Family Law

This is FindLaw’s collection of Family Law articles, part of the Corporate Counsel Center Law Library. Collectively, these laws deal with matters of significant impact on family relationships, particularly adoption, divorce, custody, and abuse. While some family law matters may be handled without counsel, processes such as divorce and child custody often require the skill and expertise of a skilled attorney. Family law also involves the prevention of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Law articles in this archive are predominantly written by lawyers for a professional audience seeking business solutions to legal issues. Start your free research with FindLaw.

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Family Law Articles

Protection for Unmarried Parents

Unmarried parents face unique challenges when they separate. Unlike their married counterparts, unwed fathers are not automatically presumed to be the biological parent of their children despite the fact that they may be listed on the child's birth ...
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Questions & Answers: Child Support and Alimony

For child support, you might want to contact either an attorney, or your local child support enforcement agency in order to obtain an Income Deduction Order or Income Withholding Order. For alimony, you might want to contact an attorney to obtain a ...
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Reporting Requirements Expanded to Track “Dead-Beat Dads”

Congress recently subjected employers to additional reporting requirements when hiring new employees. Now employers are required to furnish a report to a Directory of New Hires in the state in which any newly hired employee works. This report must ...
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Retirement Planning

There is a concept called retirement planning which by its very nature takes place and is activated prior to the onset of the results of a properly maintained estate plan. Retirement planning is somewhat different than estate planning because the ...
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Same-Sex Marriage Legal In Massachusetts: What Does This Mean For Employers In And Outside Of The Commonwealth Of Massachusetts?

THE GOODRIDGE DECISION AND LEGISLATIVE AFTERMATH On November 18, 2003, in the landmark decision of Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, 440 Mass. 309 (2003), the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that excluding same-sex couples from ...
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South Carolina Family Law Overview

Spousal support is often a very emotional subject for both parties. The party paying support cannot usually understand why any support should be paid to someone who should be out earning money (or more money) and the party receiving the support ...
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Stepping Out

Stepping Out was prepared by the Young Lawyers' Section of The Missouri Bar. This publication is funded in part by a grant from the Missouri Lawyer Trust Account Foundation and is intended to provide the public with law-related information. It is ...
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Still Tied in Knots: An Employer Update On Same-Sex Marriage And Domestic Partner Issues

Across the nation, the legal landscape for domestic partnerships and same-sex marriage keeps changing. Massachusetts authorizes same-sex marriages, but judicial challenges to state marriage laws are pending in other states. Connecticut has joined ...
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Summary of Domestic Relations Law in Virginia

Three months to three years, depending on how complex the case is. Most divorces can be concluded within six months to one year. Depending on the circumstances, from about $500 and up. Fees are normally based on the amount of work involved in the ...
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Support Calculation

For several years in California child and spousal support amounts have been calculated using "Guidelines" developed by the State Legislature. Judges and attorneys use a computer program called "Dissomaster" to do the calculation and, in most cases ...
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