What is Family Law?

Family law refers to an area of law intended to assist families in resolving various legal issues. This can include a wide range of topics, such as adoption, child support, child custody, divorce, guardianship, paternity, spousal support and termination of parental rights.

These problems can be very complicated and stressful, and it can be difficult to navigate the legal processes. However, there are online resources, such as www.LawHelp.org, that can provide much-needed information.

Family law is mainly divided into the categories of marriage and children; a division with a blurred line because the two often overlap. Legal issues surrounding marriage can include things such as pre-nuptial agreements and other contracts such as joint wills that organize a couple’s finances. Divorce (dissolution/termination of marriage) and division of assets and the liabilities that are consequences of divorce are also handled within family law. Family practice that involves children overlaps with divorce in the area of custody issues as well as child support and visitation rights. Other legal issues involving children are child abuse, neglect, protection and termination of parental rights.

Laws in this area vary by state, so it’s important to get local information. Lawhelp.org, a national legal information portal, guides users to the help they need according to where they are located. The site offers easy-to-understand information about family law topics and referrals to local legal aid organizations that can help with these types of issues. In some states, users can even complete and print out certain legal forms, such as parenting plans, via an automated online interview.

Other organizations providing information on family law include the Child Welfare Information Gateway site (www.childwelfare.gov), run by the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, which provides information on adoption, child abuse and neglect and family support services. The American Bar Association has a free, downloadable book, The ABA Guide to Family Law, available at http://www.abanet.org/publiced/practical/books/family/, which covers a variety of family law topics.