By: Brandon M. Allen

Family Law: What In World Is That?

You have likely observed billboards and television commercials offering legal services for injuries sustained in a car wreck, but what in the world is family law and may it be of some benefit to you? Family law covers a variety of legal services that represent a significant portion of the work we do at McDonald, Levy & Taylor, PLLC. While this is not an exhaustive list, the following three practice areas represent a large portion of the family law services that we offer to our clients.

Adoption Law

Adoption law is relatively self-explanatory on its face; however, there are many interesting concepts in this area of practice that can be complicated and difficult to navigate on your own. Adoptions come in many forms, such as that of a minor living in foster care looking for a permanent home, or when a parent enters into a new marriage and wants to complete a step-parent adoption between the new spouse and a minor child. There are many issues to consider in an adoption. In some cases, a biological parent’s rights may be terminated prior to the adoption proceedings. In other situations, rights may need to be terminated before the adoption can be completed by the court.

Divorce Law

The lawyers at MLT spend a significant amount of time working through complex contested divorces. Contested divorces may take some time to resolve, but what about a situation in which you and a spouse have agreed to the dissolution of the marriage and are eager to move forward with your lives? A divorce in Tennessee may not be finalized until 60 days after it was filed. This time is extended to 90 days if minor children are involved. If the parties agree on matters involving child custody, the splitting of marital property and other details, an agreed divorce may be filed and handled very promptly and efficiently by the attorneys at MLT.

Child Custody Law

Child custody often coincides with a divorce but may also arise in situations where a divorce has already been finalized or the parties involved were not previously married. Parenting plans that were appropriate at the time of a divorce may need to be modified based on a material change of circumstances or other issues. Child support actions may also fall into this category of family law. Similar to child custody law, child support determinations may be made at the time of a divorce but arise in different situations as well. 

The area of family law is also commonly referred to as domestic law. In order to practice in this area an attorney should have a solid understanding of the guiding statutory law and other relevant principles that govern in Tennessee. The attorneys at McDonald, Levy & Taylor, PLLC have this knowledge and work diligently to represent the best interest of their clients. Please feel free to contact the office at any time with your legal needs or questions.