Unfortunately, in today’s world divorce and other family conflict affect half of the population.  Family conflict is the most common path through which people experience our civil court system.  These conflicts can appear simple to resolve, but all too often are complicated by high emotions and the involvement of state agencies and other third parties.  This makes the choice of a lawyer in family conflicts an important decision.  

Sage Law has the experience, knowledge and expertise to handle all types of family conflict, including:

Divorce:  Legal actions to terminate a marriage include both divorce and annulment.  Sometimes couples seek separate maintenance (legal separation) when they wish to separate but not terminate the marriage.  Regardless of which form of action couples pursue, our attorneys have experience in all of the issues encountered, including child custody, parenting plans, spousal support (commonly referred to as alimony or maintenance), child support and property division. 

Complex Divorce:  Sometimes divorce, annulment and separate maintenance involve difficult issues created by self-employment, business ownership or significant inheritance issues.  Because many of our attorneys devote their entire practice to drafting complex family and business succession plans, Sage Law is uniquely situated to answer questions, analyze and assist in resolving the common issues presented in complex divorce cases.

Collaborative Divorce:  Collaborative divorce is a unique approach to divorce that includes the assistance of family law attorneys, financial advisors and mental health professionals.  In collaborative divorce, the parties commit to a cooperative negotiation aimed at reaching an agreed resolution.  The participation of a financial neutral and a mental health neutral assists the parties in considering all issues involved in separating and reaching a resolution that better considers the needs of those affected by the separation.  Due to the cooperative nature of collaborative divorce, many cases are resolved in just a few meetings.  A divorce case is filed only after the parties have reached an agreed resolution and only for the purpose of obtaining the court’s approval of the settlement documents and issuing the decree granting divorce.

Modification/Enforcement:  Sometimes circumstances change after the termination of a marriage in a way that creates a need to modify the existing agreements and court orders.  Sometimes one of the parties fails to perform as required by agreement or court order. Our attorneys have experience in assisting clients with modifications and enforcement of existing agreements and court orders.

Paternity:  Unmarried parents are often faced with the same issues involved in divorce, including child custody, parenting time, child support and sometimes even property division.  Our attorneys have experience assisting clients in establishing paternity and resolving custody, support and other issues encountered.

Premarital/Postmarital/Cohabitation Agreements:  Our attorneys have experience in negotiating, drafting and litigating premarital, postmarital and cohabitation agreements.

Grandparents’ Rights:  The death of a child, divorce or separation has the potential to significantly affect the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren.  Whether you are seeking to establish grandparents’ rights through court or are opposing a grandparent’s efforts to establish such rights, our attorneys can help answer your questions and decide how to proceed.

Appeals:  Sometimes one or both of the parties are dissatisfied with the court’s decision.  If you find yourself in need of appealing a court decision or you are faced with an appeal by your former spouse, our attorneys have the experience and knowledge to answer your questions and determine how to proceed.