Domestic Relations attorneys are lawyers who work in the area of law which centers around the family, children, or a married or unmarried household. This includes but is not limited to Divorce Attorneys, for both contested and uncontested divorces, Child Custody Attorneys, Domestic Violence Attorneys who help people get Orders of Protection or defend against a Petition for an Order of Protection, Adoption Lawyers, Child Support Attorneys, and Paternity Lawyers. Many Domestic Relations lawyers in Nashville also do both Civil and Criminal Contempt cases. Domestic Relations attorneys usually practice in State Juvenile Court and State Circuit Court in Davidson County. Some Domestic Relations lawyers in the surrounding Middle Tennessee area also practice law in Chancery Court. Many people refer to Domestic Relations lawyers as Family Law Practitioners.
Domestic Relations lawyers help both married and unmarried parents obtain custody agreements and child support. A lawyer may help an unmarried father obtain visitation rights or modify a child support obligation. Many Nashville Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service attorneys also help you enforce Court Orders such as when a parent stops paying their child support obligation or fails to return a child after visitation. Domestic Relations attorneys can help parents negotiate a Parenting Plan that can be entered into the court through an Agreed Order to help stop conflicts about visitation.
Domestic Relations attorneys help couples without children as well. In Tennessee, your Domestic Relations lawyer can help you draft an Antenuptial or Prenuptial Agreement in anticipation of marriage. If you did not sign a Prenuptial Agreement it is not too late to determine the distribution of your assets, and your LRIS referral lawyer can help you to draft a Postnuptial Agreement in many instances.
Domestic Relations attorneys also help caretakers with Adoptions and Custody Modifications.