Family Law

Family law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including, but not limited to the nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships; problems during the marriage including spousal abuse, legitimacy, adoption, child abuse, and child abduction the termination of the relationship and ancillary matters including divorce, annulment, property settlements, alimony, and parental responsibility orders (in the United States, child custody and visitation, child support awards).

Contact Lynn Andretta to discuss your legal options and find solutions for any Family Law issue and related legal situations in Washington DC area.

This list is by no means dispositive of the potential issues that come through the family court system. In many jurisdictions in the United States, the family courts see the most crowded dockets. Litigants representative of all social and economic classes are parties within the system. Because the family courts are notoriously underfunded and see a relatively large proportion of economically dependent litigants, a common criticism levied is that the system inherently prejudices the needs of these disadvantaged parties.

One main legal issue which includes family law is Child Support. Issues which arise from child support include but are not limited to:

• Establishing who the father of a child is
• Finding the non custodial parent
• Getting a child support order established
• Changing an existing support order
• Getting medical insurance coverage for a child
• Determining the amount of past due child support
• Enforcing and collecting child support payments
• Collecting spousal support payments when spousal support is part of a child support order

Whenever a divorce or separation case is filed, each spouse will probably provide the other with information about finances and property. The law encourages this exchange of information so each spouse understands the assets and debts of the other. Fair settlements and court orders are helped when each spouse has the same information, and when financial details are not hidden. The spouse filing the case (the "petitioner") receives from the court a copy of the law about exchanging financial information. The petitioner may "serve" (deliver) a copy of this law to the other spouse (the "respondent") along with the other court papers that start the case.

Family Law involves many of the following issues:

• Family Court
  
• Orders and Forms
  
• Family Court Components
  
• Family Court Central Intake Center
  
• Family Court Self-Help Center
  
• Domestic Relations Branch
  
• Juvenile and Neglect Branch
  
• Paternity and Child Support Branch
  
• Marriage Bureau
  
• Mental Health and Mental Retardation Branch
  
• Counsel for Child Abuse and Neglect Branch
  
• Domestic Violence
  
• Probate Division

Contact Lynn Andretta to discuss your legal options and find solutions for any Family Law issue and related legal situations in Washington DC area.

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