Fairfield Family Lawyer

Fairfield Family Law Attorney

Family law is complex, and cases often include highly contested disputes that deal with heightened emotions. Outcomes can greatly impact finances, as well as the well-being of children and other dependents, and some situations may even lead to criminal charges and jail time, such as contempt of a child support order. When you’re facing issues regarding family law, a trusted Fairfield family lawyer can be key to a successful outcome in your case.

The trusted family law team at Reich & Truax, PLLC, has decades of experience focused on quality legal representation in Connecticut family law cases. We devote individual time and attention to each client so we can offer innovative, practical solutions tailored to the client’s needs and circumstances. Our goal is to achieve the most favorable outcome in every case regarding our clients’ finances, property, custody, and other interests.

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Family Law

There are several areas of focus for lawyers, including criminal law, civil law, corporate law, tax law, and others. Family law is the area that focuses on laws, regulations, rules, processes, and court procedures that affect families.

Divorce

Connecticut, which uses the term dissolution of marriage to mean divorce, is a no-fault divorce state. This means that you can get a divorce even if there isn’t abuse, adultery, desertion, or another specific reason. There is a waiting period for the divorce to be finalized once papers are filed. The main issues for divorce are division of assets and debts and, when applicable, child custody and support.

Division of Assets and Debts

The state of Connecticut uses the equitable distribution system to divide assets. This means that judges in family court try to split property evenly based on a number of factors, such as how long the couple was married, what each of the spouse’s incomes are, the earning potential of each spouse, and the contributions and role in the household of each spouse. Property owned by each person before marriage or after separation is generally not considered marital property.

Alimony

Alimony, which is called spousal support in Connecticut, is a monthly payment sometimes granted to one spouse when the other spouse has a significantly higher income. Spousal support may not apply to every divorce case.

Child Custody

Child custody includes legal custody, meaning the parent who makes decisions about the child’s well-being, and physical custody, meaning the parent with whom the child lives. Having a detailed parenting plan is key, and the plan may need to be updated over the years. Custody is often part of divorces, but for separated couples who were never married, legal paternity may need to be determined.

Child Support

All parents are required to provide financial support for their children. However, this does not always mean an equal 50/50 split between parents. There is a complex formula for determining how much each parent is responsible for paying that includes each parent’s income and expenses as well as the child’s needs. If there is a significant difference in income or how much time one parent spends caring for the child, child support payment may be ordered by the court.

Non-Parent Visitation Rights

In some cases, people who are not the child’s legal parents may wish to seek visitation rights. This might be grandparents, aunts and uncles, stepparents, or others whose relationship to the child is similar to a parent. Getting these visitation rights can be complicated, as there are not the same automatic legal rights as there are for biological parents.

Alternative Reproduction

There can be tricky legal concerns surrounding assisted or alternative reproductive technology such as surrogacy, whether traditional or gestational, sperm or egg donation or other fertility treatments. For individuals or couples planning to use these technologies, having a detailed contract is essential to protect the rights of parents, surrogates, and donors.

Mediation

Many family lawyers also work as mediators or neutral third parties who facilitate agreements between family members in divorces, custody, and other disputes. Mediation is an alternative legal process that can help some families avoid going to court and often save time and money for family law issues. However, mediation may not be a good choice for every case, especially if there is a high degree of conflict.

FAQs

Your Trusted Fairfield Family Lawyer

Reich & Truax, PLLC is committed to attention to detail, responsiveness, and excellence in legal counsel and representation. If your family is facing divorce, child custody or support issues, or other legal challenges, contact our office right away to schedule a consultation and explore your legal options.