There are many instances that might require the assistance of a family law attorney. However, one of the most common reasons is because of divorce. In the United States, divorce is very prevalent, perhaps more so than many people might think. In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that many first marriages that end in divorce only last for an average of eight years. But who’s divorcing who? And why?
Studies show that, at least in the U.S., it’s women who are ending their marriages more often than men. Women actually make up a shocking two-thirds of all divorce cases in the U.S., and typically recover from the process much sooner than their male counterparts. Typically, women take about 3.1 years to find love again and remarry, while men take about 3.3 years to recover. Men also tend to suffer more symptoms of depression than women, and their risks for suicide increases while their chances of suffering from heart attacks double. As for why marriages are failing, a recent Swedish study determined that lengthy commute times to and from work increase a couple’s chances for divorce.
However, most many marriages have other things to take into consideration when a divorce strikes, like children, that may require the aid of a family law attorney. A divorce between couples who have children raises tough questions about child support, custody, and visitation rights. A 2011 report released by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2013 found that, out of the 14.4 million custodial parents, nearly half had some sort of legal or informal agreement in place for child support. Child support is money that one parent pays each month to help pay for the costs related to raising a child. In 2011, about $37.9 billion worth of child support was owed, translating to about $500 per month on average. However, only 62.3% of that money was actually received, meaning that custodial parents only received about $311 per month in 2011.
There are many legal questions about divorce, and issues like child custody and child support are why it’s important to have an experienced family law attorney on your side. Their job is to sort out the tough questions, including parental rights for fathers and parental rights for unmarried couples. It’s also their job to ensure divorce cases run smoothly. Fortunately, many divorce cases go through a form of alternative dispute resolution, known as in mediation. This process ensures that individual parties are paired with a family court lawyer while a third-party mediator oversees the process to encourage divorcing couples to work together to settle things like child custody, asset division, and more in a timely, dignified manner.
