New Jersey Family Law Attorney
Your Family Comes First At Our Law Firm
Your family means everything to you. That’s why we take such a personalized approach to every family law case we handle at Williams Law Group, LLC. Our New Jersey family law lawyers know there’s no price you can place on the people you love and care about in your life. That’s why we work so hard on every family law case we handle at our law firm.
We also understand how emotionally charged and complicated such legal cases can quickly become in many situations. From cases involving adoption to parental rights, there’s often a lot at stake. And in many cases, if you don’t act fast, you could miss out on important opportunities to effectively resolve your legal issues.
That’s why our New Jersey family law attorneys want to meet with you right away in our Short Hills or Parsippany office. We understand the urgency and the importance of your legal matter. And we’re committed to helping you achieve your important goals on your terms.
– C. Perez
What is family law?
Family law often involves a broad range of legal issues involving domestic relations, financial matters and living arrangements involving spouses, parents, children and other family members. Depending on the details of the case, family law can also sometimes overlap with other areas of the law.
This is why it’s critical that you have an experienced New Jersey family law attorney who thoroughly understands how the legal system works. That way, you can fully understand all the legal options available to you.
What are common family law cases?
Like families themselves, there are many different types of family law cases. Some of the most common cases we handle at our New Jersey law firm include:
- Adoption
- Domestic Violence
- Court Order Enforcement
- Court Order Modification
- Legal Separation
- Marital Agreements
- Marriage Annulment
- Paternity
- Parental Rights
- Psychological Parenthood
- Relocation
- Conflict Resolution
Our New Jersey law firm also handles family law cases involving divorce, child custody and child abuse & neglect. More detailed information about these types of cases and the others listed above can be found on our website.
What makes family law cases so complicated?
There are several reasons why many family law cases quickly turn into complicated legal matters. Sometimes, it’s because the different parties involved (parents, children, government agencies, attorneys, etc.) cannot agree on how to resolve the situation. Other times, there may be questions about which court has jurisdiction, legal term for who has the right to decide on a case. In addition, because such cases often have such high stakes, they can quickly become emotionally charged. This is why it’s critical that you have an experienced family law attorney handling your case every step of the way.
Will I have to go to court for my family law case?
Often, yes. Many family law cases in New Jersey require individuals to appear before a judge in the Family Practice Division of the New Jersey Courts. (Most Family Practice Division courts in New Jersey are organized by county.) Other times, you might have to appear before a judge in a different New Jersey court. However, depending on the circumstances of your case, you may not have to appear in court or be able to reduce the number of times you have to be in court. This is especially true if your family law case can be settled out of court, or you can resolve your legal issues through mediation or other legal alternatives to a family law court trial.
How long do most family law cases take to resolve?
There’s no easy answer to this question. Some family law cases might only take a few hours or days to resolve. Others might take weeks or months to come to a resolution. The difference often depends on how quickly both sides can agree on a solution to whatever legal issues are at stake. Our job as your New Jersey family law attorney is to achieve a solution to your legal case that best fits your personal needs. That’s why we promise to keep you informed and actively involved in your case throughout the legal process.
Can I appeal a family law court decision?
In many cases, yes, you can appeal a family law court decision in New Jersey. However, there are often strict guidelines concerning family law court appeals. In particular, you often only have a limited amount of time (legally known as a statute of limitations) to appeal many family law cases in New Jersey. In addition, you often cannot appeal a New Jersey family law judge’s decision just because you don’t like it. You often need to have a specific reason for filing an appeal, such as an error in the case or if you believe the judge did not have jurisdiction to legally rule your case. A family law attorney from our law firm can discuss your potential appeal and other legal options that may be available to you.
How much does a family law attorney cost?
Legal fees can vary widely from different types of family law cases and attorneys in New Jersey. This is why it’s important to discuss upfront a law firm’s fees as soon as possible. But it’s also important to remember that there’s more to a case than simply what a family law attorney charges per hour. Sometimes, saving a few dollars per hour in attorney’s fees can end up costing you a lot more money since you might ultimately receive less money in the form of a settlement or other financial compensation. This is why it often pays to hire a skilled New Jersey family law attorney who knows how to navigate their way through the state’s complex legal system.
Why do I need a New Jersey family law attorney?
So many different legal issues often come up during many family law cases in New Jersey. And if you don’t have an experienced lawyer on your side who understands how the legal system works in the Garden State, you could miss out on opportunities to successfully resolve your case to your advantage. That’s why it’s critical that you have a lawyer you trust on your side, guiding you through the state’s often confusing legal system.
Why should I choose Williams Law Group, LLC?
Many New Jersey family law firms might seem the same. We believe we stand out for many different reasons. First and foremost, our highly skilled lawyers have extensive courtroom experience dealing with a wide range of family law cases. There’s no substitute for being in the courtroom with clients.
In addition, we have an in-depth understanding of New Jersey’s family law statues and regulations. As a result, we know which legal strategies can often be the most effective in many family law cases.
But don’t just take our word for it. Read our testimonials from real clients. Or simply contact us and schedule an appointment with a dedicated, driven New Jersey family law attorney at Williams Law Group, LLC. We have offices in Short Hills and Parsippany. We’re here to help you get your life back on track.
