CONNECTICUT DIVORCE LAWYER

The Law Offices of Karen Reynolds, LLC is located in the Greater Bridgeport area of Connecticut, where she has practiced family law for more than 30 years. In Connecticut, family law includes a wide variety of issues that must be resolved or processed through an adversarial court system. Divorces, custody actions, and the smaller details that go along with these actions, such as child support, medical insurance, and parenting plans, are all considered family law. Bridgeport divorce lawyer Karen Reynolds has vast experience assisting individuals with resolving family law needs.

Under Connecticut law, anyone seeking a divorce must comply with procedural and jurisdictional requirements. For example, for the Connecticut courts to exercise jurisdiction over a divorce, one spouse must have been a resident of Connecticut for a minimum of one year prior to the filing of the divorce complaint, or one spouse must have lived in the state prior to the marriage and returned to the state prior to the filing of the complaint. People also can seek a divorce in Connecticut if the cause for the end of the marriage occurred after either spouse moved to the state. Most divorces allege that the marriage is irretrievably broken, which is commonly known as a no-fault divorce, but Connecticut allows for fault-based divorces as well.

When people who have a child together end their relationship, they will need to develop an arrangement regarding custody of the child. Custody includes legal custody, which is the right to make decisions regarding the child’s upbringing, and physical custody, which is the right to spend time with the child. If the parents are unable to come to a custody agreement between them, they can seek intervention from the courts. In determining an appropriate custody arrangement, a Connecticut court will assess what is in the child’s best interest, considering factors such as the child’s relationship with his or her parents and any siblings, the health of each parent and the child, and each parent’s ability to provide for the child’s emotional, physical, and educational needs. Generally, it is presumed that a joint custody arrangement is in the child’s best interest. A divorce attorney in the Bridgeport area can help you pursue the arrangement that is right for your child.

All parents are obligated to provide for their children financially, but not all parents possess equal financial means. As a result, in many instances in which the parents of a child do not live together, the courts will order one parent to pay child support to his or her co-parent. In Connecticut, child support obligations are calculated by using statutory guidelines that assess the income of each parent, the division of physical custody, and the cost of raising the child. A court is permitted to deviate from the guidelines if the party seeking a deviation establishes that it is warranted under the circumstances. Generally, a support obligation will continue until a child reaches the age of 18 or, if the child is still in high school, until the child graduates or reaches the age of 19.