Civil Unions

Several years ago the State of Connecticut recognized Civil Unions. In so doing, it made the laws regarding Divorce and Legal Separation applicable to the dissolution of Civil Unions. This means that individuals who wish to dissolve their Civil Unions and resolve issues concerning property division, child custody, alimony, child support, and visitation, must do so through the Divorce’s adversarial court system.

For those individuals, Attorney Karen Reynolds offers her experience and skills to help navigate the legal process. Using the same tools and resources that are essential to assisting clients to reach successful Divorce results, she enables clients who are in Civil Unions to reach results that work best for their family units.

Connecticut is an Equitable Distribution state and the resolution for each case is decided on a case by case basis. The Court uses the same statutory criteria to determine a fair property division as it does in a divorce action. Lawyers and judges must look to the facts of each case and examine factors such as the parties’ ages, health, education, earning history and capacity, as well as fault in the breakdown of the union. It is imperative to have a lawyer who understands how the Court interprets and relies on these factors, enabling the client to maximize their result, whether through Mediation or by a trial in court.

Courts and lawyers also look to these statutory factors to help determine a fair alimony amount. The length of the union, whether there are minor children, the parties’ ages, health, and education are some more of the factors that need consideration in resolving Civil Union issues.

Attorney Reynolds’ thirty years’ experience in Family law allows her to help clients reach fair financial results, using available tools such as production requests, interrogatories, depositions (and a Court hearing if required) to make sure all financial information is disclosed. This empowers clients to have confidence in the choices and decisions they make about resolving their differences with their partners.

Our law office helps clients address concerns about their children, such as custody, child support, visitation and parent access. We explain the child support guidelines and the impact they have on support obligations for work related day care and uninsured medical costs for children. Attorney Reynolds will negotiate a parenting agreement that addresses all the parent’s issues, and if necessary, will go to court to obtain a fair result. Attorney Reynolds’ training in representing minor children is an advantage in this process.

When possible, an amicable resolution is always preferred in the dissolution of a Civil Union. Through creative and effective counsel, our law firm can give you advice on when it is appropriate to settle. In the event a resolution is not possible, Attorney Reynolds can assist you in Court to obtain a fair result.

Call the Law Offices of Karen Reynolds, LLC for a free consultation today.