Lafayette Divorce Lawyer And Family Law Lawyers

Few things in life can be as trying as getting a divorce. While a divorce can be obtained in Louisiana on a “no-fault” basis, there do exist grounds for divorce where “fault” is an issue (adultery being an obvious example). Even if fault is not an issue, the process of filing for divorce can seem complex and confusing, for this reason, it is wise to seek help from local family law lawyers.

Divorce Law with Minor Children

Regardless of the circumstances of the divorce, however, other issues, equally if not more important, invariably arise. If the parties have minor children, the issue of custody and visitation is no doubt at the forefront. With child custody, of course, comes the issue of child support and the questions of who pays whom, how much, and for how long? These are questions your divorce attorney will help you understand.

Community Property

What about community property? Louisiana is a community property state and there are myriad rules regarding the same. When the parties divorce, the court will decide what happens to the community property. A partition is a court-ordered division of the community property. If a partition is granted, the court will decide who gets what. If a partition is not ordered, the community property is managed by a neutral third party. If you have a home, who gets to live there? For that matter, who gets to use the property while the divorce is pending? What about a business, or a retirement plan? What about the things you had before you were married? Are there claims for reimbursement?

Alimony and Divorce

Is alimony an issue? It may be, though we don’t call it that anymore. Alimony is now known as “spousal support”. Louisiana law recognizes an obligation of the spouses to support each other so there certainly can be potential claims for spousal support. As with child support, the immediate questions are no doubt, who pays, how much, and for how long.

Unmarried Parties

Suppose the parties were not married, do any of the above issues apply? Well, while getting a divorce would not be necessary (Louisiana does not recognize, for example, “common law marriage”), nor would community property or spousal support, if the parties have children, child custody and support remain issues to be addressed with your family law lawyer. Further, even if there is no community property, there may be jointly owned property (property acquired by the two of them together) and there are rules regarding the resolution of those issues as well.

Family Law is a Broad Area

As you will see in reviewing our website, family law is a broad area of the law. From divorce and community property to child custody and support, spousal support, interdictions and tutorships, paternity issues, emancipations, and others, family law encompasses many different areas of the law.

Life is complicated. Regrettably, we make plans, but things often don’t work out as intended. When these twists and turns present themselves, it’s important to have someone on your side.

Lafayette, LA divorce lawyer Reardon Stanford has 20 years of experience and is a family law specialist. He can guide you through the process and help you find the light at the end of the tunnel. If financial or business issues are part of the divorce, this firm is uniquely placed to handle them.  Please allow our experienced Lafayette, LA family law lawyers to help.

D. Reardon Stanford practices Divorce and Family Law.