What constitutes family law?

Family Law is an area of law that is often referred to as matrimonial law. It addresses issues with domestic relations and family situation. Although the family law is typically defined as an area of law that deals with marriage and domestic partnerships; it also includes child support, surrogacy, child custody, child abuse, surrogacy, paternity testing, alimony, paternity fraud, supervised visitation, and much more.

The main issues that most Austin Family Law practitioners focus on are divorce, child custody, and child support. In a divorce, there are no-fault and fault-grounded divorces. No fault divorces typically mean that neither spouse has to prove that there is marital misconduct or fault as to why the marriage isn’t working out. Instead, they must merely show that they have irreconcilable differences and that the marriage is so broken that it cannot be fixed. In contrast, during a fault-grounded divorce, one of the parties basically proves that it is the other parties fault that the marriage has broken apart. With both types of divorce, state laws vary as to how the cases are handled.

Child custody cases are basically when the court determines who should have custody of the children in a divorce or separation. A parent who is the custodial parents has legal and physical custody of the child, and in most instances, they typically reside with that parent. For this to be granted, the court makes a formal declaration via a decree, judgment or court order that provides for the child’s physical custody, visitation rights, and legal custody.

Child support is a periodic payment made by a parent to help cover the costs of the child once the marriage or relationship has ended. It is typically used to cover such expense as the child’s medical care, rent or mortgage, telephone, utility bills, educational costs, etc.

In conclusion, family law is more than matrimonial law and covers issues with family support and domestic relations. It often addresses such matters as child support, child custody, child abuse, paternity testing and much more. Most Austin Family Law practitioners focus on divorce, child custody, and child support, however, some delve into more complicated topics as well.

If you’re seeking assistance with a family law issue, let us help you. We’re not only knowledgeable about divorces, child custody, and child support but we can help you understand your rights and those of your child. Call Jackson law firm today for a consultation.

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