Ever since the Obama administration announced the legality of same-sex marriages in 2015, the LGBTQ community have been on cloud nine. Since then, there have been a handful of same-sex marriages as queer couples are no longer outlawed in the USA. However, the time has shown us that these same-sex couples can also have marital problems like their heterosexual counterparts. And when these problems become irreconcilable, sadly such a marriage is headed for the rocks. Gay marriages get dissolved too through a process known as a divorce. When this happens, the couple in charge needs to decide in getting a good legal representation. However, before all of that, there are certain important things to be taken into perspective. The following steps are part of a comprehensive guide on how gay couples can get a good legal representation in the case of a divorce.
Understand the law on gay divorce in your state
Before deciding on getting a lawyer for representation during a gay divorce, you might want to take some time to understand what the family law in gay divorce says in your state of residence. Each state in the USA has specific laws guiding gay marriages and divorce. A state like Maryland will certainly have gay divorce laws that are very different from those of the state of New Jersey. Therefore, you would want to know what the gay law in divorce in your state says. This way you will know how to approach a good lawyer.
Approach a competent gay divorce lawyer
After understanding what the gay law in your state says, it’s now time for you to get a competent lawyer who will represent all your interests in the court of law. For instance, a gay divorce lawyer in MD will be fully familiar with the laws of the state and will be able to fully represent you in a law court. It is important to choose a gay divorce lawyer that is fully experienced and have a wide area of expertise.
Work with your lawyer to help you establish a rightful case
After agreeing with your lawyer on the terms and rules of engagement, you might want to work with the gay divorce lawyer to help you establish a valid case. Support the lawyer with evidence of your argument to help you win the case. Many gay divorces usually involve both parties getting lawyers to represent them. This means that you should expect your partner to show up with their lawyers too. If they have their lawyers, it means you just have to work harder and smarter to build up a viable case against them.
Things to consider during divorce
Just like normal marriages, there are important things that you should think about during a divorce. These includes:
Child custody: If there are any kids in the marriage, you should be thinking of the best parent to grant custody of the child.
Spousal support: A non-working spouse would usually seek alimony from the other working spouse.
Child support: You might want to decide who pays for child support. Depending on the age of the children, a parent will usually pay child support to the kid every month until they turn eighteen.