Family Law Terminology

noun the fact or condition of being adopted

• The process of adoption involves legal procedures to establish parental rights.
• My cousin just finalized the adoption of a baby girl.
• Dude, did you hear about the celebrity adoption scandal?
• The adoption of new technology in the workplace has greatly improved efficiency.

noun a husband's or wife's court-ordered provision for a spouse after separation or divorce

• The judge ordered him to pay a monthly alimony to his ex-wife.
• He's still bitter about having to give her alimony every month.
• He's stuck paying alimony to his ex, what a drag.
• The alimony he pays is like a weight on his shoulders, holding him back from moving on.

noun permission for something to happen or agreement to do something

verb to give permission for something to happen or agree to do something

• Before conducting any medical procedure, the doctor must obtain the patient's consent.
• I won't do anything to your car without your consent, I promise.
• Dude, you can't just borrow my stuff without my consent!
• In a democracy, the government is elected by the consent of the people.

noun a payment or gift given by a bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage, traditionally in some cultures

• The dowry presented by the bride's family was a significant amount of money and jewelry.
• I heard that the dowry for the wedding was pretty generous.
• The dowry was no joke, they really went all out for the wedding.
• In some cultures, education is seen as a dowry that parents give to their children.

noun the act or process of mediating between two parties in order to resolve a dispute or come to an agreement

• Mediation is often used as a method to resolve disputes outside of court.
• I heard they're going through mediation to settle their differences.
• Let's just mediation this and move on.
• The sunset served as a beautiful mediation between day and night.

noun a legal document transferring one person's interest in a property to another person

verb to release or relinquish a claim to a property

• The property owner signed a quitclaim deed to transfer ownership to the family member.
• My aunt gave me a quitclaim for her old house.
• I told my brother to just quitclaim the property to me.
• She decided to quitclaim her responsibilities and leave the project.

noun A legal agreement made between spouses after marriage that outlines the division of assets and liabilities in the event of divorce or death.

• The couple decided to draft a postnuptial agreement to outline their financial responsibilities in case of a divorce.
• After their big fight, they quickly put together a postnuptial agreement to settle things.
• They drew up a postnup to make sure they both got what they wanted if things went south.
• Their postnuptial agreement was like a safety net, ensuring they were both protected financially.

verb to jointly own something with one or more other people

• The business partners decided to co-own the company to share ownership and responsibilities.
• My brother and I are going to co-own a car together.
• Let's co-own this project and split the work evenly.
• We co-own the memories of our childhood, no one can take that away from us.

noun a colloquial term for a postnuptial agreement, a legal contract made after a couple gets married outlining the division of assets in the event of divorce or death

• The couple decided to sign a post-nup agreement to protect their assets in case of a divorce.
• They finally got around to doing a post-nup after years of procrastination.
• I heard they're getting a post-nup because they don't trust each other.
• Signing a post-nup felt like putting a safety net under their marriage.

noun a person who is the son of one's spouse from a previous marriage

preposition in-law (indicating a relationship by marriage)

• My stepson-in-law is a successful lawyer who graduated from a prestigious university.
• I get along well with my stepson-in-law, we enjoy watching sports together.
• My stepson-in-law is a cool dude, always cracking jokes and making everyone laugh.
• Having a stepson-in-law is like gaining an extra son, it's a new bond to cherish.

noun A type of marriage that is recognized in some jurisdictions based on the couple's cohabitation and holding themselves out as a married couple without a formal ceremony or marriage license.

• In some jurisdictions, a common law marriage is recognized as a legal marriage without the need for a formal ceremony.
• They've been living together for so long, it's basically a common law marriage at this point.
• They're not officially married, but they have a common law thing going on.
• Their partnership is like a common law marriage - not legally binding, but just as committed.

noun a legal process in which a couple works together with trained professionals to resolve disputes and reach a settlement without going to court

• In cases of high conflict, many couples opt for a collaborative divorce process to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.
• My friend and his ex-wife decided to go for a collaborative divorce instead of fighting it out in court.
• I heard they're going for a friendly divorce, like a collaborative thing or whatever.
• Choosing a collaborative divorce is like peacefully parting ways with a shared goal of moving forward amicably.