Family Law

You need a dedicated, aggressive lawyer.

Getting divorced will be one of the most challenging experiences you will ever have to endure.  There are numerous questions that need to be addressed long before you make that decision or that decision is thrust upon you.  These are tough issues but they need to be addressed with a competent legal advisor:  

    Why do marriages fail?
    When does the law permit a divorce?
    Is a prenuptial agreement enforceable?
    What happens to marital assets that are spent before the divorce?
    What is Divorce Court like?
    What are some statistics on divorce?
    Can I stop my spouse from divorcing me?
    Are there different types of alimony?
    Do I get alimony before I am divorced?
    What happens to my children?
    Can I sue my spouse if I have been abused?
    What happens to my stepchildren?
    What about my life and health insurance?
    What happens to my Social Security benefits?
    Who pays for the lawyer if my spouse controls the money?
    How much money does my spouse earn?
    Can I use my maiden name again?
    What happens to my children's names?
    What is domestic violence and how can it be stopped?
    My spouse injured me; can I sue?
    Does my will need to be changed?
    Does my social security card need to be changed?
    What happens if my spouse refuses to pay for me or the kids?
    Can my spouse be arrested for non-payment of alimony or child support?
    Is there any benefit to hiring a private investigator to catch my spouse cheating?
    Do I get more money if my spouse is cheating?
    How much child support will I receive?
    Does my spouse have to pay for our children's college or advanced education?
    When is my child emancipated and what does this mean?
    When does child support stop?
    When does alimony stop?
    What happens if I change my mind and I stop the divorce?
    What if I have been separated for many years and I cannot find my spouse?
    Can I terminate my spouse’s parental rights?
    What if my spouse never makes the scheduled drop off time for my children?
    What if the grandparents want visitation and we do not get along?
    Do grandparents get visitation?
    I never adopted my stepchildren so what is my responsibility to them?
    My spouse continues to use the credit card after the separation; how do I stop this?
    My spouse used my name to get credit; what do I do?
    What happens to my tax returns?
    What happens to my 401(k)?
    What happens to my pension?
    I have been divorced other times; what effect does this have on my monetary obligations?
    What is a domestic partnership?
    Does a domestic partner have to pay alimony or child support?

The issues are numerous and complex.  You need experienced, aggressive help to get divorced and assure that your rights are protected.  You cannot be indecisive or slow to act.  There is too much to lose.

Carton and Rudnick provides goal-specific counseling for all potential divorce clients.  We have all potential clients complete a “getting to goals”™ questionnaire to assure that we are on the same page from the beginning of the relationship.  We need to make sure that we know what you want and you know what we want.  You will be our clients for years to come and we welcome the opportunity to aggressively pursue your goals.