Family Law

Family law includes with all parts of domestic law, including laws pertaining to marriage and divorce. Lawyers who specialize in issues related to family law, may also refer to themselves as ‘domestic relations’ specialists. Family law itself concerns itself with marriage, children, separation and divorce and money matters.

Marriage is the legal contract between a man and a woman who have decided to live together as husband and wife. Its legality insures that spousal rights will be guaranteed, include those of inheritance, rights of parents, health care rights, and others. Additional factors are also considered, including the age of the couples when they decide to get married. Minors, who wish to marry must obtain parental permission before going ahead with the marriage itself. 
Marriage is basically a social institution, forming the foundations of society itself. It confers rights upon individuals, including legal, practical and social and presents benefits and protections upon a married couple. In the recent few years, same-sex-marriage has also been given legal rights in some countries and states, including the Netherlands.

In some cases couples draw up a premarital contract, also called a prenuptial agreement, which is a legal binding that decides what rights will be conferred upon the couple if they divorce, or if one of them dies. It normally covers issues of support, property including who is entitled to what if one of them dies before the other.

Marriage deals with the fundamental issue of children. The decision of parents to have children, the rights of parents on the children, the legislative rights of the child or children in question and the length of time parents are legally bound to look after the children are properly and legally documented.