A family law firm represents clients in cases that involve adoption, divorce, child custody, and other family relationships. They can draft legal documents pertaining to child support, and they can petition the court about visitation rights. If you think you may be needing or hiring a family law attorney in the near future, here are a few terms you that may come up:
Family Law Terms to Know
- Prenuptial Agreement: This is an agreement that outlines what will happen with the money and property if a couple should get divorced. It is created before the marriage.
- Common Law Marriage: Some state grant married status to a couple that has been living together as if married for a significant amount of time.
- Annulment: A legal action that ends a marriage. This is not the same thing as a divorce, and it is only performed in very specific instances.
- Mediation: A neutral third party helps the two spouses reach an agreement that suits all involved.
- Paternity Test: This is a test that establishes the genetic connection between a child and the father.
- Alimony: This is an amount of money that is negotiated to be paid from one spouse to the other after the divorce is final.
Marital Property: This property is acquired during the course of the marriage, and it could be divided between the spouses at the dissolution of the marriage. - Legal Custody: This is given to the parent that will be making the major decisions for the child(ren), things like medical decisions or schooling decisions.
- Shared Custody: This is a true sharing of the raising of the child. Each parent provides half of the financial responsibility, and the child stays halftime with each parent.
- Child Support: The amount of money paid by one parent to the other which is to be used to care for the child.
- Emancipation: This is the process by which a minor child becomes an adult and is no longer under the care of either parent.
If you are looking for a quality family law firm in the Chicago area, contact the law offices of Michael C Craven. He is available to help you with divorce proceedings, spousal support, mediation, property division, child support, and child custody issues. Mr. Craven is a member of the ISBA and the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Call the office today at (312) 621-5234 to see how the family law firm of Michael C Craven can help you.
