While it might seem like it, family lawyers play an essential role at crucial moments in a client’s life. They can help families overcome difficulties, save time and money, and save valuable relationships. Herein are some of the notable duties of your family lawyer:
Representing Clients During the Divorce Proceedings
During the divorce process, the couple might have complicated issues they need to settle, typically the rights over properties and children. Family attorneys help their clients protect the interests of their clients, making it possible to complete the divorce process quickly and as smoothly as possible.
They offer valuable advice and help their clients get all the dues they’re entitled to due to the divorce and save them from needless loss of their assets. Drawing from their experience and expertise, a family lawyer will help clients avoid making costly missteps that may lead to future expensive litigation. By taking the role of a legal guiding hand, family lawyers help their clients save time and money.
Managing Properties and Estates
Family lawyers are also helpful in helping their clients manage properties, estates, and assets. Individuals with multiple properties might find it difficult and overwhelming to handle the assets personally. Family lawyers are knowledgeable in the matter of the laws pertaining to estate management.
This means they have the requisite skills to draft documents regarding trusts, power of attorney, health care directives, and much more. Law firms in Surrey have the best lawyers with a proven track record of winning cases and are committed to their clients to offer legal services in various areas of law, such as family, employment, immigration and property law.
Estate plans can change many times. Importantly, the changes to the wills need to be timely. Family lawyers help keep their clients’ estate plans up-to-date. They assess their clients’ plans and can suggest any recommended changes on an individual basis.
Keeping a Record of All Valuable Documents
Lawyers are bound by professional legal ethics and have a duty of confidentiality to refrain from discussing their clients’ situations and cases with third parties. Their code of ethics requires them to keep all information about their clients private unless they’re permitted to disclose particular pieces of information by their clients or the law.
This level of confidentiality also applies to the documents pertaining to their client’s cases. Family lawyers are entrusted with valuable and important information and documents such as wills, title deeds, divorce papers, custody papers, and adoption papers for safekeeping and storage. This protects the client’s sensitive documents, information, and assets.
Representing Members of the Family in Courts
Family lawyers are needed to represent their client’s family members in court. If a family member is accused of committing an offense or committing an offense, family lawyers are essential in sorting out the legal matter.
They investigate the issue and file legal documents to make and support their case in court. They also make court appearances on their client’s behalf and present evidence proving their client’s stand, assertions, and arguments.
Providing Legal Assistance and Advice
People face different challenges and experience milestones that need the advice and guidance of family lawyers. Family lawyers provide clients with the legal advice necessary to make informed and reasoned decisions on important issues affecting their lives.
For instance, they advise their clients on legal issues, ensuring their clients understand their legal rights and when they’re violated. Clients also consult family lawyers before signing contracts to ensure they understand the fine print and all hidden clauses. As such, clients understand their rights and obligations under the contract to negate the risk of making consequential errors.
Family lawyers are also helpful when clients face settlements and court trials by offering legal guidance that can help clients get the best outcome possible.
Preparing, Documenting and Safely Keeping the Will
As you can appreciate, wills are delicate documents that provide an individual’s last wish on how their property should be shared when they pass away. A will is only valid when it checks all the legal requirements expected of a valid will.
Clients benefit immensely by allowing an experienced family lawyer to draft their will. Lawyers understand the right wording and questions to capture all the property and interests a client may wish to include in their will.
Family lawyers also help mitigate the tax liabilities that heirs pay to the government. Tax planning allows clients to leave as much inheritance as possible to their loved ones and dependents.