Family law

Family law

Law that deals with family-related issues such as spousal abuse, legitimacy, adoption, surrogacy, child abuse, and child abduction.

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Family law

collect

Legal services; Family law

To obtain payment of a debt through legal proceedings. See the FAQs on collections for more information.

alternative dispute resolution (ADR)

Legal services; Family law

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is the common name for the different ways of settling a disagreement outside the courtroom. ADR includes mediation, arbitration, mediation-arbitration, early ...

When you don't know where the opposing party is to serve them, the court requires that you try hard to find him or her. The effort you make to find the opposing party is called diligent inquiry. If ...

appeal

Legal services; Family law

A losing party may ask a higher court to review a lower court's decision - this is called "taking an appeal. " Appeals normally focus on questions of law as applied in the case, not questions of ...

venue

Legal services; Family law

The local court where your case should be filed. Jurisdiction is controlled by strict rules, but venue is often left to the discretion of the judge.

settlement

Legal services; Family law

An agreement of all terms reached through negotiation by parties involved in a legal dispute. If you think you have settled your case, you may file a motion to request a hearing to put your ...

pre-hearing brief

Legal services; Family law

A written summary or statement explaining your position or a particular issue to the judge. The pre-hearing brief states the facts, evidence, and legal arguments that you plan to present at a hearing ...