Adoption
Adopting a child in New Jersey can be a rewarding, life-changing experience. It can also be a complicated, confusing legal process. That’s why it’s important that you have a New Jersey adoption lawyer who fully understands how the legal system works in the state when it comes to various different types of adoptions.
Domestic Violence
Dealing with domestic violence can be a frightening, chaotic experience. That’s why our New Jersey domestic violence attorneys take such cases so seriously. We understand that people’s lives can often be at stake. That’s why we’re ready to work with you right away, whether you’re trying to obtain a protective order (also known as a temporary restraining order) or take other legal action to protect yourself, your children or other family members.
Court Order Enforcement
Many family law cases in New Jersey involve legally binding court orders. However, sometimes there are legal issues associated with such court orders, whether it’s another party failing to abide by such court orders or allegations against you that you are failing to abide by a court order associated with your case. Whatever the circumstances of your case, our attorneys are well aware of the legal issues often associated with court order enforcements involving family law cases in New Jersey.
Court Order Modification
Many times, existing family law court orders in New Jersey need to be modified for a variety of reasons, including a change in job status, moving to another residence or legal issues involving alimony, child custody or parental rights. When this happens, sometimes the best way to resolve your legal issues is to seek a court order modification. Our lawyers have an in-depth understanding of this process and can help you every step of the way.
Legal Separation
As the name suggests, a legal separation involves a married couple choosing to live apart, often with the intention of remaining apart as if they were divorced. New Jersey does not recognize “legal separation.” And if you do not appear before a judge, your legal separation does not have any legal consequence under New Jersey law in most cases. This is why it’s critical that you talk to a family law attorney who thoroughly understands how the legal system in the state applies to your legal separation.
Marital Agreements
Many couples have formal, written agreements that clearly outline how their financial assets should be divided in the event of a divorce or if the couple decides to legally separate. In general, there are two common types of martial agreements – prenuptial agreements (which a couple signs before they get married) and postnuptial agreements (which a couple signs after they get married). In both cases, such marital agreements must meet strict legal standards. Otherwise, such marital agreements might not be considered legally valid and could be challenged in court at a later date.
Marriage Annulment
In certain circumstances, you may be able to end your marriage by having your marriage annulled rather than having to get a divorce. From a legal standpoint, marriage annulment means that the marriage never existed because the marriage was not valid to begin with in the eyes of the law. Marriage annulment in New Jersey has very specific criteria. There’s also a big difference between a religious annulment and a civil annulment from a legal standpoint. An attorney can help you better understand all these important issues.
Paternity
Paternity is a legal process to establish the father of a child. Many times, paternity is important when it comes to claiming the right to child support, especially if the biological father of the child denies being a parent and refuses to pay child support. Once paternity has been established, a child can receive certain benefits and financial support in the form of child support in many cases. Establishing paternity can be a complicated process, especially if the father of the child does not cooperate. Dealing with state agencies like the New Jersey Department of Health can also complicate the process. A family law attorney can help.
Parental Rights
Many family law cases involve the rights of parents or other family members eager to take an active role in the life of a child. Parental rights often involve mother’s rights, father’s rights or grandparents’ rights. And many of the issues at stake concern child custody, visitation rights and financial support for the child. Many different factors can come into play – from which parent is the custodian and the parent of “primary residence” to what is in the “best interests” of the child. All of these legal issues can be complicated and often require the assistance of a skilled family law attorney.
Psychological Parenthood
Psychological parenthood is a legal term that involves determining what is the best home environment for a child. As a result, the home of someone other than a biological parent could be found to be the healthiest environment for a child. This might sound simple. But from a legal standpoint, establishing psychological parenthood can be complicated, especially if parents or other family members cannot agree on which home environment is the best one for a child. There are also several important legal benchmarks for establishing psychological parenthood in New Jersey that must be met by anyone petitioning for psychological parenthood in the state.
Relocation
New Jersey has extremely specific rules and guidelines when it comes to the relocation of a child, especially if one parent wants to move out of the state and the other parent continues to live in New Jersey. We understand there are many legitimate reasons why one parent might want to move to another state. However, New Jersey’s courts have strict regulations concerning child relocation and how that involves the custodial parent (meaning the child lives primarily with that parent) and the non-custodial parent, especially when it comes to child visitation schedules, child support and other important legal matters involve what’s best for the child.
Conflict Resolution
Resolving conflicts is often an important part of family law. What many people might not realize is just how complicated conflict resolution can be in New Jersey. From legal cases involving parental coordinator services to mediation services or Alternative Dispute Resolution, there are often a lot of legal options to consider when it comes to many family law cases. That’s why it’s critical that you have an experienced New Jersey family law attorney on your side who has an in-depth understanding of this system, advising you on which approach makes the most sense for your specific case.
“Should Have Started HERE!!!! After my first attorney dropped the ball several times for almost a year. I was blessed to connect with Williams Group that handled my case professionally and cleaned up what was messed up and put me back on track.” – M.H.