Elizabeth L. Krueger

A divorce lawyer helps you if you no longer want to be married. Whether you want a legal separation or the marriage ended, divorce lawyers assist you to arrange financial and family matters, typically in a negotiation with your spouse's lawyer. Alimony, child custody, child support, and a fair division of community assets (like who keeps the house or how your checking and savings accounts are divided) are matters that a divorce lawyer is trained to help determine.

The mediation process can help you resolve disputes without going to court. In a mediation proceeding, a neutral third party (a mediation lawyer or mediator) meets with you and the person you disagree with. Mediators are trained to find mediation solutions in legal disputes, including divorce mediation and business disagreement mediation. The mediator acts as a facilitator, helping you negotiate until a solution is found. Mediation is the most informal process for dispute resolution and is usual

When you marry, you enter a relationship contract with your spouse that entitles you as a couple to certain legal rights and responsibilities. Family lawyers specializing in marriage can write prenuptial agreements for a couple before marriage. A prenuptial agreement can be especially important if you have financial interests you've accrued earlier in life and wish to clarify how they will or won't be shared with your new spouse. A written prenuptial agreement sets out the financial expectations

"Estate" is the legal term used to define your property and money—basically, everything that belongs to you. Estate planning attorneys tell you different strategies you can use to transfer your belongings after you die. By planning your estate, you can maximize its value by minimizing taxes and eliminating court costs and interference. Estate planning attorneys also help you control and protect your estate during your lifetime, by writing documents that allow you to transfer property and money t