Navigating a civil law matter, no matter what it is, can be complicated. When the matter involves family, the process can be both legally complex and also very emotional. Sometimes, emotions can cloud one’s best judgment – something that is less-than-ideal when trying to secure an outcome that is in-keeping with your best interests. In such cases, it is helpful to have a skilled family law attorney in your corner working hard to ensure that your rights and interests are fully protected.
At the law offices of St. John, Bowling & Lawrence, our family law attorneys understand what you’re going through and how challenging it can be to resolve a complicated family legal matter on your own. We have extensive experience with this area of the law, and we have helped numerous clients achieve favorable results. When you contact our offices, our lawyers will provide you with the qualified legal representation you need and deserve.
Our Family Law Practice Areas
Our lawyers represent clients for a wide range of family legal matters. These include:
- If you and your spouse are ready to terminate your marriage, working with a lawyer can prove helpful. Our lawyers will go over important matters such as residency requirements for divorce, separation requirements, how long divorce takes, and issues that you and your spouse will need to resolve before your divorce can be finalized.
- Division of property. One of the most potentially contentious issues in any divorce is the division of the marital estate. In Virginia, debts and assets must be divided in a manner that is equitable, although not necessarily equal. An agreement is typically reached through negotiations.
- Child custody. Another hotly contested issue that we run into frequently in divorces involving children is determining which parent will have custody. Child custody is based on the best interests of the child, which is determined after the consideration of a number of different factors.
- Child support. Regardless of with whom a child lives when parents are not living together, bothparents are responsible for providing for the child’s financial interests. This is almost always ensured by the non-custodial parent being ordered to make child support payments to the custodial parent.
- Alimony/spousal support. If parties are seeking a divorce, an award of alimony, also called spousal support or spousal maintenance, may be part of the divorce settlement. Alimony is ordered by the court when one spouse requires the payment in order to maintain the quality of life established during the marriage. How long alimony lasts, and how much payments will be, are based on numerous different factors.
- Prenuptial Agreements. A prenuptial agreement can protect both people going into a marriage, particularly where there is a large disparity in the incomes, assets or earning power between the couple. A prenuptial agreement can ensure the wealthier party that he or she will not be unfairly taken advantage of in the event of a divorce and be forced to part with hard-earned assets out of proportion to what fairness requires, while also ensuring the less-wealthy spouse that he or she will be taken care and receive a fair share of property or support that reflects the values and interests of the parties. Our family law attorneys help to draft prenuptial agreements – or similar marital agreements drafted during the marriage – that stand up to legal tests for validity and enforceability and fully reflect and protect our clients’ interests.
- For mothers, fathers, and children alike, establishing paternity is very important; if paternity is not established, a father has no legal rights. Not only does this mean that a father won’t be able to seek custody of his child, but that mother and child will not be entitled to certain benefits, such as child support. Our lawyers are familiar with the process of establishing paternity, and can support you in doing so.
- Sometimes, a family law settlement is entered into that, months or years later, no longer makes sense for your situation. If you need to modify a child-custody, child-support, or spousal-maintenance order, our lawyers can assist you with this often challenging process.
If you have another family law matter that you need help navigating, such as a case involving a separation but not a divorce, a domestic violence case, or an annulment of a marriage, please call us for skilled guidance on these areas as well.
Why Do I Need a Family Law Attorney?
If you are involved in a family law case, working with an attorney can greatly improve the outcome of your case. Especially if you are dealing with numerous other time-consuming issues in your life, such as working, moving out of your home, raising a child, etc., having a lawyer on your side whom you can trust to handle your family law case can mitigate stress and reduce the burden on your shoulders.
A family law attorney will manage all aspects of your case, from helping you to understand the law and your options to gathering evidence to support your case to representing you during negotiations. If your case cannot be resolved out of court, a lawyer can also represent you during a family law trial.
Why Choose the Offices of St. John, Bowling & Lawrence?
When you are searching for a family law attorney who can represent you during your case, the lawyer you select can play a critical role in the outcome of your case. At the offices of St. John, Bowling & Lawrence, we have the experience, resources, and dedication to ensure that our clients receive the skilled and representation they need and deserve.
Here are just a few additional reasons to consider working with us:
- We have more than 110 years of combined legal experience.
- Reputation. We are trusted in the community and have positive client testimonials behind our name.
- Passion. We are truly passionate about what we do and about helping clients resolve their family law matters in the most peaceful, amicable way possible.
Schedule Your Consultation with Our Law Office Today
You don’t have to go through this alone. Whether you are facing a divorce, seeking custody of your child, pursuing alimony, or managing another family law matter, our experienced Virginia family law professionals are there to provide you with the support you are looking for.
When you call our law firm, our lawyers will sit down with you to discuss your case. We give you the legal advice you need to make informed decisions about how to best pursue the case result you want in a way that preserves delicate family relationships.
Call us today at 434-296-7138 to schedule your initial consultation, visit our Charlottesville office in person, or send us a private and secure message through our web contact form.
