There are various reasons people seek help from a family law attorney, including to ensure their financial interests are protected and that their relationships and parental rights are protected. The Chandler family law attorneys at Wilson-Goodman Law Group, PLLC have years experience and are going to ensure you are treated fairly by the court. We offer a relaxing environment so you can meet with an attorney you trust to handle these personal matters. Our experienced legal team offers comfort, knowledge, and professionalism in all family law matters.
Wilson-Goodman Law Group, PLLC was founded in 1997 and has served the residents of Chandler, Gilbert, and the surrounding area with honor and integrity since.
The family court system can be complicated. Your Chandler family law attorney understands every aspect of Arizona family law and will work to ensure you are treated fairly, regardless of what your needs are.
An Arizona family law attorney will understand the stress you are under and walk you through the process so you can establish a better future and protect your rights.
Divorce can be a distressing experience even for those parting under the most amicable circumstances, and most divorcing couples are far from amicable during a challenging and emotionally fraught time. A Chandler family law attorney understands the difficult challenges of divorce and can deftly navigate the legal system to argue on your behalf for the best possible outcome in your case. Unlike typical divorce attorneys, our family law practice offers compassion and understanding for all of the ways divorce impacts a family. Our goal is to help you achieve your goals for your family going forward after the divorce. We focus on the legal complexities and advocate aggressively for your rights so you can focus on recovery for your family in their new normal situation.
Arizona family law operates on a no-fault divorce system. This means you don’t have to prove that your spouse did anything wrong, such as committing adultery or desertion, in order to get a divorce. Simply establishing that your marriage is irretrievably broken regardless of your reason is all that’s required to move the process forward whether or not your spouse agrees. However, this doesn’t mean you don’t need an attorney to represent your interests. The legal process can be challenging to navigate and you need an attorney with a deep understanding of the process and years of experience navigating it successfully in Arizona, especially if your divorce is contested or you and your spouse don’t agree on matters of child custody and financial division. Even if you don’t have children together, a Chandler family law firm can help your divorce case in the following ways:
A family lawyer with experience in all matters of family law is an invaluable asset for representation during divorce if you and your spouse have children. A compassionate understanding of family dynamics can protect your interests and those of your children in the following ways:
These and other legal challenges are all a part of divorce in Arizona. A family and divorce lawyer with experience in all matters of family law knows how to represent your best interests while also working toward the most uncontentious resolutions possible for your family.
Many families in Arizona go through difficult times, and family law is about much more than divorce. It can become incredibly complex. Wilson-Goodman Law Group, PLLC handles all aspects of Chandler family law, including:
From divorce to child-custody, the issues listed above are incredibly emotional ones. Our clients want to ensure that not only are their financial interests protected but that their relationships and parental rights are protected.
As you can see from the list above, family law is often tied to criminal proceedings, further complicating the matter. We will work to ensure the best outcome possible in your situation. We want to make sure that your family and child is absolutely taken care of. Our ;aw firm also handles criminal defense cases.
Making the best decisions for your family requires a trustworthy, compassionate family law attorney with years of experience navigating Arizona family law to protect parents’ rights and advocate for the best interests of children. From prenuptial agreements to divorce, child custody, and modifications, a good family attorney provides the individualized attention each client and situation deserves.
Dedicated family attorneys know how to defend a client’s interests, guide their clients through the legal system, help them understand their rights, and gather the relevant information required for a successful case with mutually agreeable outcomes.
Family law in Arizona functions under two important precepts. The state, along with 8 other states, functions as:
This means that all assets and debts acquired during a marriage must be split 50/50 during a divorce. Each spouse may retain any assets they acquired personally before the marriage, as well as any gifts or inheritances in their own names. Even accounts in one name only are subject to 50/50 splits if the funds in the account accumulated during the marriage.
Matters of child support and custody in Arizona family law are decided with the best interests of the child as the top priority in every decision. In order to accomplish your custody or child support goals in Arizona court, you must show how your wishes are in the best interests of your child. A family law attorney understands how to find evidence to support your position.
Like family courts in most states, Arizona considers the best interests of the child in all of its family court decisions. Both parties in any contentious decision involving children must prove why the outcome they seek is in their child’s best interests and how it benefits the child, whether in a child-custody decision, a guardianship case, or an adoption, Arizona courts consider the following:
You and your spouse can save a great deal of time, money, and contention during an Arizona divorce by resolving any disputes over the division of your marital assets through mediation. Mediation occurs outside of the courtroom with a professional mediator. Typically, a divorce attorney will recommend a mediator they’ve worked with before. Professional mediation provides a neutral ground for both spouses to meet, along with their attorneys, in order to negotiate a 50/50 division of their marital assets that they both find satisfactory.
If divorcing spouses can create their own settlement agreement outside of the courtroom, it’s almost always a more favorable outcome for both compared to leaving the decisions in the hands of an impartial judge. Only you and your spouse best understand which assets mean the most to which party.
Often, a mediator has solutions to offer that you and your spouse may not have considered on your own when it comes to the separation of property, such as trading the home furnishings one spouse wants to keep for the car the other wants, or trading an investment account for a vacation property. Mediation can also resolve the following issues out of court:
By appearing in court with a pre-agreed upon settlement, the divorce process flows smoothly and resolves quickly. Couples can decide to attend mediation and create their own settlement at any point in the divorce process.
A family law attorney represents a client’s interests regarding visitation and parenting time either for divorcing parents or for unmarried parents who are unable to work out a mutually acceptable schedule on their own. In both cases, if parents cannot decide on how to divide custody by making a mutually decided parenting plan using the Arizona Planning for Parenting Time guide or through mediation, the courts must step in and decide — always in the best interests of the child. The guide includes several sample parenting schedules and lists the advantages and disadvantages of each.
When parents fail to reach an agreement, the judge decides the following factors based on the child’s best interest:
Arizona courts prefer parents to split custody 50/50 in a joint custody arrangement whenever possible, but the state’s guidelines offer many arrangement plans for sharing custody including plans for 60/40, 70/30, or 80/20 to suit other needs when one parent’s schedule or lifestyle doesn’t allow for a 50/50 split.
It’s important to note that having joint physical custody does not mean parents have joint legal custody to make decisions and having joint legal custody doesn’t necessarily mean they also have joint physical custody.
A Chandler family law attorney can help parents navigate the state’s complex system for deciding on parenting time and visitation.
When one parent gains legal custody of a child, it means that parent has the final word on major decisions for the child, while both parents can make ordinary daily decisions separately during their parenting time. The parent with legal custody of the child or children can make decisions about the following:
While one parent may have full legal decision-making custody of a child, they are still obligated to keep the other parent informed about important decisions such as medical care and education.
By establishing a respectful and ongoing business relationship with a good family law team, you’ll protect your interests even years after a divorce. Your family attorney’s team is ready to take on all of your family legal matters going forward, including matters of changing parenting schedules, modification of child support orders, post-divorce modifications, failure to pay child support, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, or any other changes in your family’s needs or your legal requirements.
Family law is about much more than just a divorce. Separating from a spouse is a major life change that can affect your finances, your parental rights, and your future. At Wilson-Goodman Law Group, PLLC, we understand all aspects of the Arizona family law court and are ready to help you through this. Regardless of what you need help with, a Chandler family and divorce attorney will make sure your rights are protected. You can contact us to schedule a one-on-one consultation appointment with our skilled family and divorce lawyers, or call (480) 503-9217 today.