Family law covers broad range of legal areas. It is generally associated with divorce law or matrimonial law, however, family law covers more than just divorces.
If you have difficulty understanding the family-laws in your State, know limited English or feel more comfortable speaking to a Hispanic divorce lawyer, you may want to seek a family lawyer who speaks Spanish so that you better understand your options and can make the best decisions possible for your case.
Most family and divorce practices provide legal services that cover all aspects of family law.
Whether mediation or litigation, an experienced divorce lawyer can help you obtain fair results from your divorce, including distribution of assets, fair and appropriate child support payments along with child custody arrangements.
Now commonly referred to as “Parenting Agreements”. A law firm specializing in family law defends your parental rights to raise and support your child or children in a healthy, loving and proper home. They work to find the arrangement that meets the best interests of everyone regarding custody and visitation.
Under most state laws, the property and assets acquired by you and your spouse during your marriage is to be divided equitably. An experienced family lawyer will ensure the division is fair and reasonable for both parties.
Whether step-parent adoption, international adoption, foster care adoption or any other form of adoption, a good family lawyer can assist you with the process.
While a military divorce is similar to any other, there are a few special components that are typically considered to protect the rights of all involved, such as: jurisdiction (what state or county is the divorce being filed), child visitation and rights when one or both parents are still active duty, asset division with regards to current income and future military pension.
An unfortunate effect of LGBT marriage, is the rise in LGBT divorce. And like military divorce, there are a few special components when handling a LGBT divorce, such as: Prior civil union (this gives a more accurate starting point for the sake of asset division), as well as child visitation and parenting agreements.
While many people find Prenuptial Agreements to be unromantic, they are an essential estate planning tool for any person with considerable assets, or the potential for considerable assets and debts. Having a legally binding prenuptial agreement can make the divorce process quicker and less stressful, should the marriage ever dissolve.
Modifying an existing divorce agreement can be just as stressful as the initial divorce, especially if it involves altering the time a parent can spend with their child, or there is a request for more or less financial support.
A qualified family lawyer can help with divorce, child custody agreements, spousal support, asset division or other family law matters. They bring with them a thorough understanding of state law in order to protect your legal rights in matters ranging from divorce, to prenuptial agreements, cohabitation to child support calculations.
All aspects of family law can be stressful, whether divorcing, trying to determine support or visitation, pre-marital contracts or adoption, especially if English is not your primary language. Certain phrases and legal language can be confusing and without a Spanish-speaking lawyer to help you, you could be inadvertently signing your rights away. Choosing the right Spanish-speaking family lawyer is especially important as this professional will be pivotal in determining the shape of your future life.
One of the best and easiest ways to determine a lawyer’s ability is by interviewing him or her. Most family lawyers will provide an initial consultation at no cost.
Before you pick a lawyer, set up consultations with several to determine which one you feel most comfortable with and who is willing to work with your budget.
Consider the following when choosing the right lawyer for you:
Do you feel at ease when sitting in his or her office? Does the staff acknowledge you and make you feel at ease with your decision? Do you meet with the lawyer directly? Or just a legal assistant? Are you comfortable giving your personal information? Does the attorney seem interested in assisting you with your case? Can he provide references from other clients? How will you be informed of developments in your case (email, letter, phone call)? Does he or she speak Spanish? Are they able to provide legal documentation in Spanish as well?
Does the lawyer have experience working with cases similar to yours? How long has the lawyer been in practice? Has the lawyer had any complaints or lawsuits filed against them? Is their license to practice law current and for your state? What is his track record of success? What percentage of his caseload is handling your type of legal problem (for example, he or she only writes up one or two pre-nuptial agreements per year may not be up-to-date with current laws)
Based on your initial explanation, can the attorney give you a cost estimate? How do they get paid - hourly or flat fee? Do they require up-front payment or will they accept installments? How much malpractice insurance does he or she carry? What additional costs may be involved (postage, filing fees, copy fees, etc.)?
While interviewing your potential lawyer is an excellent way to get to know someone and get a feel for how they operate their practice, understand that sometimes first-impressions may not tell the whole story.
Before hiring any lawyer, it is recommended you do a little more of your own research. Read reviews online, while some people may not be happy with how their case turned out and complain, what you are looking for is consistency.
Do people generally leave a positive review regarding professionalism and personal attention? Or are there mostly complaints of never receiving a call back and sub-standard treatment by lawyer or staff?
Contact your local lawyer disciplinary agency to confirm that the lawyer you are considering is in good standing as a member of the bar. Simply Google your state and “bar association”, for example: California Bar Association.
While checking a lawyer’s personal references is good, understand that a person usually only gives references of people he or she knows will speak of a positive experience. You can also check a lawyer’s peer review ratings online at Martindale.com.
These evaluations of lawyers are generated by other members of the bar and the judiciary in the United States and Canada.
Note: Though there are many family law firms that provide legal services to Latinos in Spanish and can explain legal details, not all lawyers speak Spanish. Some firms however do hire and provide translators as well as legal staff members that are Spanish-speaking.
SeHablaLaw.com is an online directory of Spanish speaking lawyers and law firms based in the United States of America.