Colorado Springs Family Lawyers
Offering Legal Assistance to Help Improve Your Family’s Future
If you’re preparing to make changes that will affect your spouse, children, or other close family members, you should contact a Colorado Springs family law attorney for legal advice first. Family law matters tend to be emotionally challenging and legally complex, so you’ll benefit from having an experienced family law attorney on your side as you navigate the Colorado court system.
When you contact The Lux Law Firm, PLLC, you’ll get legal representation from compassionate family lawyers who have handled countless family law cases for clients throughout Colorado Springs, CO. Whether you’re planning to initiate a divorce, file for spousal support, modify your child custody arrangements, or address any other family law issues, our attorneys are here to help. Call our Colorado Springs family law firm to schedule a free consultation with caring family lawyers serving El Paso County.
What Family Law Matters Can Our Colorado Springs Legal Team Handle?
For years, our skilled family attorneys have provided Colorado Springs clients with quality legal services on family law cases. This means when you hire our legal team, you’ll get compassionate and effective representation no matter what type of family matter you’re hoping to resolve. The most common family law issues we take on for clients across El Paso County include:
- Divorce
- Legal separation
- Child custody
- Visitation
- Child support
- Spousal support
- Grandparents’ rights
- Protection orders
- Property division
If your family law case involves one or more of these issues, rest assured our Colorado Springs family lawyers will offer you legal support throughout your case. We understand how critical it is for you to get the best possible outcome regarding life-changing matters, such as getting custody of your children and negotiating spousal support after divorce.
That’s why we work hard on every Colorado Springs family law case, keeping our client’s best interests in mind and minimizing conflict with family members while working toward a resolution. If you want to learn more about how our Colorado Springs family lawyers can help with your family law issues, contact our trusted family law firm today for an initial consultation.
What Should You Expect from the Colorado Springs Divorce Process?
If you’re planning to file for divorce in Colorado Springs, CO, you should first know the requirements to meet to begin this legal process. The main one is that you or your spouse must have lived in Colorado for at least 91 days before you can file for divorce. This allows the Colorado court to have subject matter jurisdiction over your divorce case.
If you or your spouse can satisfy this residency requirement, the next issue to consider is whether you need to explain and prove your reason for wanting a divorce. The only detail you need to tell the Colorado court is that the marriage is irretrievably broken, since this is a no-fault divorce state. So, whether you’re filing for divorce due to adultery, addiction, or simply because you can’t get along anymore, you don’t need to explain your reasons to the court. As long as one of you has lived in this state for at least 91 days, you can file for divorce in Colorado Springs, CO.
That being said, hiring a Colorado Springs divorce lawyer before you file for divorce is highly recommended. This is because experienced attorneys have the legal skills and resources to streamline the divorce process for you, assisting with filing paperwork, meeting deadlines, and reaching agreements on important family law matters. If you’re overwhelmed by court paperwork or cannot come to a compromise with your spouse regarding child custody, alimony, and other issues, contact our experienced family law firm to get legal assistance from a Colorado Springs divorce attorney.
What Are the Available Child Custody Arrangements for Families in Colorado Springs, CO?
If you’re divorcing or separating from your child’s other parent, you’re required to agree to a parenting plan that addresses custody arrangements, also known as parental responsibilities. These arrangements are categorized as physical and legal custody, and they can be primary or joint.
Physical custody determines which parent the child lives with. If you wish to get primary physical custody of your child, this means they will live with you all or most of the year and may get visitation with the other parent. In particular, the parent with more than 90 overnight visits with the child is considered the primary custodial parent.
If you and your child’s other parent want to share physical custody, you can pursue joint parental responsibility in your Colorado family law case. This means the child will split time between both parents’ homes based on the parenting schedule approved by the judge. You and your child’s other parent will be expected to create a schedule that works for both of you and is in the child’s best interests.
For example, you might decide it’s best for the child to live with you during the week and go to their other parent’s home on weekends. You can also switch every few days or every other week, depending on what’s right for your family. Your El Paso County family law attorney can provide any guidance you need to get the best possible outcome on your custody arrangements.
The other type of child custody is legal custody, which refers to which parent has the right to make critical decisions about the child’s life. Examples include the school the child goes to, the religion they practice, and the healthcare procedures they get. If you want to be the sole decision-maker for your child, you can pursue sole legal custody, while joint legal custody allows you to share this responsibility with the other parent.
