Lois is able to help her client’s construct agreements that minimize the expense and stress involved in resolving disputes. When litigation is required, Lois is well qualified and prepared to advocate for her client(s) in family court. Lois serves client’s throughout the family courts in the Rhode Island.

Relocation: If a child’s custodial parent is planning to move out of State, it is necessary to demonstrate to the court that it is in the child’s best interest.

Post-decree modification: Assisting with modification and enforcement of child support, custody and spousal support/alimony.

Prenuptial agreements: A premarital contract can provide protection for each spouse in marriage, for children and others with financial interests in the separate estate of the spouses.

Common law marriage: Rhode Island recognizes the rights of partners in same-sex and heterosexual couples who have lived together or in any way presented themselves as married.

Domestic partnership agreement: This is for you and your domestic partner to draft a binding cohabitation contract. We also handle partition actions to divide common property.

Father’s Rights: The rights to which a father has relative to his child(ren).

Adoption: Legal process pursuant to Rhode Island Law in which a child’s legal rights and duties toward his/her natural parents are terminated and similar rights and duties toward his/her adoptive parents are substituted.

Alimony: A provision for the support and maintenance of a spouse based on one party’s need for support and the other party’s ability to pay.

Child Access Mediation: A neutral third party mediates with the parties without court intervention with matters pertaining to child(ren) placement, custody, and child(ren) access to both parents.

Child Support: the legal obligation of parents to contribute to the economic maintenance of their child(ren).

Custody: The care, control and maintenance of a child(ren) which may be awarded by a court to one of the parents as in a divorce or separation proceeding.

Divorce: Dissolution of the marriage.

Domestic Relations: The branch of law, which deals with matters pertaining to household or family, including divorce, separation, custody and child support.

Joint Custody: Both parents conjunctively make the decision relative to the child(ren) health, education and welfare.

Mediation: A neutral third party intermediating the two divorcing spouses to come to an amicable agreement relative to property rights and equitable distribution of the material estate without court intervention.

Paternity: Court action to determine whether an alleged father is in fact the biological father of a child(ren) and such as, responsible for child support.

Separation: A “Court Ordered Separation” in which, the details of support and maintenance are spelled out specifically in a documents issued by the court. This is not a dissolution of the marriage.

Separation Agreements: Written agreement concerning custody, child support, alimony and property division made by a married couple who are usually about to get a divorce.

Sole Custody: One parent makes all the decision s relative to the health, education and welfare of the child(ren).

Visitation Rights: Permission granted to a parent to visit their child(ren) on a regular basis and without interruption under a court order.