Asheville Family Law Attorneys
Helping families in North Carolina start over with financial and emotional security
Relationships don’t always work out how we’d like. When marriages end, the spouses need to ensure they and their children are protected – financially and emotionally. Children of divorce and separation need to know where they will stay and who will raise, love, and guide them every day.
At Epperson Law Group, PLLC, we’ve earned the respect of former clients who need to ensure their marital property is divided equitably, alimony is paid when necessary, child custody orders are entered, and child support orders are enforced. Our Asheville family lawyers handle every type of family law matter, including military divorces, grandparents’ rights, adoption, domestic violence protection orders, and premarital agreements. We’re ready to help your family today.
How can we help?
- What is family law?
- What issues are involved in divorces in Asheville?
- How are child custody disputes resolved in Asheville?
- How much child support should my children receive in Asheville?
- Do you handle all types of adoptions in Asheville?
- Do you handle paternity claims in Asheville?
- What other family law issues do you handle?
- How do you advocate for anyone who has a family law issue in Asheville?
- Do you have an Asheville family lawyer near me?
What is family law?
Family law defines the various types of disputes, plans, and agreements that spouses, parents, children, and other family members have during their relationships that require the help of a lawyer. Family law involves your rights and the rights of other members of your family. Many family law matters occur when marriages end or when unmarried partners need to separate.
Family law in Asheville also involves how disputes are resolved – through agreements, negotiation, mediation, collaborative divorce, arbitration, trials, and other procedures.
Our Asheville family lawyers handle every aspect of family law, including advising you about your rights, explaining your options, prioritizing your needs, working with counselors when you or loved ones have emotional difficulties, valuing your assets, resolving disputes, and every way that a legal claim can affect you and any family members.
At Epperson Law Group, PLLC, we represent families in all types of family-related matters, including the following:
- Premarital agreements and post-marital agreements
- Divorce-related issues, including:
- Filing for divorce
- Child custody and parenting plans
- Child support and child support enforcement
- Property division
- Alimony
- Modifications of existing orders
- Requests to relocate to another county or state
- The rights of grandparents
- Paternity
- Adoption
- Termination of parental rights
What issues are involved in divorces in Asheville?
In North Carolina, you can file for a divorce (called an absolute divorce) if you’ve been separated for one year or more and one of the spouses has been a North Carolina resident for at least six months. A spouse can also file for divorce from bed and board if they have grounds for divorce, but this is rare.
Our Asheville family law attorneys also help spouses resolve or litigate how the marital property is divided, who has legal and physical custody of the children, whether one spouse is entitled to alimony, and how much child support the non-custodial parent will pay.
At Epperson Law Group PLLC, we represent spouses in high-asset divorces, military divorces, same-sex divorces, and more.
How are child custody disputes resolved in Asheville?
There are two types of custody in North Carolina. Legal custody determines which parent makes long-term decisions about the health and welfare of their children. These decisions include which doctors your child will see, which schools your child will attend, and what religious guidance your child will receive. Physical custody determines where your child will reside each day of the year.
Our Asheville family law attorneys will explain what factors determine legal and physical custody. We’re skilled at negotiating child custody agreements and also at arguing your rights to custody in court. Normally, both types of custody (legal and physical) can be joint, or one parent can have sole custody.
Parenting plans
At Epperson Law Group, PLLC, we’re also skilled at negotiating parenting plans. These plans address issues such as parents' visitation rights, how children are transferred from one parent to another, how the child will be disciplined, how the child gets to and from school, how childcare is handled, how disputes will be resolved, who spends time with the child during holidays, communication by one parent with the parent who has physical custody on any given day, and other issues.
Child custody disputes
We also handle:
- Requests to change child custody orders due to relocation or other causes
- Enforcement of child custody agreements or orders
- The rights of grandparents to custody or visitation
- Child custody when one parent is in the military
- Other custody issues that may arise until your child turns 18
How much child support should my children receive in Asheville?
Both parents in North Carolina must support their children until they turn 18. The amount of support that one parent (normally, the parent with less physical custody) pays the other is based on the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines. The factors that determine the amount of child support include the income of the parents, the living arrangements, the regular expense needs of the child, any special needs such as braces or private school tuition, and the other financial obligations of each parent. Generally, the focus is on the income of each parent and not how each parent spends their money.
Our Asheville family law attorneys help negotiate or litigate the amount of child support that is due. We also handle requests to modify a child support order and enforce child support orders when the obligor parent is in arrears.
Do you handle all types of adoptions in Asheville?
Adoption is the process that creates a legal parent/child relationship between an adoptive parent and a child. Our Asheville family lawyers handle all types of adoptions, including those involving stepchildren, newborns, grandparents, and foster children. We also handle adoptions involving private agencies, foreign adoptions, same-sex adoptions, adults, and all other types of adoptions.
We can explain how the process works, review whether the rights of biological parents must be terminated, look at what criteria the courts in Buncombe County use to approve adoptions, and explain what happens at any judicial hearings. We’re also here to explain your rights and obligations once the judge approves the adoption of your child.
Do you handle paternity claims in Asheville?
Yes, our Asheville family lawyers represent parents when the paternity of a child is disputed. Normally, paternity is determined by DNA tests. We represent mothers seeking to confirm paternity, fathers seeking to legitimize their status as a parent, and fathers who contest paternity.
We also handle the corresponding child custody and child support issues when the paternity of a child is confirmed.
What other family law issues do you handle?
Some of the many other family law issues our Asheville lawyers handle include the following:
- Domestic violence protective orders (DVPOs)
- Domestic issues and bankruptcy
- Domestic issues and estate planning
- Tax issues for spouses and parents
- Military alimony and military child support
How do you advocate for anyone who has a family law issue in Asheville?
Experience matters. The more family law cases a firm handles, the more the firm’s family lawyers will know what factors determine how your disputes are resolved and which factors judges favor. Decades of experience and a record of strong settlements and court decisions help persuade opposing spouses and their lawyers that negotiation, not confrontation, is in everyone’s best interest.
At Epperson Law Group, PLLC, we understand the practical and legal issues that resolve disputes. We’re here to guide you by:
- Explaining your rights
- Identifying all the assets and factors that affect each type of family law issue you have
- Prioritizing your needs and the needs of your children
- Anticipating and countering the arguments your spouse and their lawyer will assert
- Working with alternative dispute specialists
- Helping you and your children obtain counseling when that would be helpful
- Understanding all the small problems that can escalate into large disputes
- Litigating your family disputes when settlements can’t be reached
- Protecting you and your children
Do you have an Asheville family lawyer near me?
At Epperson Law Group, we handle every type of family law issue. We meet clients at our Asheville office located at 1998 Hendersonville Rd, #25 Asheville, NC 28803. We also conduct consultations by phone and through video conferences. We’re here for you. We’re ready to answer your questions, explain your rights, and fight to secure your future.
Speak with a trusted Asheville family law attorney today
At Epperson Law Group, PLLC, we have decades of experience helping spouses and parents secure their financial futures and the futures of their children. We’re skilled at negotiating family law matters and litigating family law rights in court. We understand how family law issues interrelate with each other so that the bonds of your financial and emotional security are as tight as possible. To discuss all your family law concerns, please call us or fill out our contact form to schedule a consultation.