Stange Law Firm, PC
6660 S. Sheridan Road, Suite 240
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74133
Telephone: 918-723-2008
Civil law covers various types of legal matters, and family law pertains to the legal issues that can arise between married couples who decide to end their marriages and other family-related legal issues. While some family law matters may seem simple at first, the reality is that they are some of the most hotly contested and emotionally draining legal issues that most people will ever experience. If you are expecting to divorce soon, or if you have any type of child custody dispute, or if you need to modify an existing divorce decree for any reason, the Stange Law Firm in Tulsa, OK, can help.Tulsa is the second-largest city in Oklahoma behind Oklahoma City, and the city of Tulsa proper is home to about 401,000 residents. Nearly a million people reside in the nearby Tulsa Metropolitan Area, and Tulsa serves as the county seat of Tulsa County in Oklahoma. Situated along the Arkansas River, Tulsa is a thriving metropolitan center, and it’s easy to see why family law issues are so prevalent.One unique aspect of Oklahoma when it comes to family law is the fact that the state of Oklahoma has one of the highest divorce rates of all the states in the US, second only to Nevada. There are many proposed reasons for this, such as the exceptionally high rate of teen marriages in Oklahoma. Whatever the reasons for this high divorce rate may be, it means that there are many Tulsa residents encountering family law matters every day.
Why Choose the Stange Law Firm in Tulsa?
The lawyers and supporting legal professionals as the Stange Law Firm have helped many clients with complex family law matters since 2007. We understand that these legal matters are more emotionally charged than virtually every other type of civil case, which is why we take a personalized approach to every case we accept. When you choose the Stange Law Firm as your legal representatives, our legal team will take the time to get to know you, to thoroughly investigate your legal situation, and build a competent, comprehensive strategy that aligns with your goals.When you are facing any type of family law matter in Tulsa, it’s essential to secure reliable legal counsel as soon as humanly possible to protect your rights and your family’s future. Too many people make the mistake of thinking they can handle complex family law matters unassisted, and this usually leads to loss of parental rights, reduced child support, and even loss of parental custody rights. Do not take unnecessary risks when it comes to the legal issues surrounding your family and choose the Stange Law Firm as your Tulsa family law representatives.What to Expect From a Tulsa Divorce
Oklahoma state law does not require a couple to list a specific fault to qualify for a divorce. While it’s possible to list the reason for your divorce on fault-based grounds for things like infidelity, abuse, abandonment, impotence, and other issues, it is also possible to qualify for divorce on no-fault grounds for incompatibility or irreconcilable differences. In any case, you should expect many legal questions to arise during Tulsa divorce proceedings, especially when it comes to property division and child custody.Oklahoma follows an equitable distribution rule for property division in divorce. Unlike states that choose to uphold community property laws, Oklahoma’s equitable distribution laws do not always guarantee a 50/50 split of a divorcing couple’s marital property in the divorce. Tulsa family court judges typically prefer to make legal determinations that are as final as possible with as little room for future disputes as possible. For example, if a specific divorce case indicates that one of the divorcing spouses should receive some type of maintenance to ensure equitable distribution, the judge may rule in favor of a disproportionate property division to offset the need for maintenance payments from the other spouse.This is just one example of how complicated a divorce case can be in Tulsa. The first step in divorce proceedings is for one or both spouses to file a petition for divorce with the Tulsa family court. If one spouse petitions, the court will serve a copy of the divorce papers to the other spouse via an official court process server. If the couple mutually agrees to a divorce, they can sometimes secure an expedited summary dissolution if they meet specific criteria, such as having no children and no shared real estate.Most divorce cases are contested, meaning each spouse wants different things from the divorce, and the two parties must reach agreeable terms before the divorce may be legally finalized. A divorcing couple may argue over ownership rights to their marital home, shared bank accounts, and custody of their children. There are many issues that a divorcing couple will need to negotiate in a Tulsa County divorce, and they will both need their legal representatives to guide them through such matters.We Can Help With Various Legal Issues in Your Tulsa Divorce
When you are preparing to divorce in Tulsa, you should have some idea of what to expect when it comes to the various legal issues you and your attorney will need to negotiate before your divorce is legally finalized in a divorce decree. The Stange Law Firm has extensive experience with all kinds of family law issues, and we can help you prepare for issues including:- Property division. If there is any room for argument as to the ownership rights over the shared property involved in your divorce, our team can help you pull together the evidence necessary to ensure an equitable divorce under Oklahoma state law.
- Child custody. This is the one area of divorce that is most likely to lead to emotionally charged disagreements. It’s natural for divorcing parents to each want to retain as much custody as possible over their children, and the Tulsa County family court system has a responsibility to preserve the best interests of any children involved in a divorce case. Divorcing parents who can both provide competent, safe, and nurturing parental care for their children should prepare to negotiate a joint custody agreement. This type of agreement can take many forms, and other factors such as the past behaviors and living arrangements of each parent can cause custody rights to fluctuate more to one parent than the other.
- Child support agreements. If a divorce involving children in Tulsa results in one custodial parent and one noncustodial parent, the noncustodial parent will likely owe child support to the custodial parent. Typically, these payments are monthly, and the amount due depends on the payer’s financial situation, the needs of their children, and the court’s determination when it comes to a suitable support amount. The Stange Law Firm can help you ensure your child support agreement is fair and reasonable.
- Domestic violence issues. Unfortunately, some divorce cases come about due to one spouse’s mistreatment of the other, or the abuse of the couple’s children. If your spouse has committed any type of emotional, physical, financial, or sexual abuse against you or your children, our team will explore every legal option to ensure your family’s safety, such as restraining orders and protective orders. We can also coordinate with Tulsa law enforcement to ensure your protective order or restraining order is always followed.
- Adoption. While divorce can be a very negative experience, the family court system also handles adoption cases that can be positively life-changing for the children involved. Adoption gives an adopted child the chance to enjoy the same rights and protections as a parent’s biological child, and adoption can bring a mixed family much closer together. We can assist you with your adoption petition and all related paperwork and proceedings, such as obtaining signatures from a biological parent that ensures their relinquishment of parental rights.
