Washington Family Law Lawyer, West Virginia

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Includes: Collaborative Law, Domestic Violence & Neglect, Paternity, Prenuptial Agreements

William B. Summers

Accident & Injury, Criminal, Divorce & Family Law, Car Accident
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  28 Years

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Robert A. Ellison

Corporate, Personal Injury, Family Law, Real Estate
Status:  Inactive           Licensed:  45 Years

D. Kyle Moore

Accident & Injury, Criminal, Divorce & Family Law, Lawsuit & Dispute, Employment
Status:  In Good Standing           

M. Paul Marteney

Accident & Injury, Bankruptcy, Divorce & Family Law, Lawsuit & Dispute, Real Estate
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  28 Years

F. John Oshoway

Accident & Injury, Criminal, Divorce & Family Law, Estate
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  42 Years

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Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-943-8690

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LEGAL TERMS

CONSORTIUM

(1) A group of separate individuals or companies that come together to undertake an enterprise or transaction that is beyond the means of any one member. For ex... (more...)
(1) A group of separate individuals or companies that come together to undertake an enterprise or transaction that is beyond the means of any one member. For example, a group of local businesses may form a consortium to fund and construct a new office complex. (2) The duties and rights associated with marriage. Consortium includes all the tangible and intangible benefits that one spouse derives from the other, including material support, companionship, affection, guidance and sexual relations. The term may arise in a lawsuit if a spouse brings a claim against a third party for 'loss of consortium' after the other spouse is injured or killed.

JOINT CUSTODY

An arrangement by which parents who do not live together share the upbringing of a child. Joint custody can be joint legal custody (in which both parents have a... (more...)
An arrangement by which parents who do not live together share the upbringing of a child. Joint custody can be joint legal custody (in which both parents have a say in decisions affecting the child) joint physical custody (in which the child spends a significant amount of time with both parents) or, very rarely, both.

BRIEF

A document used to submit a legal contention or argument to a court. A brief typically sets out the facts of the case and a party's argument as to why she shoul... (more...)
A document used to submit a legal contention or argument to a court. A brief typically sets out the facts of the case and a party's argument as to why she should prevail. These arguments must be supported by legal authority and precedent, such as statutes, regulations and previous court decisions. Although it is usually possible to submit a brief to a trial court (called a trial brief), briefs are most commonly used as a central part of the appeal process (an appellate brief). But don't be fooled by the name -- briefs are usually anything but brief, as pointed out by writer Franz Kafka, who defined a lawyer as 'a person who writes a 10,000 word decision and calls it a brief.'

PHYSICAL CUSTODY

The right and obligation of a parent to have his child live with him. Compare legal custody.

SHARED CUSTODY

See joint custody.

MARRIAGE LICENSE

A document that authorizes a couple to get married, usually available from the county clerk's office in the state where the marriage will take place. Couples pa... (more...)
A document that authorizes a couple to get married, usually available from the county clerk's office in the state where the marriage will take place. Couples pay a small fee for a marriage license, and must often wait a few days before it is issued. In addition, a few states require a short waiting period--usually not more than a day--between the time the license is issued and the time the marriage may take place. And some states still require blood tests for couples before they will issue a marriage license, though most no longer do.

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE

An order from a judge that directs a party to come to court and convince the judge why she shouldn't grant an action proposed by the other side or by the judge ... (more...)
An order from a judge that directs a party to come to court and convince the judge why she shouldn't grant an action proposed by the other side or by the judge on her own (sua sponte). For example, in a divorce, at the request of one parent a judge might issue an order directing the other parent to appear in court on a particular date and time to show cause why the first parent should not be given sole physical custody of the children. Although it would seem that the person receiving an order to show cause is at a procedural disadvantage--she, after all, is the one who is told to come up with a convincing reason why the judge shouldn't order something--both sides normally have an equal chance to convince the judge to rule in their favor.

CUSTODIAN

A term used by the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act for the person named to manage property left to a child under the terms of that Act. The custodian will manag... (more...)
A term used by the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act for the person named to manage property left to a child under the terms of that Act. The custodian will manage the property if the gift giver dies before the child has reached the age specified by state law -- usually 21. When the child reaches the specified age, he will receive the property and the custodian will have no further role in its management.

IRREMEDIABLE OR IRRETRIEVABLE BREAKDOWN

The situation that occurs in a marriage when one spouse refuses to live with the other and will not work toward reconciliation. In a number of states, irremedia... (more...)
The situation that occurs in a marriage when one spouse refuses to live with the other and will not work toward reconciliation. In a number of states, irremediable breakdown is the accepted ground for a no-fault divorce. As a practical matter, courts seldom, if ever, inquire into whether the marriage has actually broken down, and routinely grant a divorce as long as the party seeking the divorce says the marriage has fallen apart. Compare incompatibility; irreconcilable differences.

SAMPLE LEGAL CASES

In re Abbigail Faye B.

... In fact, we specifically have held that, "[a]lthough parents have substantial rights that must be protected, the primary goal ... in all family law matters ... must be the health and welfare of the children." Syl. pt. 3, in part, In re Katie S., 198 W.Va. 79, 479 SE2d 589 (1996). ...

Rosen v. Rosen

... This Court has held that "in reviewing a final order of a circuit judge upon review of, or a refusal to review, a final order of a family court judge we review the findings of fact under a clearly erroneous standard and the application of the law to facts under an abuse of discretion ...

In re Cecil T.

... 496, 266 SE2d 114 (1980). We have further said that "[a]lthough parents have substantial rights that must be protected, the primary goal in cases involving abuse and neglect, as in all family law matters, must be the health and welfare of the children." Syl. Pt. ...