During times of family stress, a compassionate Ohio family lawyer can be the best person to help you find your path forward.
Why You Need a Family Lawyer
When legal issues impact your family, getting good advice from an experienced legal professional can make all the difference. A local family lawyer can explain what the court process looks like in your area, how domestic judges make custody decisions, and how to handle the practical aspects of an Ohio divorce. From adoption to estate planning, a family attorney can answer questions, handle disputes, draft important legal documents, and walk you through the big moments in your family.
Family law in Ohio is a unique practice, and not every lawyer has the experience you need to successfully resolve your issue. You’ll want to aks which areas your attorney has previously worked in, and determine if their background fits your needs. At Kademenos, Wisehart, Hines, Dolyk & Wright Co. LPA, we have along history of helping families deal with whatever legal matters that arise. We’re happy to answer questions and tell you may expect. Call 419-625-7770.
Ways a Family Lawyer Can Help
There are various benefits of working with a qualified attorney to resolve family matters. For example, a family lawyer with our firm shows value by helping you through the difficult process of filing for divorce. We can handle the details of legal paperwork and negotiating alimony or child support agreements. An Ohio family lawyer can also help you through custody disputes or work out custody and visitation arrangements.
A lawyer also can be useful during times of joy. If you’re contemplating getting married, a qualified attorney can figure out how your marriage affects your finances and assets. A prenuptial agreement can protect everyone involved if the marriage ends, or aid with financial planning in the event of an untimely death. A family law attorney is also invaluable when you want to grow your family by adopting a child.
We’re Compassionate & Experienced Family Lawyers
At Kademenos, Wisehart, Hines, Dolyk & Wright Co. LPA, we’re committed to providing compassionate and sensitive representation for your family’s legal matters. We have decades of experience helping families through legally and emotionally complex family law processes.
Our Experience Includes:
We frequently practice in the local Domestic Relations courts where your case will be heard. We regularly work with the lawyers, the clerks, the judges, and the social workers who might be involved in your family matter. We’ve built an understanding of how the courts work and how your case is likely to be handled. We’ve also built relationships with people in every facet of the Domestic Relations court. Those relationships help us get you and your family the best possible result.
It’s natural to feel a lot of stress and uncertainty when your family has legal issues. Our goal is to shoulder the burden so you can focus on your family. We provide all the information you need from start to finish. We’ll explain every step in the process and help you make decisions about the best course of action to protect your rights and your family’s future.
Divorce, Dissolution, Separation Cases
When you reach the difficult decision to end a marriage in Ohio, there essentially are four options.
Divorce
Divorce legally ends a marriage and typically involves one or more legal grounds. Ohio allows divorce on the grounds of incompatibility but if that is disputed, you may have to prove that your spouse was “at fault” to terminate your marriage, such as adultery or abandonment. A divorce case may involve witness testimony an other evidence. It also may involve experts to determine the value of your assets. A divorce can be a lengthy process, but a lawyer can ensure the process moves as smooth as possible.
Dissolution
A dissolution of marriage involves both spouses agreeing to end the marriage. It also involves an agreement about how to divide assets or child custody before the dissolution paperwork is filed. There is no need to allege fault in a dissolution. Some people may choose dissolution over divorce when the end of the marriage is amicable, and to save time and money compared to a divorce. A lawyer will work out the terms and handle the process of ending your marriage peacefully.
Legal Separation
A legal separation doesn’t technically end your marriage. You remain married in the eyes of the state, but for practical purposes you and your spouse go your separate ways. A legal separation often involves dividing assets, sharing custody, and paying debts. That agreement is filed with the Domestic Relations court, but if no agreement is filed, the court decides how to settle issues. Some people choose a legal separation when their religion prohibits divorce, or when they need to maintain the marriage for financial reasons. A family lawyer will work out the best possible terms for a separation and protect your interests.
Annulment
An annulment makes it so that the marriage never legally happened. You have to have specific grounds to get an annulment, such as bigamy or fraud. Annulment is the least frequent way to end a marriage in Ohio, but if you qualify a lawyer will explain the process and arrange your annulment.
There may be a number of complicated questions to be answered to determine which option is best for you. Those may include:
- The length of your marriage
- How long you’ve lived in Ohio
- Whether you and your spouse own a home or other assets to be divide
- Do you have children and need a court to decide on custody or visitation
- Do you have legal grounds for a divorce or simply want to part ways
- Whether your consent to the marriage was obtained through fraud
If you’re considering ending your marriage, a family lawyer can explain your options and how each might apply. Your attorney can help you make an informed decision that is in your and your children’s best interests.
An Ohio family lawyer also can discuss what to expect if you need to divide assets or debts, whether you might be able to get alimony or child support payments, and the process for determining custody.Call 419-625-7770.
