce, such as division of assets and debts, separation of personal and financial affairs, and awarding spousal and child support.

A divorce may be contested or uncontested. In an uncontested divorce, both parties agree to the terms of the divorce and the court will dissolve the marriage based on those terms. If the couple cannot reach an agreement, they will usually go through mediation. If they are unable to resolve their issues through mediation, the cases will proceed to trial and a judge will decide the terms of the divorce.

Adoption

Adoption is the legal process of transferring parental rights and responsibilities from the biological or legally adopted parents to an adoptive parent(s). This is done for a number of reasons.

One of the most common is when a child is voluntarily given up for adoption. Another is when the natural parents are unable to provide adequate care for their child.

Regardless of the situation, the adoption process is a complicated and often emotional one. It’s for this reason that many birth parents and prospective adoptive parents choose to work with a Family Law Legal Services of attorney who can help them throughout the entire process.

Adoption agencies select families for placement based on the best interest of the child, and they also try to ensure that each new family maintains connections with the child’s biological family, siblings, foster family, and heritage. This is important because it helps maintain continuity in the child’s life and gives them a sense of belonging and family identity.

Child Support

A family law lawyer can help you with a variety of child support issues. This can be a complicated process and one that should be handled with care and consideration for everyone involved.

For example, if a parent loses their job, it is important to file a petition to suspend or modify child support based on the new circumstances. If you do not, your child support payments may continue to accrue even while you are looking for another job.

Alternatively, if you are currently working but have lost your job, it is important to notify the Support Enforcement Services (SES) in writing, by phone or via e-mail as soon as possible so they can review your case and prepare court forms and court proceedings to help you obtain an order for a change in your child support obligation.

A family law attorney can also assist you with a modification of your child support if you have become unemployed, underemployed or your income has increased 15% or more from the amount of your original child support order.