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Family law is easily one of the most emotional practice areas in the legal field. Marriages end, parents fight over custody, and there are unavoidable financial repercussions. Our firm understands the disruption and difficulty that a family law case can introduce into a person’s life, so we aim to take the burden off of our clients.
If you need a Greenville family law attorney, talk to Angela Frazier.
Why Hire a Greenville Family Lawyer?
Whether the other party retains counsel or not, you will be at a marked disadvantage without an attorney. Hiring an experienced family law attorney can provide the following benefits:
- Investigating the family law matter and gathering evidence
- Reviewing and responding to the plaintiff’s allegations, if you are the defendant
- Discussing your options, including the advantages and disadvantages of each one
- Developing a legal strategy to strengthen your case and repudiate the other spouse’s or parent’s claims
- Explaining the law, how it impacts your family law matter, and how your position and arguments will fare in court
- Handling interactions with the opposing party in high-conflict cases
- Conducting discovery (a process by which the parties formally exchange relevant evidence) and responding to the opposing party’s discovery requests
- Negotiating with the opposing party to settle the case if possible
- Preparing and litigating a case if a settlement cannot be reached
- Helping you understand any pleadings and motions filed and orders entered
What Does a Family Law Attorney Help With?
Our knowledgeable Greenville family lawyer will be able to represent you in these matters, among others:
Divorce
Our Greenville divorce lawyer handles divorce in South Carolina on both a fault or no-fault basis. Fault-based divorces must allege one of the following:
- Adultery
- Habitual drunkenness caused by alcohol or drug use
- Physical cruelty
- Desertion for at least one year
If none of these apply, but one or both spouses have decided to terminate the marriage, they may file a no-fault divorce complaint. To do so, the spouses must end their marital relationship and live separately from each other for at least one year.
Child custody
Child custody in South Carolina can be particularly contentious, as parents disagree on who should raise the child and how. Custody covers a broad range of issues, including which parent will have primary custody, where the child will attend school, and with whom the child will spend vacations and other special events. In deciding custody matters, the court will consider numerous factors but its decision must be in the best interests of the child.
Child support
Child support is designed to meet the child’s basic needs, but parents often disagree on how much money is needed. The parent who has custody (custodial parent) will likely receive child support from the non-custodial parent. The courts in South Carolina will use a preset formula that considers such factors as the parents’ incomes, the child’s expenses, and the custody arrangement.
Child visitation
The parent who does not have primary custody will in most cases still have visitation rights with the child. Courts prefer to allow visitation so both parents play a role in the child’s life. However, in some cases, the custodial parent fears for the child’s well-being and asks the court to order supervised visitation. By the same token, some parents find themselves unfairly denied visitation by the parent or asked to accept unreasonable restrictions on their time.
Alimony
Spousal support is available during the spouses’ separation and may extend beyond the date of divorce (known more commonly in the latter situation as alimony). Simply divorcing does not entitle a spouse to alimony, however. In deciding whether to award alimony, and how much it should be, the court will examine:
- Both spouses’ financial situations
- The educational and career backgrounds of the spouses
- The spouses’ ability to earn a living without support
- How property division was settled or decided in the case
- Whether either spouse gave up a career to raise children or manage the home
Family court
Our experienced family attorney in Greenville, SC can handle the ins and outs of family court. This means knowing the relevant statutes and court decisions, the rules of civil procedure, discovery, the rules of evidence, and local court rules. Your family court attorney will also assist with mediation, an out-of-court process that may settle all issues and avoid a trial. Mediation is mandatory in most South Carolina family law cases.
Marital property division
As part of the divorce, the spouses must divide their marital property and debts. Part of that process involves determining which assets and liabilities are marital and which are separate. The judge will then consider various statutory factors to decide how to fairly divide these items between the spouses.
Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements
A prenuptial agreement is a contract that two individuals enter into prior to their marriage. It dictates how certain issues, usually financial, will be handled if the parties divorce. Certain matters such as child custody cannot be decided by a prenuptial agreement. A postnuptial agreement is essentially the same thing, except that it is entered into after the marriage begins.
How Much Will a Family Lawyer Cost?
Each family matter varies in complexity, the relative dispositions of the parties, and the way the attorney handles the case. These factors will all affect how much your family law matter will cost:
- The type of legal services being provided (e.g. a divorce only versus a divorce plus custody, alimony, child support, and property and debt division)
- Whether the spouses are cooperative or combative
- Claims that involve large sums of money, valuable property, or unique assets
- The skill level of the mediator
- The fee structure that your attorney chooses for your case
It’s worth noting that judges can award attorney’s fees in certain family law cases, a decision which takes into account several factors such as the party’s ability to pay.
Why Hire Angela Frazier As Your Family Lawyer?
Our family law clients know they have a trusted ally in Angela Frazier. We know South Carolina family law matters and can reliably handle your case, regardless of how complicated it is. We treat every client as an individual and develop a personalized, practical legal strategy to address each issue. Because we choose to handle a limited number of cases, we can devote the individualized attention and energy that your matter needs.
Above all, attorney Angela Frazier represents family law clients with the legal skill, tenacity, and professionalism they deserve.
Contact a Family Attorney in Greenville, SC
Whether you have a pending family law case or you’ve already been served with court papers, retaining seasoned legal counsel is your next best step. Angela Frazier is dedicated to helping clients understand their legal rights and obligations while confidently serving them each step of the way. Give us a call today to speak to a Greenville family lawyer today.
