Phoenix Family Lawyer
Marrying or starting a family with the love of your life is one of the happiest moments anyone can experience. No one enters into these relationships with the long-term view of needing a family law attorney to address a dissolution of marriage, the division of assets or to argue about parenting time, legal decision-making, and child support.
But if you need an attorney, your attorney should be experienced and provide you with an honest assessment of your rights and responsibilities and advocate your rights ethically and to the fullest extent permitted by Arizona law. Your attorney should also communicate with you in a way that permits you to understand the important decisions you have to make in your case. Finally, the representation should be affordable.
Divorce
Divorce is one of the most difficult processes you will ever experience. Deciding to end a marriage is a major life-changing event for you and your family and should not be taken lightly.
If you are considering a divorce, or your spouse has recently filed a divorce petition, it is important to understand your rights. We can help guide you through this process.
Child Support
Parents have a legal duty to support their children. When parents do not live together, often one parent ends up paying child support to the other.
Whether you expect to pay or receive child support, an attorney can help guide you through the process and ensure that both your interests, and the interests of your child, are being protected.
Legal Decision Making
When parents separate, a custody determination must be made regarding the parties' minor children. The court will consider the best interest of the children when determining custody, or legal decision making, as it is know in Arizona.
An attorney can assist you in making sure that you have the best plan in place for your family.
Spousal Maintenance
Spousal maintenance, or alimony, is determined at the discretion of the court, and can vary greatly in the amount and how long such maintenance will be awarded.
An experienced attorney can help you navigate the process of seeking, or defending against, a request for spousal maintenance, and ensure that fairness prevails.
Domestic Violence
Unfortunately, many individuals, both women and men, are victims of domestic violence each year. Domestic violence takes many forms and can involve threats, property damage, and assault.
If you have experienced domestic violence we can assist you in obtaining an order of protection or an injunction against harassment to make the violence stop.
Paternity
Establishing paternity is an essential component in obtaining rights for biological fathers. If the mother does not stipulate to paternity, this may involve a court-ordered DNA test to establish proof that a man is the father of a child.
If you are a man seeking custody rights to your child, or a woman trying to secure child support payments, it may be essential to work through the legal paternity test process.