Family Law Advice

By Brian K. Tackett, Attorney at Law

Seven Tips for When You Need Family Law Help

Families are complex units made up of different people who closely interact with one another, which means quarrels and issues are bound to arise at some point or another. While many family issues can be settled after a talk, collaboration or a little cooling-off time, sometimes families get into spats that require a little more attention and guidance than your everyday family meeting can offer. Whenever the parties involved cannot settle their familial issues, it is common for at least one person to seek family law advice from a skilled family attorney. Whether it’s for a divorce, alimony, child custody, property division, child support or any other family law issue, there are seven things to consider when soliciting family law advice.

1. Have You Thought About Collaborative Family Law? Going to court to settle family issues—or any issue for that matter—can be quite burdensome for anyone when you consider the time, aggravation and fees involved in the process. This being the case, our first bit of family law advice is to consider collaborative family law. Collaborative family law is a form of alternative dispute resolution that allows families to settle their disagreements out of court. The process calls for the parties involved to work together with their attorneys to find mutually agreeable solutions for everyone.
2. Find A Lawyer Who Specializes in Family Law – There are many different types of lawyers out there who have expertise in particular areas of law. If you have expended every option to settle your issue on your own, our second piece of family law advice is to seek out an attorney who specializes in family law. Family lawyers are well versed in the complex nature of family law and are far more qualified to navigate its numerous laws, policies and processes.
3. Find a Board Certified Family Attorney – In addition to finding a lawyer who specializes in family law, it would be wise for you to seek out a lawyer who is Board Certified in family law. Board Certified lawyers are masters in their areas of law expertise, have gone through extensive legal training and have yearly evaluations through their state’s Board of Legal Specialization to ensure their methods are up to date.
4. Think of the Children – If you are pursuing a divorce from your spouse and have children, our fourth piece of family law advice is to be careful with and mindful of how you and your soon-to-be ex conduct yourselves in front of the kids. Children are very impressionable and are more intuitive than you may think. To avoid scarring the kids or causing them to harbor resentment toward you in the future, do not undermine, degrade, insult or yell at their other parent.
5. Don’t Broadcast Your Issues on Social Media – Everyone has a social media account—multiple social media accounts. While it’s fine to share what’s going on in your life with your friends on social media, our sixth piece of family law advice is to abstain from posting details of your particular issue online. It’s becoming more and more common for lawyers to utilize social media platforms to gather evidence and proof for their clients’ cases. So, if you share anything pertaining to your case online, there’s a high possibility that your opponent’s lawyer will try to use it against you in court.
6. Ask Questions – When looking for the right family lawyer to handle your case, we advise you to ask questions. Do not be afraid to ask for clarification for anything related to your case. Vital questions to ask include the following: “How long have you been practicing law?” “What is your area of law expertise?” “How many cases like mine have you personally handled?” “What would be your approach to handling my case?”
7. Schedule a Consultation – If you are having a family issue that is making you consider reaching out to an attorney for guidance, the family lawyers at Hayes, Berry, White & Vanzant are ready to provide the legal guidance and/or representation you deserve. Our last bit of family law advice is to give us a call at (940) 387-3518, or contact us here. We’d be more than happy to schedule a consultation with you to hear your case!