Five signs you need a family lawyer
Trying to decide if you need a family lawyer or not? Here are five signs you might want to make the call and speak to one.
If you ask most people whether or not they will need a lawyer one day, the large majority would unequivocally tell you “no”. However, there are many reasons why you may need a family lawyer.
There will always be times when you need to consult with prime lawyers. And, while no one wants to find themselves in that position, it can be far better to seek professional legal help early in a situation – and save yourself heartache, time, stress and money later.
Here are five signs you may want to enlist the advice and help of a family lawyer.
1) You’re nearing the end of your marriage
While no couple starts out with the intention of one day getting divorced, that’s exactly what happens to around one in every two couples. So there’s a chance that if you marry, you might need a family lawyer.
If you think you might be nearing the end of your marriage, it’s worth making an appointment with a lawyer just to get an idea of your options. So if you do decide to proceed with a separation, you have an idea of what that will involve.
2) You need to arrange access of your children
If you are already separated from your ex-partner and custody has never been an issue then you are very lucky. For most couples, who has custody and/or access of their children is one of the most contentious issues.
So contentious that it’s usually agreed with the help of the courts. And even if it is agreed, custody (and maintenance for that matter) agreements are often not adhered to by a parent. And in these circumstances, you’ll need the help of a family lawyer Chicago to resolve them.
3) A family member is dying and they don’t have an updated will
Inheritance is a complex area of the law. So it’s important to get proper legal advice to handle it. That means not only getting help from a lawyer to write your own will, but getting advice if a close family member becomes terminally ill, or if it appears that they may not last much longer, and they don’t have an updated will.
In these situations you may not wish to talk about cash and assets, but failure to do get everything in order could result in things being divided up in a way that the deceased would never have wanted.
It might be a tough conversation to have, but it’s much better to ensure everything is settled before your relative passes away, and leaves you trying to resolve an ugly legal dispute, or financial mess, while trying to cope with your grief.
4) You’re getting married and want a prenuptial agreement
One area of the law which family lawyers are often very familiar with is prenuptial agreements,. A prenuptial agreement is designed to protect both spouses who are entering into a marriage.
Agreeing a prenup can be a tricky conversation. But like organising a proper, watertight will, it’s much better to have a difficult conversation now and ensure you are both protected and happy than try to resolve a complicated and expensive dispute later.
A family lawyer will guide you through the process of drawing up a prenuptial agreement, and can help you decide what is right, fair and legal before approaching the conversation with your spouse-to-be.
5) You need legal representation
Family lawyers can be used to represent family members inside court for litigation issues, and if there are problems on this front a family lawyer can often be the perfect solution.
Family lawyers are often specialists in settling things outside of the courtroom, but they can also be incredibly helpful within the courtroom for the right cases.
There are many reasons as to why you may need a family lawyer. Just make sure that you will be going for one that specializes in this matter, as lawyers have varying areas of specialization like business lawyers and criminal defense attorneys, to name a few. And it’s always better to seek advice as early as possible, to prevent problems arising and causing more trouble (and cost) to resolve later.
Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe
