Family Law

Divorce, Legal Separation, and Annulment

Serving the people of Central Arkansas, Howard Law Firm is here to be your support during the hard times. Family law encompasses many areas including divorce, legal separation, annulment, and property/debt division. A lot of emotions are felt during these types of cases. You need an experienced lawyer that knows the local laws of Arkansas and understands the ins and outs of family law cases.

Family law cases have common themes, but each individual case has its own facts.  Lori Howard is highly qualified at getting you the best possible outcome for your individual case, giving you your options in a straightforward, plain language manner. At Howard Law Firm, you are not a number but a valuable client with real feelings that we want to help get through your case and on to a brighter future.

At Howard Law Firm you receive bold representation that will stand by your side until the very end.

Child Custody, Visitation, and Child Support

Our firm is well-versed in child custody, visitation, and child support laws and regulations, having represented clients in these areas for many years.  Staying up-to-date on child support changes is important for all cases, and Lori D. Howard keeps on top of this changing landscape in Arkansas.

We believe fit parents should both have an opportunity to have time with their children, and we will help you with a settlement, mediation, or taking your case to court to determine the best interest of you and your children.

Paternity

Paternity cases involve a biological parent going to court to establish his rights to custody, visitation, and child support for his or her child.  We have had many successful paternity cases and work hard to help establish the rights you may have. 

Adoptions

Whether you are a parent considering giving your biological child up for adoption or you are seeking to bring a new family member into your home, you should speak to an experienced adoption attorney to ensure that your adoption goes as smoothly as possible. Adoption is a big decision for both birth and adoptive parents, and it is important that you are fully aware of your legal rights throughout the entire process.

Adoptive parents often have questions about the process of adopting a child, and may not even know where to begin. A private adoption lawyer can help get the process started and explain and help prepare for the many steps that occur along the way. The representation of an attorney will ensure that your rights are protected and that you go into your adoption aware of all relevant facts.

Stepparent Adoptions

Have you married someone with a child from a previous relationship and developed a strong bond? You might feel like a father or a mother to the child, but the law unfortunately does not recognize stepparents as having parental rights. Because of this, a lot of stepparents choose to adopt.

Some of the benefits to adopting your child are:

· The ability to make decisions about education, medical care, religion, and other important issues.

· Fortification of the family unit and providing your stepchild with a sense of security regarding your parent-child relationship.

· The impacts of property inheritance under the law.

· The potential rights to visitation, custody, or child support, should you and your spouse separate and divorce in the future. 

Issues can easily arise if the other parents object to this which means it is important to contact a knowledgable adoption attorney to aid you through the process.

Questions about adoption?

Adoption laws are more complicated than ever before. We have many people asking the following questions: 

What if the birth mother wants our baby back?

What if the biological father suddenly appears and demands his rights?

Will we lose our child?

Do I have to notify the birth parent or parents about my desire to adopt my child?

We understand adoption law. If you're looking for an adoption lawyer in Benton, Arkansas, Lori D. Howard will help assist you. The adoption process in Arkansas can be time consuming and complicated. We want to ensure you understand the process by guiding you every step of the way. 

If you're a single parent looking for adoption, a newly wed couple looking for adoption, or seeking to put your child up for adoption, let us help you take all the right steps for your current or soon to be child's future.

Guardianships in Arkansas

To a child, nothing is more important than a loving, caring and capable parent. Unfortunately, sometimes legal intervention is needed to give a young person the best chance to grow up in a safe, supportive environment. Whether a guardianship of a child is temporary or long-term, the granting of a guardianship gives full parental rights and responsibilities to the guardian. 

Though it seems as though this is a family law matter, as custody issues are often involved, these matters are handled by the probate court. At the heart of the case are the best interests of the child, and appointing the proper guardian can ensure that those interests are protected.

As an Arkansas guardianship attorney, Lori works to ensure you are represented to the fullest.

Types of Guardianships

The establishment of guardianships typically involves a complex legal process that includes multiple hearings and court appearances, so it’s important to have skilled family law counsel for these issues. A large percentage of our practice centers on guardianship law, and we have helped numerous adults obtain the legal rights required to provide young people with safe and nurturing homes. To get you started, we can discuss custody rights, procedural requirements, qualifications, and costs in a free initial consultation. Should you choose to move forward, our firm can take you through the steps associated with:

· Personal guardianship — Guardianship of the person gives a qualified adult the authority to make legal decisions on a child’s behalf. This also covers traditional parental responsibilities such as the ability to decide a child’s medical treatment and education. 

· Estate guardianship — When a child is involved, guardianship of the estate is usually granted along with guardianship of the person. It gives the guardian power over the ward’s financial assets until they reach adulthood.  Sometimes a child is the beneficiary of a lawsuit or and heir in an estate.  A guardianship of the estate may be required to obtain those benefits for the child. 

· Guardianship for incapacitated adults — We also represent family members who believe that a disabled adult is too incapacitated to make appropriate decisions regarding their legal and financial affairs. Sometimes, the disabled person might oppose well-meaning attempts to create a guardianship. Lori D. Howard works to achieve a favorable resolution while respecting each party’s rights and dignity.

In addition to establishing guardianships for children and incapacitated adults, we assist loved ones in creating guardianships for elderly family members who have become unable to care for themselves or manage their financial affairs.

Attorney Ad Litem Services

When custody cases for children or incapacitated persons arise, an Attorney Ad Litem is the representative in the case. If a circuit judge finds it beneficial, they may appoint an Attorney Ad Litem to the case, or the attorney of the parents may recommend an Attorney Ad Litem as well. An Attorney Ad Litem plays a demanding role to represent the best interest of the child or incapacitated party, and must work towards fully understanding the case as well as the needs of the party they're representing. Every case is different, and many factors may play into the needs of the child or person, such as age, gender, special needs, health risks, etc.

Our firm has been providing Attorney Ad Litem services for years, and we take pride in working with our children and incapacitated adult clients to make sure their interests are represented in court.