Divorce is the ending of
a marriage before the death of either spouse, which can be contrasted with an
annulment which is a declaration that a marriage is void, as if it never occured.
As one might expect, significant legal issues arise during a divorce, including
the relationship with the children of the marriage, the division of property
and assets, and even the operation of underlying businesses and corporations.
In a federal appeals panel
ruling last week that no one could remove Elian from the U.S. before a May 11 hearing in the same
court, the judges appeared to portend a new issue, seeming to claim an unexpected new right for
six-year-olds to press their cases.
Separation agreements could be crucial in establishing privacy, protecting children and
negotiating financial matters. They also can help to set the terms of separation quickly; they
effectively dissolve a marriage, while a divorce can take years.
Parents who are contemplating
divorce often have many concerns about who will have custody of the children and how the costs of
raising them will be divided. Even when a divorce is "friendly," each parent is advised to seek out his
or her own lawyer to be sure their rights and those of the children are protected. Traditionally,
individual states have regulated family law matters, such as marriage, divorce, or child custody. Over
the past two decades, however, there has been a trend for states to adopt uniform laws governing child
custody and support to reduce the amount of variance from state to state. While the following
information offers an overview of child custody and support guidelines, a lawyer can explain the
specific laws of your state. Topics include: Deciding factors in awarding child custody; Issues
surrounding visitation; Setting guidelines for child support; Adjusting child custody arrangements or
the amount of child support
In a federal appeals panel
ruling last week that no one could remove Elian from the U.S. before a May 11 hearing in the same
court, the judges appeared to portend a new issue, seeming to claim an unexpected new right for
six-year-olds to press their cases.
Separation agreements could be crucial in establishing privacy, protecting children and
negotiating financial matters. They also can help to set the terms of separation quickly; they
effectively dissolve a marriage, while a divorce can take years.
Parents who are contemplating
divorce often have many concerns about who will have custody of the children and how the costs of
raising them will be divided. Even when a divorce is "friendly," each parent is advised to seek out his
or her own lawyer to be sure their rights and those of the children are protected. Traditionally,
individual states have regulated family law matters, such as marriage, divorce, or child custody. Over
the past two decades, however, there has been a trend for states to adopt uniform laws governing child
custody and support to reduce the amount of variance from state to state. While the following
information offers an overview of child custody and support guidelines, a lawyer can explain the
specific laws of your state. Topics include: Deciding factors in awarding child custody; Issues
surrounding visitation; Setting guidelines for child support; Adjusting child custody arrangements or
the amount of child support
