Family law is a body of law that deals with family issues and domestic relations. To properly handle such cases, legal assistance is necessary and deciding whether to get a family lawyer or not is perhaps one of the most difficult decisions a family has to make. It’s better to have a lawyer deal with certain family matters instead of settling disputes on your own because your emotions might only cloud your judgment. Moreover, a legal counsel can discuss and deliberate such concerns rationally.

If you’re in Australia, you can book a free appointment with any reliable Melbourne family lawyers to make sure you work with experts in family law instead of general practice attorneys.

Below are some reasons why your family may need a lawyer:

• Property Management

A good example of property management handled by a family lawyer is estates and wills. A family lawyer sees to it that the will of a testator is executed correctly. He will be the one to help the owner manage and divide his assets once he is deceased.

In addition to that, property is also a concern in some cases in a prenuptial agreement— whether or not the property a couple had acquired before their marriage will be made conjugal. In a divorce, the judicial division of property rights and obligations between spouses will also be dealt with by a family lawyer.

• Marital Concerns

A couple, before a civil union, will need to have both of their rights protected. A family lawyer can help a couple draft the ideal prenuptial agreement. They will not only handle matters before marriage but also after marriage—in the event of a divorce. They can be the mediator or negotiator who would settle matters fairly between two parties. You can never go wrong with hiring the services of a legal expert.

• Child Custody

The children a divorcing couple has are also a significant concern on the issue of divorce. And what happens to them after a divorce is perhaps the most difficult issue any family will have to handle.

A separated couple will be living in different homes, so an agreement should be made regarding the new living arrangement. However, in case one of the parents may be deemed unfit for parenting or guardianship, sole legal custody or sole physical custody can be awarded to one of them by a court decision. This is where the help of a family lawyer becomes necessary.

• Child Support

Paternity cases are often filed by mothers to ensure child support payments from absent fathers, or by fathers who want to establish paternity and child support.

Child support is an ongoing periodic payment that can either be directly or indirectly made for the care and support of children after a divorce or a relationship that never existed. Fathers, on the other hand, may also file a paternity case to practice the constitutional right to fatherhood to become an integral part of their children’s lives. This is determined by child custody laws.

Conclusion

Family law is a relatively broad practice area and you can get a good grasp of it once you set an appointment with a legal expert. Consequently, each family member facing family issues has to have their rights protected with the help of a family lawyer. It’s important that you get a trusted and competent family lawyer to make sure that you and your loved ones are properly represented in legal matters.