Family Law

Family law is the area of law that deals with a variety of matters governing the family relationship, including getting married, getting divorced, adopting a child, and establishing and modifying child support, child visitation and custody.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is The Legal Definition Of Marriage?
Marriage is defined as a civil contract between two people who meet the legal requirements for getting married established by the state, which vary from state to state. Generally, to be … more
What Is A Common Law Marriage?
A small minority of states allow the creation of marriage by common law. A common law marriage is one in which there is no ceremony or marriage license. The parties must be capable of contracting … more
Who Can Solemnize A Marriage?
A person authorized to solemnize marriages must be a priest, minister or rabbi of any religious denomination...a judge or retired judge, commissioner of civil marriages or retired commissioner of … more

Legal Articles

The Legal Future of Proposition 8
In November 2008, California voters approved a ballot initiative known as Proposition 8. Proposition 8 added an amendment to the California State Constitution which read that, “only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” Proponents and opponents of Proposition 8 engaged in significant campaigns prior to the election which was to be … more
How to Establish Paternity
With steadily rising numbers of children being born out of wedlock, and a society that no longer stigmatizes having children outside of a marriage, paternity courts are overrun with unmarried litigants seeking to establish paternity, custody, visitation, child support and related matters regarding their children. Fortunately, paternity court is not the only means of establishing … more