​What does the area of Family Law cover?

Most people will use the terms “Family Law” and “Divorce Lawyer” interchangeably with each other.  The truth is that Divorce Law is only one aspect of Family Law.  Family Law involves any area of the law that deals with family-related legal issues.

While it is true that most of these issues can be directly related to divorce, this is not always the case.

As a Family Law attorney, Tracy and her dedicated staff will work with people even prior to their marriage to set up pre-nuptial agreements in order to protect a person’s assets.  We also work with people who are already married went it comes to post-nuptial agreements.

There are areas of Family Law that involve people who are involved in Civil Unions, Domestic Partnerships, and same-sex relationships.  As a Family Law practice, we can ensure that the appropriate contracts and agreements are in place to help to avoid any issues in the future.

Divorce cases are the bulk of what a Family Law attorney will be handling.  However, the term “divorce” encompasses so many other areas, each with their own set of laws and guidelines.  Some of the areas a Family Law attorney will be working in includes:

• Legal Separations
• Property Settlements
• Distribution of Assets
• Alimony, also called Spousal Support
• Child Support
• Child Custody
• Visitation, also called Parenting Time
• Contempt of Court hearings
• Paternity cases
• Parenting Plans

Besides standard divorce proceedings, there are several areas called Alternative Dispute Resolution.  Divorce Mediation and Collaborative Divorce are two areas that a couple may utilize.  While attorneys are not involved directly in Divorce Mediation, we do offer coaching sessions to review how to be prepared for the mediation sessions and how to proceed as you are going through the process.

There is also an alternative dispute resolution process related to creating a parenting plan, called Parenting Coordination.  This is another area where Tracy Duell-Cazes, as a Certified Specialist in the area of Family Law is very well versed.

In extreme cases, we are also involved in areas of Family Law that are more sensitive, such as when one of the spouses is accused of physical or mental abuse of a spouse or child.  We also work on cases where a spouse has fled their responsibilities and cannot be located and even cases that involved a spouse kidnapping their own children.

Family Law is a very diverse and complicated area of the law.  It is also one of the most emotional areas of the law.  With over 30 years of experience, Tracy Duell-Cazes has worked in every conceivable area of Family Law. Being a Certified Specialist in Family Law, you know that Tracy is up-to-date when it comes to the laws and processes and also has the respect of her peers and the courts.

For issues in any area of Family Law, contact Tracy Duell-Cazes at the TDC Family Law for your free consultation.