3 Services That Family Law Attorneys Offer That Can Help Bring Your Family Together
Oftentimes, when people think of dealing with legal issues, they tend to think of this task in a negative way. After all, many legal issues do revolve around issues that have the potential to turn a person's life upside down. This, however, is not always the case when dealing with issues of family law. In fact, family law attorneys offer several different services that can actually help bring your family together. Continue reading below to learn more about three of these services.
Stepparent Adoption
While many blended families share the same emotional bonds as biological families, the fact is that the law does not provide stepparents with the same legal rights as biological parents. This can cause serious issues for some stepparents as they are barred from the decision-making process in any situations that require the legal consent of a parent. Thankfully, this situation can be overcome through a process known as stepparent adoption. Stepparent adoption allows stepparents to legally adopt the child or children of their current spouse. This process provides the stepparent with all the same rights and responsibilities as a biological parent. However, since the rights and responsibilities that are granted as part of a stepparent adoption will continue for life, regardless of marital status, court approval is required to finalize the adoption. A family law attorney can help you through this legal process so that your family can be whole both in your heart and in the eyes of the law.
Traditional Adoption
While some families will be compromised of at least one biological parent, others will share no biological relation at all. In these situations, both parents will need to complete adoption paperwork in order to be awarded the rights and responsibilities that accompany parenthood. The court scrutiny that is often given to these types of cases is typically more intense than that of a stepparent adoption due to the fact neither parent is biologically the child's parent. Having a family law attorney represent you in this type of case can prove extremely beneficial since these attorneys have the experience necessary to help you navigate court proceedings and ultimately ensure that your petition for adoption is granted.
Estate Planning
It is quite common for family law attorneys to also offer estate planning services. These legal services have the ability to bring your family together by taking away the stress that often comes with difficult decisions, such as making medical decisions for a family member who is unable to make these decisions for themselves. The estate planning services of a family law attorney can also help you to ensure that your family is taken care of once you are gone.
For more information about family law services, contact a local law firm.