Family Law NZ - New Zealand Lawyers, Specialising in Family Law

Looking for a New Zealand Law Firm that specialises in Family law?

Family Law refers to legal issues or situations relating to family units. This primarily includes divorce law, but can also cover adoptions and paternity disuptes among other things. Family Lawyers are specially trained to deal with all aspects of family law, though different lawyers approach Family Law cases differently.

Some divorce lawyers specialise in mediation, where the same lawyer works with both spouses, with the aim of helping them agree on the terms of the divorce or separation without the need to go to court. Other lawyers specialise in representing only one of the spouses in the marriage or partnership. In these cases the aim is often to ensure their client's best interests are represented in the areas of child custody, alimony or spousal support, and division of assets or property.

When children are involved in the breakdown of a marriage/partnership by divorce or separation, determining who will have custody of the children becomes a major issue. Often it is assumed that the mother's rights to the children supercede the father's rights to custody, but this is not always the case. Sometimes, joint custody of the children is the best option for the family, while in other cases the mother or father may have sole custody.

The assets in a marriage or partnership also need to be divided if a couple divorces or separates. In some cases, on of the partners will need to pay alimony or spousal support to the other partner. A skilled and experienced family lawyer can help to mediate or represent an individual's best interests in these cases.

Family law is not strictly limited to parents and children. Family lawyers can also represent other family members such as grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings in legal matters, if required.

New Zealand Family Lawyers will specialise in Family Law issues in this country.