Law Office of Sharon J. Blackford

Law Office of Sharon J. Blackford from Seattle Washington works as Appeals Lawyers, Criminal Defense Lawyers, Custody & Support Lawyers, Divorce Lawyers, and Family Lawyers. Feel free to contact us at the following contact information.

1218 3rd Avenue Suite 1800 Seattle Washington, 98101
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(206)622-5117

blackfordlaw(at)mindspring.com

Last updated 2023-10-07

Specialties of Law Office of Sharon J. Blackford:

Appeals Lawyers
Criminal Defense Lawyers
Custody & Support Lawyers
Divorce Lawyers
Family Lawyers

Appeals Lawyers: A challenge to a previous legal determination. An appeal is directed towards a legal power higher than the power making the challenged determination. In most states and the federal system, trial court determinations can be appealed in appeals courts, and appeals court decisions can be appealed in a supreme court. The person pursuing an appeal is called an appellant, while the person defending the lower court’s ruling is the appellee. Appeals can be either discretionary or of right. An appeal of right is one that the higher court must hear, if the losing party demands it, while a discretionary appeal is one that the higher court may, but does not have to, consider. For example, in the federal system, there is an appeal of right from the District Court to the Court of Appeals, but appeals from the Court of Appeals to the Supreme Court are discretionary.

Criminal Defense Lawyers: A criminal defense lawyer, is a lawyer (mostly barristers) specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various jurisdictions with criminal courts for appointment to represent indigent persons; the latter are generally called public defenders. The terminology is imprecise because each jurisdiction may have different practices with various levels of input from state and federal law or consent decrees. Some jurisdictions use a rotating system of appointments with judges appointing a private practice attorney or firm for each case.

Custody & Support Lawyers: In most states, family courts determine child custody arrangements based on what is in the best interests of the child. So how is that decided? The courts look at a number of factors in making this determination, such as the parents' desire and ability to care for the child, the emotional bond between the child and both parents, the adjustment needed if the child has to move to a new area, and, if old enough, the child's wishes. Frequently, parents or other adults who have raised a child will be required by the court to take part in mediation. In mediation, you can discuss what you want, any problems you've had exchanging the child from one home to the next, and anything else that's relevant to the situation. Hopefully, you can come to a resolution everyone can live with. Otherwise, the judge may make a parenting plan that neither parent is happy with. However, it's important to note that if there was domestic violence in your relationship with the other parent, you may be able to skip mediation.

Divorce Lawyers: A divorce is the legal termination of a marriage by a court in a legal proceeding, requiring a petition or complaint for divorce (or dissolution in some states) by one party.There are two types of divorce-- fault and no-fault. A fault divorce is a judicial termination of a marriage based on marital misconduct or other statutory cause requiring proof in a court of law by the divorcing party that the divorcee had done one of several enumerated things as sufficient grounds for the divorce. All states now have adopted some form of no-fault divorce; although some such as New York, restrict the availability of no-fault divorce and retain fault divorce generally. A no-fault divorce is one in which neither party is required to prove fault, and one party must allege and testify only that either irretrievable breakdown of the marriage or irreconcilable differences between the parties makes termination of the marriage appropriate. Many states continue to offer a separation agreement or decree, under which the right to cohabitation is terminated but the marriage is not dissolved and the marital status of the parties is unaltered.

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