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The Law Offices of Edward J. Thomas is committed to providing our clients with the highest quality legal services available anywhere in the area of family law. Because of our strict adherence to ethical standards, and based upon the recommendation of our peers and the judges before whom we appear, our Firm has the highest possible rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell. Our Firm�s reputation was built on our professionalism, our creativity, our level of preparation, and on our communication with our clients. The members of our legal team are constantly involved in attending and teaching continuing education courses and updating the skills and knowledge of our lawyers and paralegals. As a result, we provide you with the best educated, the best trained, and most professional staff available.

AREAS OF SPECIALTY

The Law Offices of Edward J. Thomas specializes in all areas of family law. These areas include, but are not limited to, the following:

Child Custody and Visitation

There is no area of family law that generates more heartfelt emotion than child custody and visitation. Often, the issues involve nothing more than setting an age appropriate custody and visitation schedule for parents that can no longer live together. In other cases, a typical custody and visitation schedule may not be appropriate because of a parent�s historical lack of involvement in a child�s life, domestic violence, or problems with drugs and alcohol. The issues become more complex when one party wants to move out of the area, perhaps to another state, or when third parties, such as grandparents, want either custody or visitation rights.

Child Support

Child support is probably the most misunderstood area of family law. People tend to believe that there is nothing to argue about because the amount of child support one pays is calculated using a computer program that is based on statutory guidelines. What is not understood is that the number that comes out of the computer is entirely dependent on what numbers the parties or their attorneys feed into the computer. If a party fails to disclose all of his or her income (perhaps because it is received in the form of cash or fringe benefits), or overstates his or her timeshare with the children, he or she is going to end up paying less in child support. Suffice it to say that, when inputting the necessary information into the computer for purposes of calculating child support, it pays to have an attorney who is prepared and has done his or her homework.

Spousal Support

Courts have a great deal of discretion in awarding or not awarding spousal support. There is perhaps no area of the law where having creative arguments and being well prepared pays higher dividends. Having a good legal team is particularly important if one of the parties owns a business or the business is owned by his or her family. Potential tax and other legal problems for both parties must be seriously considered if either party is claiming that personal expenses are being paid through the business, that there is unreported cash, or that a party is receiving a portion of his or her salary or earnings in the form of nontaxable fringe benefits.

Property Division

On the surface, it seems so simple�just divide the community property in half. But what about that property I owned prior to marriage or that I inherited or received as a gift from my family? Did I waive my separate property interest in these types of assets by putting them in my and my spouse�s joint names? What about my or my spouse�s pension plans? How do we value and divide our assets without creating a tax disaster? What if my spouse is hiding assets? Perhaps more importantly, at what amount are we going to value the business we do know about? How is the spouse who is keeping the business going to be able to pay for it and still pay support? Suffice it to say that the division of community property is probably the most complicated area of family law and the place where there are the most tax and other pitfalls.

Domestic Partnerships

As of January 1, 2005, domestic partners have the same rights and owe the same obligations to each other as husbands and wives. Thus, domestic partners face all of the same problems discussed above, but with a twist. Federal tax law does not recognize their relationship, and, from a tax standpoint, treats their support payments and property divisions entirely differently than it treats support payments and property division between husbands and wives. This is a new and developing area of the law where clients need to be particularly careful.