Family Law Lawyers in Cincinnati Helping You Avoid Legal Disputes and Resolving Your Family Law Matters
The purpose of a family law attorney is to help families navigate challenging moments in their lives. Family law attorneys typically step in when problems need to be resolved, though some happy moments demand family law services, such as adoption.
Our law firm is a go-to resource and source of support as legal family matters arise. Our legal team provides experienced family law services and alternative dispute resolution methods to families throughout the Cincinnati, Ohio, and Northern Kentucky areas.
Ernst & Associates offers legal services about family law issues including:
- Divorce proceedings
- Mediation services
- Child support
- Child custody, visitation, and parenting rights
- Property and asset division
- Spousal support
- Adoption
- Paternity issues
- Grandparents’ rights
Resolve family matters, free yourself from unnecessary disagreements, and work through conflict healthily and respectfully to benefit you, your spouse, and your children. We will focus on your and your spouse’s interests and your children’s and long-term goals to ensure the next chapter of your relationship gets off on the right foot.
Contact Ernst & Associates with any family law matter you need to resolve. We have experience in a variety of family-related legal issues. You can schedule an initial consultation with our experienced family law lawyers to review your case and discuss your needs.
Does Family Law Cover Domestic Violence Issues?
Domestic violence isn’t just physical. A spouse or family member can subject a loved one or another spouse to sexual violence, emotional violence, psychological violence, financial abuse, and spiritual violence.
Suffering from domestic violence in silence is painful and has life-long consequences. If you are in an abusive marriage or relationship, you and your children need help from our experienced attorneys. We know what your family needs to resolve this difficult matter.
From the moment you contact our law firm, we will keep your case confidential, and our family law lawyers will devote our time and attention to helping you make safe decisions. This might include helping you apply for a temporary or permanent protective order in court to prevent further domestic violence and harm to you or your children.
Folks in domestic violence situations often feel isolated and scared of the future, as well as other conflicting feelings when going through the divorce or breakup process. We try to make the process as simple as possible while keeping your well-being in mind.
If you are a victim of domestic violence your safety is at risk. Contact our family law attorneys so we can help protect you from further harm. We will never share your information and will ensure your story remains confidential from start to finish.
How Can I Resolve My Child Custody Issues with Legal Help?
With a collaborative law process, family law attorneys offer problem-solving-focused mediation services, guidance, and legal counsel. We help spouses resolve disputes in their divorce, from property division to visitation schedules to parenting time.
Parents must agree on custody and visitation arrangements for their children during the divorce process. A family law lawyer can guide this discussion and step in if disagreements arise. The attorney helps both parents find solutions by explaining Ohio custody laws so parents understand how to make their agreement.
Sole and Shared Custody
In Ohio, courts treat both parents equally during the child custody process. Judges must rule in the best interests of the child, considering the child’s situation and unique needs. If parents agree on a shared custody and visitation plan, the judge must approve it during the divorce process.
Shared or joint custody is preferred so that the child has the benefit of both parents’ time and upbringing. Courts prefer the parents split their custody time 50/50 or as close to that percentage as possible. Parents always have shared legal custody of the child. They have equal rights to make legal decisions for their child, such as education and healthcare decisions.
Sole custody is awarded when one parent cannot make legal decisions or have physical custody of the child. Sole custody is awarded in limited circumstances, often when one parent is incarcerated or is restricted from contact with the child for other reasons.
If one parent has sole physical custody, the other parent may still have legal custody. These situations require court involvement for the custody agreement.
Determining the best arrangement for your children alongside other collaborative professionals in the child custody and divorce process can create a seamless experience for everyone involved.
When you need assistance with a child custody arrangement or you need to work through a dispute, our mediation services and support will help you determine the best path forward. Contact our family law lawyers and book an initial consultation to find out how we can support you.
Is a Collaborative Divorce Possible with Mediation?
A collaborative divorce challenges the traditional divorce model. The typical model is a confrontational model, where parties argue and negotiate until they reach a resolution. Collaborative divorce is a hybrid between traditional divorce and divorce mediation.
Collaborative law focuses instead on resolving disputes and working through issues with the guidance of attorneys and other professionals. Divorce is a life-changing decision, and working with experts helps both parties make critical choices during the process.
Ernst & Associates embraces the collaborative law process related to divorce, child custody issues, spousal support, and other important decisions as part of the divorce process.
The collaborative dynamic focuses on problem-solving instead of argument. These efforts put the children before personal agendas or emotional decisions involved in a divorce.
Divorce is a family law matter and a problematic next step for couples, even if it’s the right decision. Contact a divorce lawyer with Ernst & Associates to get advice.
How Can a Family Law Attorney Resolve My Family Law Issue?
Family law matters require skilled legal representation. The collaborative law process uses mediation and negotiation skills to help clients resolve a range of situations common to family law.
Family law touches every facet of domestic life, including:
- Divorce and marriage dissolution
- Establishment of paternity rights
- Child custody and visitation
- Protection orders
- Domestic violence
- Termination of parental rights
- Emancipation
- Guardianship and adjudication
- Name changes
- Juvenile delinquency
Our alternative dispute resolution methods and collaborative law philosophy help you and your family focus on what matters during the legal process, and step back from procedures that don’t work for today’s family law problems.
Ernst & Associates and our family law attorneys have experience in family law cases and various family law issues, from prenuptial agreements, child support, child custody arrangements, mediation, and divorce.
As your potential legal partner, you can count on us to deliver results and support your case with reliable legal counsel and guidance throughout the process. For your first step, give us a call at 513-579-9500 and book an initial consultation with our law firm to see how our attorneys can help.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cincinnati Divorce
Is Ohio a Community Property State?
Ohio is an “equitable division” or “common law” state. In an equitable division state, marital property is divided according to what is fair or “equitable.” In general, separate property is all property acquired before and during the marriage by gift, inheritance, or bequest. Marital property is divided according to how the spouse contributed to acquiring the property. Sometimes, a judge may order property divided in other ways, such as ordering the spouse with primary custody of the child to keep the family home for the benefit of the child.
Can spouses waive child support in Ohio?
Ohio has child support guidelines, and any deviation from the support guidelines must be approved by a family law judge. Parents can agree to such deviation, but the judge will not approve it if it does not meet Ohio’s standards. Parents can make other arrangements that will support the child without traditional child support, such as one parent making mortgage payments so the other parent can keep that money, but the judge must still agree. Bottom line: it’s best if parents allow the judge to set the support amount.
Does the child custody arrangement affect child support?
In Ohio, child support is based on parental incomes and is separate from the custody agreement. If there is an extreme disparity between the custody arrangement, the judge may take that into consideration when awarding child support, but even with 50/50 physical custody, one parent may still pay child support to the other.