Prenuptial Agreements
It’s much more common these days for people to get married after they establish their careers. This means you’ve likely spent time building assets. It’s also more common for people to get married more than once in their lives. You may have savings, investment accounts, retirement accounts, own a home, or even own your own business.
There are any number of very practical reasons to negotiate a prenuptial agreement with your future spouse so you’re both protected if your marriage ends in divorce or dissolution.
In Ohio, a prenup can address various issues that might arise. Provisions in a prenup commonly include:
- The division of individual or joint property
- Protection of your pre-marital assets in the event of a divorce
- The payment of alimony
- The management of a business
- How property can be sold, transferred, or used during the marriage
- Whether your spouse can inherit your assets or receive life insurance benefits in the event of your death
There may be other provisions that you and your future spouse want to be included in your prenuptial agreement. An experienced Ohio family lawyer can explain what types of provisions your prenup can include. A skilled domestic relations lawyer also can help you understand which provisions a domestic relations court is unlikely to enforce. For example, prenuptial agreements can’t typically be used in Ohio to determine child custody or child support if you and your spouse have children when you divorce. However, there may be some aspects of parenting or shared expenses for your children that a prenup can resolve.
It’s important to note that an attorney can only represent one party to a prenup. Separate lawyers should represent you and your future spouse to ensure that your rights, property, and interests are being equally protected.
There may also be situations where a married couple wishes to alter the terms of an existing prenuptial agreement or address property division issues after marriage. In these cases, couples may benefit from a postnuptial agreement that allows you to make important decisions ahead of time in the event of a divorce. Until 2023, postnuptial agreements were not permitted in Ohio, so you could consult an experienced family lawyer about drafting an enforceable marriage agreement.
If you’re planning to get married and want to discuss a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement, Kademenos, Wisehart, Hines, Dolyk & Wright Co. LPA can draft a fair agreement that protects your assets and future. Call 419-625-7770.
Adoptions
The decision to adopt can bring a lot of joy to your life. You’re committing to providing a child with a lifetime of love and support. It’s a decision that impacts your family, your home, and your finances.
Adoption also raises several questions. When will you find the right child? What if the birth mother changes her mind? Will your child have special needs, medical issues, or any kind of genetic disorders? Will your child’s birth parents play any role in your child’s future? Should you use an adoption agency or a private lawyer to handle the process?
In Ohio, you have the option to adopt through a public children’s services agency, through a private adoption agency, or with the help of a private adoption lawyer. An adoption lawyer can help you with any of these from start to finish, including helping you to find a child to adopt and filing court paperwork.
At Kademenos, Wisehart, Hines, Dolyk & Wright Co. LPA, our adoption lawyers can represent you whether you’re adopting through an agency or directly from a birth parent through a court process. We can explain how the different types of adoptions work, and help you make an informed decision.
We represent families who are going through:
- Private adoptions
- Stepparent adoptions
- Grandparent adoptions
- Foster parent adoptions
- Interstate adoptions
- International adoptions
We can ensure that your interests and the interests of your adopted child are protected through the adoption process. Call us at 419-625-7770 for a consultation about your adoption.
Domestic Violence
It’s all too common that physical or emotional abuse may be a factor in a decision to seek a divorce or dissolution. In addition to questions regarding assets, debts, or child custody, you may need help protecting yourself and your children from harm.
When you are a survivor of domestic violence, you may be able to get a protection order or restraining order from an Ohio court. Either a protection order or a restraining order is a legal order from a court that prohibits an abuser from further abusing or harassing you. The specific provisions of a protection order or restraining order will depend on the circumstances.
A protection order or restraining order typically prohibits the abuser from contacting contact you, but may also include provisions to evict the abuser from your home or address temporary child custody.
The difference between a protection order and a restraining order is that Ohio law requires police to enforce protection orders. Law enforcement officers must respond to your report that your protection order has been violated. Your spouse may be arrested if he or she violates a protection order.
However, police do not have to enforce restraining orders. If your spouse violates a restraining order, you have to file a motion in court asking for penalties for the violation.
Are you experiencing domestic violence?
If you are experiencing domestic violence and want to consider a protection order or restraining order, an experienced domestic relations lawyer can help you understand which option might be right for you.
An Ohio family lawyer also can help you complete and file the paperwork to get your protection order. Further, a lawyer can help you gather and present the evidence you’ll need to prove your need for a protection order or restraining order. Call 419-625-7770.
Family Mediation
Sometimes your family matter may be something you can work out with the help of an independent third party. At Kademenos, Wisehart, Hines, Dolyk & Wright Co. LPA, we offer experienced and impartial mediation of family issues and disputes. We can offer mediation in divorces, negotiations over the division of assets, child custody disputes, and other domestic legal matters. Call 419-625-7770.
