Family Law

Family Law focuses on marital (divorce or separation) and parental (paternity) relationships. The primary issues involved are:

Child Custody and Support — determining who has legal custody (decision-making abilities) for the children (legal custody can be joint or sole), the time spent with each parent, and child support. Child custody and support orders are modifiable in the event of a material change in circumstances.

Property Division and Debt Allocation — involves a determination as to which of the parties' property and debts are marital and then a determination as to the equitable division of the marital property and an allocation of the marital debts between the parties.

Spousal Support (Alimony) — where one spouse provides financial suppport to the other party, for transitional needs. Spousal support is based primarily on the need of the party seeking the support and the other party's ability to pay.

Shaddix Law can help you with your family law needs.

Estate Law

Estate law encompasses both planning for incapacity or death and estate administration. Estate planning may include:

• Last Will & Testament — a directive as to how you want your property to be distributed in the event of your death.
• Trust — a directive as to how your property should be used in the event of your incapacity or death. Trusts allow you more flexibility and control over your property and if the trust is fully funded, is an effective means to avoid probate.
• Power of Attorney —an appointment of a person that you designate to have the ability to make financial and/or healthcare decisions for you in the event you become incapacitated.
• Advance Directive for Health Care — includes:

              Living Will — a directive as to what extraordinary measures you want taken to preserve or prolong your life.
              Health Care Proxy — an appointment of a person to make basic healthcare decisions for you in the event you are unable to do so.
              Tissue and Organ Donation — a directive as to organ and tissue donation and the designated purposes therefore.

• Transfer on Death Deed — a revocable deed that specifies to whom you want your real property to be transferred in the event of your death. You can change or revoke such a deed prior to your death.

Estate administration includes probate process for a person with a will, estate administration for a person without a will, and trust administration for a person with a trust.

Shaddix Law can help you with estate planning and estate administration.

Bankruptcy Law

Chapter 7 — liquidation of non-exempt property (in Oklahoma, many types of assets are exempt) to satisfy unsecured debt. To qualify for Chapter 7, the gross household income cannot exceed a certain amount. If the household income exceeds the level, or if there are other special circumstances, a Chapter 13 may be a viable alternative.

Chapter 13 — a structured repayment plan created based on your disposable income and amount of unsecured debt. Your unsecured creditors will receive a pro-rata distribution based on your disposable income. Absent special circumstances, a Chapter 13 repayment plan typically lasts 60 months. 

In certain circumstances, especially if you have a small number of creditors, settlement of debts outside of bankruptcy may be an effective alternative to bankruptcy.

Call Shaddix Law regarding your debt related issues.

Business Law

Business law generally entails helping prospective business owners (e.g. corporation, limited liability company or partnership) with formation and assisting existing businesses with contractual agreements or in the settlement of disputes. Business formation usually includes registering with the Secretary of State, establishing the governing document (by-laws, operating or partnership agreement), applying for a tax identification number and other necessary permits.

Shaddix Law can help you with your business matters.

Homeowner Association Law

Homeowner Association Law primarily involves disputes regarding and interpretation of the restrictive covenants or by-laws.This can involve enforcement of dues or assessments or legal actiond for damages or injunctive relief related to the violation of the covenants.

Civil Litigation

Civil Litigation covers a wide variety of scenarios, but can be summed up as the process of resorting to the court system to resolve disputes. Examples include injury to person or property, breach of contract and debt collection.

The information above is provided as a brief overview of my services and does not constitute legal advice. If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please contact me.