Family Law

• Divorce
  We have more than 20 years experience in handling divorce matters, both those involving child custody issues and those where the parties either have no children or their children are grown. We understand that being involved in a divorce is challenging emotionally and financially and we will work with you to resolve the various issues as quickly and fairly as possible so you can begin to rebuild your life. Divorcing couples often believe they can handle their divorce on their own, and to the extent that you and your spouse are able to discuss the issues and negotiate fairly and civilly with each other, you may be able to save money and reduce stress. However, you should also be wary of reaching an agreement before you know what your legal rights are. A divorce settlement will have an impact on your life long after the judgment is entered and you should not enter into an agreement lightly, especially during a time of stress, without a complete understanding of what your legal rights are.
• Custody
  Even after a Judgment of Divorce is entered, or in those cases where parents have never been married to each other, disputes can arise concerning or parenting time of the children. Courts award two types of custody: legal and physical. Legal custody determines which parent makes major decisions concerning issues like schooling and medical care. In most cases, the parties are awarded joint legal custody so they can share in those important decisions. Physical custody establishes which parent the child lives with and can be sole physical custody with one parent (with the other exercising parenting time), or joint where the parents share physical custody on a schedule they’ve agreed on or which the court has entered.
• Paternity
  When a couple have a child together but have never been married, the father must establish his paternity if he wishes to enforce his rights through the courts. Similarly, if the mother wants to seek child support, she must file a complaint to establish paternity. Paternity must be formalized even when the parents have signed an affidavit of parentage.
• Step-Parent/Grandparent Adoptions
  
• Parenting Time
  
• Chile Support
  Child support is calculated based on a formula which takes into consideration many factors, including both parents’ income and the number of overnights the child spends with each parent. Once an order has been entered, support is taken directly from the payor’s paycheck each pay period. Under certain circumstances, the parties can obtain an order excluding their case from Friend of the Court services and payment can be made directly to the parent with custody of the child.
• Post Judgment Issues
  
• Spousal Support
  Unlike child support, which is based on a formula there is no set formula for determining spousal support. Many factors go into determining whether a judge will award spousal support, including the age, education and income of each of the parties as well as the length of the marriage.
• Separate Maintenance
  
• Annulments
  
• Prenuptial Agreements
  
• Friend of the Court Hearings
  In many counties, Friend of the Court hearings are more informal than a hearing before a judge. However, the Friend of the Court does make a recommendation to the judge and that recommendation may impact the final outcome of your case or motion. As a result, having an attorney represent you during these hearings can be beneficial. An attorney who practices family law will be able to present not only your position to the Friend of the Court, but will also be able to present that position in the framework of the law and that particular court’s practices to make a more compelling case than you may be able to make on your own.
• Trials
  

 

DISCLAIMER

The information contained on this website is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. Communications in any manner, whether by email, through the website contact form, or by telephone call to Delekta and Delekta P.C. concerning a topic found on this website does not create an attorney/client relationship. This includes any communication concerning the possibility of representation. No attorney/client relationship is created until Delekta and Delekta P.C. and the client sign a Fee Agreement that specifically describes the nature of the representation. That Fee Agreement will also specifically provide for pre-payment of a retainer, and for payment of attorney fees at the current hourly rate and reimbursement of costs advanced on behalf of the client. We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for relief under the bankruptcy code.