The most meaningful and the most difficult parts of life often relate to family. That also makes these aspects of life extremely complicated, which is why the law and legal counsel exist to help people come to acceptable resolutions. In fact, the demand for family law services sustains more than 62,000 separate businesses in the industry in the United States alone!
Of course, divorce, custody arrangements, adoption, and the other aspects of family law all come with their own peculiarities. Learning more about what is likely to happen to high assets or your legal separation can help you avoid a legal resolution that you find undesirable.
So what exactly do you need to know about family law? Read on to learn all about the most important things to understand about each aspect of family law!
In many cases, our clients benefit from settling legal disputes outside of a courtroom. The Hobson & Hobson legal experts attempt to resolve family law cases amicably and litigate in court only when that’s in the best interest of our client. Whether in court or during settlement negotiations, we will take the appropriate steps to protect your family and assets.
If you’re facing legal issues, the Alpharetta family law and divorce attorneys at Hobson & Hobson can help. For a consultation, call our law firm at
What to Do When Filing for Divorce
The law is designed to help regulate society. Since it cannot regulate everything, it often focuses on regulating only the most important things. For that reason, it is almost always a good idea to speak with a lawyer before you go through any major life event.
That goes double for divorce. If you are going to file for divorce, make sure that you find an attorney to help you understand what you are getting yourself into.
Many people use mediation or negotiation outside of court to help decide how to split up their high assets and resolve other issues. Sometimes, partners are able to come to an acceptable agreement without having to go to battle in court.
However, even when that happens, it is generally best to acquire the counsel of a legal expert. That way, they can make sure that you are familiar with all of your rights. They can help you understand what you can realistically expect to get, and they can help you to pursue your ideal arrangement.
Some form of no-fault divorce exists in every state. That means that you do not generally need any especially concrete reason for divorce. You can often cite something like irreconcilable differences or general incompatibility.
You can also refer to the fact that you and your ex-partner separated sometime ago. That is especially the case if the separation was intended to be permanent.
You can also cite more concrete reasons for divorce. These can include abuse, infidelity, addiction, and other things that inevitably affect the relationship.
Paying Child Support and Determining Child Custody
If you and your partner have children, state divorce laws will inform your child support calculation. They will also affect your child custody agreement.
We already talked about how people use mediation and negotiation to split up their assets. People use the same tools to come to an accord about child custody.
However, these methods do not always succeed. If necessary, you can go to court to determine who will receive custody of your children.
You may or may not be able to share custody. It is likely that one parent will be assigned the main custodial rights of the child.
However, the other parent will likely have visitation rights. The child may stay with them for some percentage of the time.
It is also quite common that both parents retain legal custody of their children. That means that they both get to decide how the child is raised. That can affect things like who their doctor is, what school they attend, and whether or not they sign up for sports.
In some cases, a court may deem a parent to be unfit. If that happens, the other parent may receive sole custody. That means that they have complete physical and legal custody of the child involved.
When it comes to child support, the non-custodial parent may need to help support their child by sending money to the custodial parent. This is especially likely to be the case if the non-custodial parent has a higher income. It is even more likely to be the case if the custodial parent does not have a perfectly comfortable income.
What to Focus on When You Are Hiring a Family Lawyer
Family law is extremely complicated. When you pick a lawyer, you want one with the right kind of experience. If at all possible, you want a lawyer who specializes in cases just like yours.
On top of that, you want to work with a lawyer with a strong track record of success. You may want to ask a lawyer you are considering for references and reviews. That way, you can assess how well they have done for their past clients.
Understanding Grandparental, Parental, and Children’s Rights
In the past, grandparents did not have any kind of visitation rights. However, it is possible for them to obtain these rights in the modern legal system.
In order to obtain these rights, grandparents need to ask for a visitation order. Other extended family members like uncles, aunts, and great-grandparents may also petition for visitation rights.
Parents will generally have visitation rights unless they are deemed to be unfit. The children’s rights supersede the rights of the parent. Parents only have the right to see their children if a court deems that it is in the best interest of the child for them to do so.
Understand the Most Important Things About Divorce, Separation, Custody, and More
We hope learning about divorce and other aspects of family law has been helpful for you. Adoption and divorce may have a reputation for being difficult to figure out, but every aspect of family law comes with its own difficulties. If you are going through a legal separation or determining child custody, it can be extremely stressful not to know what to expect.
Learning a little bit more about the aspect of family law that is relevant to you can help ease some of your concerns. To learn more about family law or to speak with legal experts who might be able to help you, feel free to reach out and get in touch with us here at any time!

Attorney Sarah Hobson at Hobson and Hobson, P.C. are powerful advocates for those who fight for better futures for those going through divorce and custody law matters.