Family Law

Family Law in Berks County, Pennsylvania

Bentley, Kopecki, Smith, P.C., family law attorneys know that family law issues can be overwhelming and often discouraging. In these times, you want a lawyer who is both sympathetic and effective. Whether through negotiation or litigation, our experienced lawyers will work hard to resolve your family law concerns in the most beneficial manner for you and the people you love.

What is Family Law?

Family law focuses on legal issues that arise in the context of family relationships. These relationships include marriages, child custody, child support, divorce, and domestic abuse, among others. This law is socialized and surprisingly broad, and it touches upon everything relating to family relationships, going as far as constitutional law, tax law, and real estate.

Therefore, family law is focused on anything that impacts the family unit. This aspect of the law deals with the most intimate details of people’s lives. It has a lot to offer by supporting clients even in the most challenging cases, and this makes family law one of the most crucial legal specialties as it covers the core issues of society’s culture and values.

We offer a free half-hour initial consultation to explore your case and our abilities.

How Does Family Law Work?

Family law is made up of three main areas, these are:

Matrimonial
Finance
Child Law

A family lawyer can choose to specialize in one of these areas or all of them. These three (3) main areas cover domestic violence, guardianship, child abuse and neglect, inheritance law, retirements, and pensions.

Family law helps couples or individuals deal with these problems and gives them legal ways to address and solve them.

What Does a Family Law Attorney Do?

A family law attorney acts on family-related issues such as divorce and separation, child custody, adoption cases, and financial settlements. In a divorce case, a family lawyer is expected to gather evidence, including financial evidence, prepare the necessary documentation, and negotiate settlements, including making any necessary contacts.

Family law lawyers may also represent their clients in court if need be, in addition to instructing, counseling, and attending court proceedings. In cases involving marriage, a family law attorney can give advice on prenuptial agreements to protect the client’s financial interests and legal advice on divorce or ending a civil partnership.

In child custody cases, child custody lawyers advocate for their clients in mediation and dispute resolution to get the best child custody and visitation settlements. This implies that family law focuses on all family-related legal issues, including family properties.

Some lawyers who specialize in family law may also work in criminal law (criminal defense), helping family members who have been accused of abuse or neglect.

Why Do You Need a Family Law Lawyer?

There are several reasons you need a lawyer on family-related issues; here are the five (5) most important reasons:

> To Offer Expert Advice and Guidance on Legal Rights

You need a trusted advisor to help explain your legal rights, give you advice on legal issues, and help you find the best solution to any legal problem you may face. Marriage, divorce, child custody, and other family law matters are often risky and can be overwhelming without a proper understanding of the local family law.

Therefore, to get the best legal action, you need a trained and experienced family law attorney like Bentley, Kopecki, Smith P.C., to help you find and present appropriate evidence to make a stronger case to get the best settlement from an issue.

> To Offer Alternative Means Of Settlement To Legal Issues

Additionally, experienced lawyers can assist you in finding alternative means of resolving the family dispute outside of court. For instance, collaborative divorce doesn’t involve the couples standing in front of a judge in court; instead, the two parties involved and their separate lawyers work together to carry out the divorce process smoothly.

With the help of our team of experienced lawyers, you can access several alternative resolution methods.

> To Protect Your Rights And Interests During Any Legal Issues

A family law attorney defends your rights and interests by assisting you in understanding the laws and legal process. With your interests at heart, our lawyer fights in court and ensures that your rights and interests are protected, especially in divorce cases.

> To Ensure That All Agreements And Documents Are Legally Binding

Through a thorough review of terms, our lawyers at Bentley, Kopecki, Smith, P.C., ensure that the agreement concluded upon and the document used are legally binding. They also make sure that both parties involved in the legal matter know what the contract says, and in some cases, our family law attorneys may draft documents that, after signing, make an agreement legally binding.

> To Represent You In Court Or Negotiations With The Other Party.

Bentley, Kopecki, Smith P.C.‘s family law lawyers can represent you in court, help you prepare and file the necessary documents, find the resources needed for your case, and negotiate with the other party if necessary.

Your Choice Of Lawyer Is Important

You may be asking yourself why you should hire one of our lawyers. We are ready to answer that question and more during your free initial consultation in our Reading, Lebanon, or Lancaster offices. Focusing on family law cases, our highly-experienced attorneys handle all types of family law concerns, including:

Divorce: Handling uncontested, contested, and military divorces, we can help you get started and deal with the emotions of divorce as we guide you through the entire process.
Child custody: In child custody cases, we will help you work with your spouse to come up with a custody and visitation agreement that works best for your children. If an agreement is not possible, we will be in court with you to obtain an order for your children.
Child support: Your order will be based on Pennsylvania’s child support guidelines unless otherwise agreed between the parties. We will work hard to ensure your kids are taken care of and your financial future is protected.
Spousal support and alimony: While not applicable to every marriage, our lawyers will help you understand your spousal support and alimony options and how they apply to you specifically.
Equitable distribution of marital assets: Make sure you protect the assets you have and work to discover any hidden assets of your spouse.
Modifications: From financial changes pertaining to support matters to relocation in custody matters, our lawyers can help you obtain modifications to your original support and custody orders. The laws governing child support have recently changed and are very specific. Don’t make a move until you have spoken to an experienced lawyer.

Our experienced lawyers also handle cases involving:

In most cases, we encourage our clients to work out settlements that benefit their interests. Reaching a settlement can also significantly reduce the legal costs associated with divorce and custody. When a settlement is not possible or is not in your best interest, our family law attorneys have extensive litigation experience, and we are not afraid to go to court to fight for your rights.

Having Trouble With Your Family Law Case? Contact Our Experienced Lawyers in Pennsylvania

Bentley, Kopecki, Smith, P.C. has a team of highly trained and experienced family law attorneys who can help you if you need help with a family law matter. We are passionate and compassionate in our work. We will work hard to achieve the best possible outcome in any family law case.

Our trained lawyers have compassion for our client’s needs and a personal desire to help them resolve family problems and move forward. Contact our attorneys today for a free 30-minute consultation.