Relevance of Family Law

If you an attorney thinking to change your practice area you may want to consider family law. One may think why take up family law jobs when there are options of hard core litigation, criminal, commercial, labour or insurance jobs? This area of law deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including: domestic partnership, civil union, issues arising during marriage, spouse abuse, legitimacy, surrogacy, adoption, child abuse and abduction; divorce, alimony, annulment, settlement of property, and responsibility of parents. In many areas of United States, the family courts are the most crowded once. This leaves no doubt that there are abundant jobs in this area.

A family lawyer helps his clients with divorce, custody, guardianship issues and work with child support agencies to ensure that parents are paying child support as required by state law and the court systems. Mediation may also be part of the responsibility of a family attorney. The other areas covered under family law are domestic violence, juvenile law, adoption, alimony, child abduction, child visitation, paternity, pre-nuptial agreements, collaborative law, and elder law. One can work in private practice or in a firm.


These days when family values and unity are going down the drain sometimes at least the fear of law stops an individual from hitting his wife or thrashing an old father, or may be abuse the neighbour’s daughter. Because god forbid if the cops get their hands on you there is going to be no mercy. That is why the courts are flourishing with family law jobs.


If you are an attorney handling any such case you may have to probate wills and estates, advise clients on setting up wills, annuities and trust funds, work on adoptions; prepare filings and pleadings and attend court to represent clients. Most attorneys advice clients on legal options which are in their best interest. They may work for both parties at a time if agreed upon or the parties may get separate family lawyers for themselves. Most family law jobs end up in arbitration, or other methods of dispute resolution.