Our family law attorneys counsel clients in their most personal legal matters, from marriage and divorce to child custody and support arrangements. The practice is challenging, not only because it concerns issues that are highly emotional but because the legal framework is constantly changing in response to broad social and economic trends. Factors such as greater involvement of fathers in child rearing, fluctuations in the residential real estate market and growth of the dual-career family are all having a profound impact on family law and dispute adjudication. Clients must have counsel with the experience to provide meaningful support during major life transitions and the legal skills necessary to achieve the most advantageous outcomes. This is what we provide.
We counsel clients on matters of divorce, division of property, and alimony; child and spousal support; child custody; domestic violence; pre-and post-nuptial agreements; name changes; and adoption or termination of parental rights. We are equally adept at representing financially independent and financially dependent parties.
Our goal in each case is to achieve a comprehensive and lasting solution as quickly as possible so that clients can move their lives forward. In many instances, family law matters can be effectively resolved using alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques such as mediation and arbitration. Our attorneys are experienced at participating in and leading ADR proceedings, which may save time, defuse confrontation, and encourage mutuality. Unfortunately, not every situation lends itself to this approach. In those cases, our seasoned litigators are prepared to advocate zealously on our clients’ behalf. Clients also benefit from the fact that the family law team is backed by the resources of a full-service law firm. We routinely reach out to colleagues in other practice groups, including trusts and estates, tax, corporate and business services and real estate in order to tailor a comprehensive and customized strategy to resolve our clients’ family law questions and disputes. This team approach sets up apart from other firms. We can help:
- Prosecute and defend divorce actions on fault or no-fault bases
- Value marital estates, including business interests, real estate, retirement plans, and investments
- Negotiate equitable division of marital assets
- Analyze income, earning capacity, and expenses to determine the duration and amount of alimony
- Seek interim relief for clients during a divorce proceeding, including preservation of assets, occupancy of the marital home, and interim distributions of marital assets
- Analyze issues of child support, spousal support, and/or alimony pendente lite
- Review tax returns to accurately calculate income for determination of support
- Counsel clients on all aspects of physical and legal custody of minor children
- Assist in developing custodial arrangements that are truly in the best interest of the children
- Obtain or defend against Protection from Abuse orders in quasi-criminal proceedings
- Negotiate and draft both pre-and post-marital agreements
- Handle name changes as part of a divorce action or for minors and adults who wish to change their names for other valid and appropriate reasons
- Advance voluntary or involuntary relinquishment of parental rights and process both uncontested and contested adoptions