Family Law

If you have chosen to grow your family by adoption, the family law and adoption attorneys at O’Hara Taylor Sloan Cassidy Beck PLLC can assist you. Whether you are seeking information to educate yourself or are in need of legal representation, we are experienced in adoptions and can provide all levels of service to you.

It is extremely important to choose an adoption attorney that is experienced with adoptions. Adoption is a highly technical legal process that, if not done correctly, can have dire consequences to your family. The adoption attorneys at O’Hara Taylor Sloan Cassidy Beck PLLC have experience in representing parents in all forms of adoption, including contested adoptions and adoptions by same-sex parents.

There are several forms of adoptions:

• Step-parent adoption occurs when the spouse of the child's parent wishes to adopt his or her step-child.

• Same-sex parent adoption occurs when two individuals either utilize a surrogate or other fertility methods. When a surrogate is utilized, a private adoption would be the necessary course of action. When fertility methods are used, the spouse who does not give birth to the child would need to utilize a private adoption in order to be legally recognized as your child’s parent.

• Private adoption occurs when an individual or couple wishes to adopt a child where the adoptive parent(s) and biological parent(s). This is usually when the adoptive parent(s) and the biological parent(s) are introduced through a family member or friend and is done without the aid of an agency.

• Foster adoption occurs when a foster parent wishes to adopt a child placed with them by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

• Agency adoption occurs when the adoptive parent(s) work with a licensed adoption agency in matching them with a child in need of adoption.

If adoption is something you’d like to pursue, contact our office by phone or e-mail to schedule your initial consultation and learn more about how our attorneys can help.

Appeals of family law cases require specialized knowledge of not only family law, but also the intricacies of the appellate process. Appeals involve different procedures and standards than family court. Because family courts are vested with broad discretion in making decisions, only under certain circumstances may you file an appeal. Although you may disagree with the judge's decision in your case, that alone is not an appropriate basis for appeal.

The family law attorneys at O’Hara Taylor Sloan Cassidy Beck PLLC regularly consult with individuals and fellow attorneys regarding an appeal of a case. We have extensive experience in successfully filing and defending appeals. We will review your case to determine if an appeal is appropriate, and represent you in filing or defending an appeal. Contact our office by phone or e-mail to schedule your initial consultation and learn more about how our attorneys can help.

At O’Hara Taylor Sloan Cassidy Beck PLLC, we represent mothers, fathers, and relatives on the full range of custody, parenting time, and child support issues. Our family law attorneys understand how uncertainty about child custody, child support, and parenting time can cause anxiety and stress. We understand the importance of securing arrangements that meet the needs of the children and both parents.

In determining custody and parenting time, the court considers various factors regarding what is in your children's best interest. We will help you understand those factors and present your case to the judge if necessary. In many cases, resolution by agreement or mediation will be most beneficial to all involved. The goal for most families is to resolve the issue before them and learn to work together to co-parent. Avoiding drawn-out court action by choosing to reach a resolution will allow families to reach their goals with a more positive path. Whether you are needing to establish custody and parenting time or modify custody and/or parenting time, our family law attorneys can help. Contact our office by phone or e-mail to schedule your initial consultation and learn more about how our attorneys can help.

Child support is determined by guidelines set forth by the state legislature. The guidelines take into account each parent's income and the number of children to be supported in calculating a child support amount. Sometimes, establishing the income of one, or both, of the parents, presents a problem when the parent is self-employed, sporadically employed, or operates a cash business. The O’Hara Taylor Sloan Cassidy Beck PLLC attorneys know how to properly investigate and document income in these situations.

Our attorneys not only help parents establish child custody, parenting time plans, and child support, we also assist with modification or enforcement of plans when circumstances change, such as the increase or decrease of income of a parent or relocation of one parent. Kentucky requires the relocating parent to follow specific steps prior to a move taking place. Our attorneys can assist the relocating parent or a parent who objects to the relocation.

Family Law is a complicated field in which many variables must be taken into consideration.  We can help make the process easier.  Don't go through this alone.  Contact our office by phone or e-mail to schedule your initial consultation and learn more about how our attorneys can help.

Today there are more and more unmarried couples residing together in a committed relationship. Many times, such couples do not consider what will happen should they separate. Unlike married couples, unmarried couples are unable to access the family court system to divide assets and debts or determine child custody and support issues. The family law attorneys at O’Hara Taylor Sloan Cassidy Beck PLLC can assist unmarried couples who are living together or thinking about living together to create a document called a co-habitation agreement to set out what rights each person will have should the couple separate in the future.

When two people live together in a committed relationship, they often comingle money, debts, and property. Couples may also have children together. In order to prevent chaos when a co-habitating couple terminates their relationship, a couple needs to create a co-habitation agreement to protect their rights. A co-habitation agreement is similar to a pre-nuptial agreement in that it sets forth each person's responsibilities during the relationship and how assets and debts are to be divided should the relationship terminate.

Contact our office by phone or e-mail to schedule your initial consultation and learn more about how our attorneys can help.

