Family law encompasses far more than divorce, although guiding you through a divorce is a vital service family attorneys provide. When legal issues arise between family members, an attorney can help you handle them. They can be harmonious issues like adoption, sensitive ones like a minor’s desire for emancipation, and contentious ones when divorcing couples argue over child custody or who gets certain assets.
Our firm offers empathetic and experienced advice. Family law issues usually include powerful emotions since you are often disputing with someone you know closely instead of a stranger. Whether you need help enforcing a child support order or understanding divorce laws, a North Carolina family lawyer can solve problems and answer questions.
In North Carolina, divorce is called an absolute divorce. North Carolina is a no-fault state, with virtually all divorces being granted based on a one-year separation. Parties are legally separated when one of the parties has physically separated with the intention of ending the marriage. In rare cases, the courts will also grant a divorce to a spouse married to an incurably insane spouse who has been institutionalized for at least three years.
North Carolina also permits a divorce from bed and board, which is a form of court-ordered separation where a party has proven certain behavior has occurred. According to North Carolina General Statute § 50-7, the court grants divorces from bed and board when an offending spouse:
It is important to note that a divorce from bed and board does not dissolve a marriage and it will still be necessary to pursue an absolute divorce at a later date even if the bed and board divorce is granted.
North Carolina is an equitable distribution state. This allows the family law judge to split the marital assets and debts in a manner that is fair to both spouses. The judge will consider the ages, education, and work experience of the spouses and who mostly incurred the marital debt. Talk to a compassionate family attorney in North Carolina for representation in a divorce or separation.
As part of your divorce, spouses must agree on child custody and support. Our attorneys represent your interests after carefully listening to your concerns and how you envision your family’s future. We also take absent parents to court because we are passionate about children’s stability as they settle into their new lives.
We can also represent you when you are planning to adopt a child. Factors affecting adoptions include whether the child is born in the U.S. or a foreign country, the birth parents’ rights, and the investigative process your family will undergo.
Our skilled family lawyers in North Carolina also step in if the government remands your children to foster care. We can fight to reunite your family should we find fault in social services’ actions.
Family law involves all aspects of your life with people you are related to. You may wish to negotiate a pre-nuptial agreement or establish a baby’s paternity to collect child support. In almost all cases, you should have an attorney draft and file the documents and represent you before a judge to ensure your rights are protected.
When your legal issue involves a family member, give us a call. Family issues are always more emotional, and our attorneys maintain the composure to keep matters moving toward a positive outcome. Call a North Carolina family lawyer for your confidential consultation now.
Centrally located on the waterfront in downtown Elizabeth City, our team provides quality legal representation across the following counties in the Northeast North Carolina region.
Also serving only criminal and traffic cases in the following counties:
Parks Zeigler, PLLC – Attorneys At Law
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