Family Law

Family Law is one of the areas of greatest demand for service.    For specific examples  of how we have assisted clients in this area  .

Since demand for representation exceeds our capacity to provide it, our goals for representation in family law include:

• Provide representation to parents being sued for custody of their children.
• Provide representation to parents whose children have been abducted by the other parent or by a third party.
• Provide representation to parents whose legal right to custody or visitation with their children is being violated.
• Provide assistance to establish and maintain child support.
• Provide representation, in cooperation with domestic violence centers, to victims of domestic violence.
• Establish clinics to teach individuals to represent themselves in family law matters such as custody modifications, no-fault divorce and name changes.

Client Profiles:

A woman came to our office seeking representation to obtain primary physical custody of her minor daughter because of an action for custody brought by the biological father. Our client had been the primary care-giver for her daughter since her birth, but required hospitalization for severe depression and an addiction to prescription medications. The client felt that it was in the best interest of her child during her hospitalization that her daughter reside with her brother and sister-in law until the client was better able to provide for and take care of her daughter. That decision precipitated the filing of the action for custody by the child’s father. This man had been physically abusive to the client and emotionally abusive to the child in the past.

At the hearing the court awarded joint temporary legal custody of the child with temporary primary physical custody of the little girl to be with her mother provided that she remain in residence with the brother and sister-in-law. The bond between mother and daughter became stronger after our client’s hospitalization and she was better able to care for and participate in recreational and school activities with her child. Our client gained primary custody of her daughter in a subsequent hearing and our office provided the client with the means to empower herself by "pulling herself up by the bootstraps." Further, the little girl is living in a loving and nurturing abuse-free environment due, in part, to our representation of her mother in this matter.

Our client was a woman who lived in fear of physical abuse from her husband on a daily basis. One incident left her so badly beaten that it became a front-page news story of the local paper. Because of that story, our client nearly lost her job. Because she lived in fear of what people might say, subsequent beatings by her husband left her silent and suffering.

Her terror increased and culminated in violence one evening when her husband came home in a vile state and began verbally abusing her. That abuse escalated into physical abuse when he hurled an ashtray at our client, cutting her legs when it shattered. He attempted to strangle our client and frightened their children so badly that one of them felt compelled to grab a baseball bat to help protect his mother. The client fled from the home.  She sought help at her local domestic violence shelter and filed for a Protection from Abuse. We prepared the client for her hearing and were able to effectuate a consent agreement which would keep our client and her children safe from further abuse by this man and helped her on her road to independence.

A client contacted our office seeking representation regarding the custody of his three minor children. The client’s wife had also filed a petition for custody. Our client suffers from an anxiety disorder and his current source of income is Social Security Disability. The client’s wife was granted primary physical custody of the parties’ three minor children. Although the court expressed an unfavorable opinion of our client, the facts surrounding this case were more positive for our client. The natural mother could not sustain adequate housing. Reports and testimony from school officials established that she often neglected the educational and physical needs of the children. The youngest child had been diagnosed with a severe receptive/expressive language and speech disorder which had not been addressed by the mother. In contrast, our client had a stable home environment, family support, and continuous interaction with the children’s teachers and school officials.

This information was provided to the court and after diligent and effective efforts through motions, conferences and hearings, our client was finally awarded primary physical custody of his three minor children. This case brought about a great improvement in the lives of the children through attention to their needs and bringing stability and a loving environment to their lives.