Collaborative Divorce is an alternative to the typical adversarial divorce or dissolution actions which couples usually go through. Collaborative law helps you and your spouse resolve both property and child custody issues without going to court.

Family Court dockets are congested and overwhelmed with a huge caseload. Often, divorce actions take a long time to get through the system, creating emotional and financial injury to the persons involved. When divorcing spouses go to court, they place their future in the hands of the judge and have little input into the outcome that will so greatly affect them. Collaborative Divorce is a better way than going to court to resolve all issues of a divorce.

The process of Collaborative Divorce requires the consent of both parties involved. Both spouses hire their own attorney specially trained in the area of Collaborative Divorce. Both parties and their lawyers enter into a contract requiring them all to work together to create an agreement that suits both parties and the children. The parties agree to disclose and exchange all financial information and if necessary, enlist the expertise of financial professionals to determine the best way to split assets and debts between the parties. If are children involved, the parents, attorneys, and sometimes family specialists work together to decide custody, parenting, and support issues in the way that is best for the children.

The family law attorneys at O’Hara Taylor Sloan Cassidy Beck PLLC are collaboratively trained and members of the Academy of Northern Kentucky Collaborative Professionals, Inc. Contact our office by phone or e-mail to schedule your initial consultation and learn more about how our attorneys can help.

From the first time you meet with us, the family law and divorce attorneys at O’Hara Taylor Sloan Cassidy Beck PLLC help you understand what realistic objectives look like in your situation.

Many divorce issues can be resolved through negotiation, compromise, and agreement. Because of the inherent personal conflict and emotional stress of divorce, many family courts encourage, or even require, divorcing spouses to thoroughly explore the options for settlement prior to scheduling a trial. Our experience with mediation can help you get the most out of the mediation process.

We can give you a clear understanding of your legal rights and responsibilities, and help you develop your priorities and goals during a divorce or dissolution. We will help you achieve them in the most direct and efficient manner possible.

Our divorce attorneys work with divorce clients on the full spectrum of issues that need attention during a separation, divorce, or dissolution, including:

• Child custody and parenting time

• Child support

• Enforcement of a prenuptial agreement

• Maintenance and spousal support

• Property and asset division, including complex assets such as family businesses, professional practices, pensions and retirement accounts, stocks, and real estate

• Temporary orders

Contact our office by phone or e-mail to schedule your initial consultation and learn more about how our attorneys can help.

Emergency custody proceedings are filed when a child's physical, mental, or emotional health is in danger. This process is often complicated and requires the skill of the experienced family law attorneys at O’Hara Taylor Sloan Cassidy Beck PLLC. We will help you fight to protect the child in your life from such harm by assisting you in navigating this difficult process. Contact our office by phone or e-mail to schedule your initial consultation and learn more about how our attorneys can help.

Grandparents in Kentucky may be granted visitation rights by a court if the grandparent can prove by clear and convincing evidence that it is in the child's best interest to do so. In proving grandparent visitation is in the child's best interest, grandparents must overcome the presumption that fit parents make decisions that are in the best interests of their child.

While securing grandparent visitation can be a difficult undertaking, there are instances where grandparent visitation is in the child's best interests and is appropriate, such as in a situation where the child is in foster care or in the custody of someone other than his or her natural parents.

For individuals seeking grandparent visitation or wishing to defend a grandparent visitation petition that has been filed against them, it is recommended that they seek legal counsel for further advice and representation. The family law attorneys at O’Hara Taylor Sloan Cassidy Beck PLLC have experience in both securing and defending grandparent visitation. Contact our office by phone or e-mail to schedule your initial consultation and learn more about how our attorneys can help.

When a child is born to unmarried parents, it is necessary to establish legal paternity before any child support, custody, or parenting time issues can be addressed. This can be accomplished by submitting to a DNA test or by agreement. In either situation, the court must recognize paternity by the filing of a Petition to Establish Paternity along with the DNA test results or agreement. Paternity is not legally established until this process is completed.

If you are a mother seeking child support or a potential father seeking custody or parenting time, the experienced family law attorneys at O’Hara Taylor Sloan Cassidy Beck PLLC can guide you through the steps to achieve your goal. Contact our office by phone or e-mail to schedule your initial consultation and learn more about how our attorneys can help.

Pre-Nuptial agreements are contracts entered into that outline the division of property and assets in the event of separation, divorce, or death following a marriage. They are useful tools to safeguard your non-marital property.

Pre-Nuptial agreements can address several topics:

• Assignment back of the non-marital property

• Division of marital property

• Inheritance and spousal rights at death

• Life Insurance

• Maintenance and spousal support

• Pension plans

• Taxes

• Title to property

• Trusts

The family law attorneys at O’Hara Taylor Sloan Cassidy Beck PLLC can assist you by explaining the law and drafting a document that will protect your assets and give you peace of mind. Our attorneys can also represent you in setting aside or enforcing a pre-nuptial agreement in the event of separation, divorce, or death. Contact our office by phone or e-mail to schedule your initial consultation and learn more about how our attorneys can help.