WH Family Law encompasses issues related to marriage, divorce and child custody as well as domestic violence laws and inheritance regulations. Furthermore, it encompasses adoption law.
WH Law of Jonesboro, Arkansas offers expert divorce attorney services. Their team prioritizes clear communication and offers comprehensive support to clients.
Domestic standing order
Domestic Standing Orders (DSO) are legal documents which must be agreed to by both parties during a divorce proceeding. These orders often accompany initial pleadings filed with the court and limit specific actions during litigation.
Domestic standing orders often restrict one party from changing the beneficiaries of their insurance policies during a divorce, to ensure coverage stays in place during this process and prevent one spouse from hiding assets or making improper financial decisions.
Domestic standing orders also serve a secondary purpose: they prevent retaliatory action. Emotions can quickly turn into quick decisions that harm spouses in the long run, such as locking them out of their own home or restricting access to shared accounts. Standing orders help avoid these actions and promote more civil interactions between both parties while the case proceeds.
Domestic standing orders also provide evidence in court proceedings by freezing assets. They can also be used as grounds for contempt of court if someone sells or disposes of assets that were frozen by the court.
Child custody
Custody encompasses both where a child resides and decision making authority (formerly referred to as legal custody). Courts make decisions regarding both, with judges considering both factors when making a determination – including each parent’s lifestyle, stability and ability to provide care as well as any preferences voiced by their children (if old enough).
Domestic violence history could sway a court’s custody and visitation decision if the victim fears that an abusive parent might take away or harm his/her children. A judge, however, cannot consider factors like gender identity or sexual orientation when making these decisions.
Parents can petition a judge for changes to their custody or visitation order as part of a divorce action in Supreme or Family Court. If either parent violates an existing custody/visitation arrangement, then either may file a petition in order to enforce it against that parent.
Alimony
Alimony (also referred to as spousal support or maintenance) is a regular payment made from one former spouse to the other after divorce for financial support until their dependent partner can become independent financially. Alimony payments typically last a set duration but this can change or end when either party dies, gets remarried, or the paying spouse reaches retirement age.
Alimony laws vary by state, with judges having great latitude in awarding or denying spousal support based on factors like marriage length and both parties’ income levels.
WH Law offers expert legal assistance for people residing in Jonesboro, Arkansas and its surrounding area facing divorce. Their commitment to strong advocacy and clear communication make WH Law an excellent choice when faced with family legal matters involving separation or dissolution. Their goal is to make this legal process as pain-free as possible for their clients in order to reach an amicable solution more quickly.
Divorce
Divorce, or the dissolution of a marriage, involves complex legal, financial and parental matters that often prove challenging for all involved – especially children. Although difficult, children can eventually learn how to cope with divorce as they would other changes in life.
Before legislatures equalized property allocation laws between spouses, many divorce statutes unfairly favored the wage-earning spouse over homemakers in property allocation laws for divorce proceedings. This caused significant changes to women’s role within society and led to skyrocketing divorce rates.
Most jurisdictions have adopted no-fault systems that enable couples to file for divorce based on an allegation that their marriage has irretrievably broken down, whether this occurs jointly or individually. Once an application has been filed, no defense can be lodged by disputing facts relied upon – divorce will only be granted if all facts provided to court are truthful and accurate; under DDSA 2020 this list has been narrowed further so no individual can contest an application as defenses against it can no longer exist.