Family law court judges are more likely to grant joint custody than sole custody to ensure both parents have the chance to remain involved with the child’s life. But child custody decisions come down to the best interests of the child. This means judges usually consider the strength of the parent-child relationship, the child’s wishes, each parent’s mental and physical health, and their ability to co-parent. If you have questions about your Colorado Springs, CO child custody case, contact our experienced family law firm to speak with a caring family law attorney.
How Is Child Support Determined in Colorado Springs, CO?
If you have minor children, your family law case is not complete without determining which parent pays child support and how much they pay on a regular basis. After all, the Colorado court system states that children have the right to get the financial support they need from both parents, even after a divorce or separation. You can use a child support calculator to get a general idea of what a fair amount of financial support would be in your case, but it’s essential to know that certain details could make an impact on the total.
In particular, the judge will heavily consider each parent’s income and time spent with the child. In many cases, the parent who spends more time with the child will receive monetary support from the other parent to help cover food, shelter, clothes, and other necessities. However, child support payments may be deemed unnecessary if both parents share parenting time and responsibilities equally and there isn’t a big difference between their incomes.
There are additional details that could affect the amount of child support you can expect to pay or collect in your Colorado Springs legal case. Your family law attorney will let you know which ones specifically apply to your situation, but in general, the factors that affect child support in Colorado Springs family law cases include:
- The gross income of the parents
- The number of children involved in the case
- The health of the parents
- Any income the child earns
- The number of overnight visits the child has with each of their parents
- Any extra expenses required to raise the child, such as school tuition, clubs, sports, daycare, or healthcare costs
- The child’s standard of living when the parents were together
If you’re unsure which parent will be responsible for paying child support and how much it will be, you should talk to a Colorado Springs family law attorney to learn what to expect from the legal process. The family law attorneys at The Lux Law Firm, PLLC understand the importance of calculating an amount that’s fair to all parties involved, especially your children. If you want to discuss child custody, financial support, and other details that will heavily affect your family’s future, call us for a free consultation with compassionate family lawyers in Colorado Springs, CO.
How Does Spousal Support Work in Colorado?
In some divorce cases, the judge orders one spouse to pay the other a specific amount of money for anywhere from a few months to several years. This can be referred to as spousal support or alimony, and it’s usually only required when one spouse cannot financially support themselves after the marriage is over because their income is much lower than their spouse’s income.
You must petition the court for alimony if you need it since it’s not automatically considered in every Colorado Springs divorce case. So, if you’re struggling to pay your bills after losing your spouse’s income during divorce, you should ask your family law attorney about pursuing alimony.
There are different types of alimony available depending on how many years your marriage lasted and how long you expect to need financial support before you can afford your bills. The most common type of alimony is temporary maintenance, which typically only lasts until the divorce is final so you can afford your legal fees and normal living expenses during the legal process.
Another type of spousal support is rehabilitative. This is usually approved when one spouse stayed home for years while the other worked, resulting in a lack of job skills, education, or work experience. If you need time to return to school, get job training, or improve your resume so you can support yourself for the first time in years, rehabilitative alimony ensures you can pay your bills until you find a job.
Finally, in rare cases, a judge might order permanent spousal support. This is usually only the case when the marriage lasted several years, resulting in one spouse who is likely to struggle to support themselves due to advanced age, health issues, or a lack of education and job training. So, if you were married for decades and have no job experience or suffer from health problems that make it difficult to work, you may be eligible for permanent alimony in Colorado Springs, CO. Reach out to our family law lawyers in Colorado Springs if you’re uncertain about this and other legal options after divorce.
Are You Ready to Contact Skilled Colorado Springs Family Lawyers?
You should not have to deal with sensitive legal matters alone, especially when they can affect your family’s future. Whether you’re about to file for divorce in Colorado Springs, want to request spousal support, or need advice from a legal professional about any other family legal matters, we can offer you helpful information and support for your case.
With years of combined experience representing clients throughout El Paso County, our Colorado Springs family law attorneys are dedicated to getting you the fresh start you deserve. We understand how complicated family law issues can be as you work toward the best outcome for your case, so we want you to feel confident that our Colorado Springs attorneys will be on your side from start to finish.
If you’re ready to learn more about how a skilled family law attorney can assist you with your legal matter, call us at 719-451-7469 for a free consultation at our Colorado family law office.