Even if you’ve never been through a family law dispute before, you’ve probably heard of child support or spousal support (also known as “alimony”). To determine what someone will owe for support, we must first determine that spouse’s income. This is often easier said than done. For some payors, it could be a straightforward exercise. We simply refer to gross “Total income” on their tax return.1 If a payor is an employee with an arms’ length employer, and there is no opportunity to reduce or defer income, or write off unnecessary expenses, it can be very quick and easy to determine that person’s income by looking at their tax return....
Family lawyers will ask in a first consultation whether a client has parenting concerns because parenting disputes often take priority. Parenting disputes are not always a 5-alarm fire type situation, but sometimes they are and action must be taken immediately. In some cases, we must schedule an urgent conference or motion to deal with pressing parenting issues immediately, but in many other cases, we negotiate a parenting plan or refer clients to mediation. We need to know as early as possible if the children’s issues need to be addressed so we can take steps to alleviate difficulties in the short and longer term....
Some of the most common questions we are asked when we meet with new clients are, “When should I retain you?” and “How does all of this work?” A lot can be said about how and when a family lawyer can help, which will be covered in other posts. For now, here is a very high level description of some of the most common situations where family lawyers are retained....
