4 Things You Didn't Know About Family Law

Family Law: the most emotional (and one of the most complex) legal disciplines. As an experienced family attorney, Deirdre O'Donnell helps her clients with divorces, adoptions, child custody, paternity, adult and child orders of protection, child support, and more. At O'Donnell Law Center, we are dedicated to educating our clients on the issues they face so they can be better prepared to handle them. In this interest, we decided to dedicate this blog post to educating you on some aspects of family law you might not know about.

"Family Law" Encompasses a Broad Range of Services

Family law encompasses a vast array of legal issues, including adult and child restraining orders, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, visitation rights, divorce, annulments, spousal support, child support, and legal separations.

Child Custody Depends on a Wide Range of Factors

Child custody is certainly not a "cut and dry" issue. Several factors are considered when deciding how the parents will share the parenting responsibilities.  Examples include parent-child relationships, the manner in which both parents handle the divorce process, and how the child is coping with the divorce.

Annulments are Not Easier than Divorces

A divorce declares that the marriage is over. An annulment, on the other hand, legally declares that the marriage never even existed. Contrary to popular assumption, annulments are not simpler than divorces. In Missouri, couples can only qualify for annulments in certain situations, such as if one partner was already legally married, or if one or two of the spouses were under the age of eighteen when they married and did not have parental consent.


Paternity Tests are Only Required in Certain Situations

If the parents were married at the time of the child's birth, the husband is legally assumed to be the child's father. Paternity tests are used when individuals dispute the husband's status as the child's father, or when the parents were unmarried at the time of the child's birth.

Conclusion

Family law is complicated and complex, and it would be impossible to provide all pertinent information in a single blog post. If you have questions about family law in Missouri, please don't hesitate to contact our experienced family attorney at the Lake of the Ozarks.

 We are open and ready to assist you in any way we can. Call the most trusted law firm at the Lake of the Ozarks to get started today.

O'Donnell Law Center
We Carry Your Burden ~ You Carry On With Life.

Disclaimer: No attorney-client relationship is created by the publication of this blog.

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Phone: (573) 552-0317

O'Donnell Law Center, LLC
1026 Palisades Blvd. Suite 3
Osage Beach, MO  65065
(Located on the McDonald's Side of the Building)

Location: Osage Beach, MO 65065, USA

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