Additional Family Law Services

Intersection of Family and Immigration Law

Family law and immigration cases often intersect. Most family law firms do not handle immigration matters, and not all immigration law firms handle family law matters. We are uniquely equipped to help you in both types of matters

International marriages
Common law marriages
Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
Enforcing International Orders in the United States
Citizenship applications for U.S. citizenship by a Lawful Permanent Resident or a child of a U.S. citizen born outside of
the U.S.
Divorce proceedings for a marriage-based Green Card recipient

Our expert attorneys at McGuire Law can advise you of any immigration benefit you may be entitled to as a result of your family law case and vice versa. We understand and can help protect our clients from any issues with their immigration cases as a result of changes in their marriage or family life.

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)

Children who arrive in the United States without one or both of their parents may qualify for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), which allows them to pursue lawful permanent residency in the United States. In order to achieve this status and, ultimately, a green card, parties must first file an action in family court to achieve the required orders that allow them to move on to the immigration case. These SIJS cases can be complicated as they involve multiple courts and government agencies. At McGuire Law, our expertise at the intersection of family and immigration law makes us the perfect fit for families seeking to pursue SIJS for minor children.

Name Change of a Minor

Families may find that the best course of action is for a child to secure a legal name change. A variety of circumstances can lead to this conclusion, but regardless of the reason, parents should seek trustworthy counsel to help navigate the process. Name changes can be complicated and require additional, unexpected steps that an experienced attorney can navigate adeptly. Our team at McGuire Law offers a non-judgmental, compassionate approach to these cases so that your family can pursue the best outcome.

Enforcing Family Law Orders and Contempt of Court

What can be done when the family court enters orders that the other party ignores? This is a common issue for child support and maintenance orders and also for orders involving anger management or parenting classes. It can feel frustrating to have completed everything you can, including achieving court orders, only for the opposing party to treat them as if they don’t exist. If you are in a similar situation, contact McGuire Law to explore your options for enforcing those orders even when the opposing party is not cooperative.

Post-Decree Modifications

Post-decree modifications occur after a divorce decree is issued. Post-decree modifications can affect child support, custody, and financial arrangements. While our attorneys strive to ensure that any outstanding issues are properly addressed during the divorce process, circumstances may change shortly after or even a year after the divorce is finalized.

Sometimes a party’s financial situation may have changed enough to require a re-evaluation of child support and/or spousal maintenance. New information relating to assets or debts that were not disclosed during the divorce may be found and require an equitable distribution by the Court. Most often, post-decree motions involve child custody and changes in parenting time arrangements.

The attorneys at McGuire Law use the same emotional intelligence and legal skills as in pre-decree cases to help you get the best possible resolution to your case. We work with you as a team to protect your rights and resolve the issues so that you and your family can move on with your life.

Domestic Violence & Protection Orders

Protection orders (also called restraining orders) are a tool we can use to keep you and your family safe. You can obtain a civil protection order even if there is already one from a criminal court. A person found in violation of a protection order can be arrested.

A protection order prevents the restrained person from contacting, harassing, threatening, touching, stalking, or coming within a certain distance of you, your family, your pets, and even property or your place of employment.

You can file for a temporary (emergency) order of protection where the other party does not have to be present. If granted, this order is only temporary and usually lasts around fourteen (14) days or until your scheduled permanent protection order hearing.

You can obtain an order of protection against an individual even if they are the parent of your child. When issuing protection orders against co-parents, courts will take into account any co-parenting arrangements that are safe and appropriate for the children’s wellbeing.

Paternity

At McGuire Law, we stand by the rights of all parents to support and advocate for the best interests of their children. Unfortunately, misconceptions often arise that moms are always the best-suited parent to do that, but the reality is that dads also play a critical and irreplaceable role in their children’s lives. In some cases, fathers are the best-suited parent or are best equipped to meet the child’s best interest. Whether dads are seeking to establish their paternity and the corresponding parenting responsibilities or just seeking to establish an equitable co-parenting arrangement, our compassionate and empathetic approach can help your family pursue a fair, balanced outcome.

Child Support

Each parent has an obligation to provide for their child emotionally and financially. Child support in Colorado is considered the right of the child. Colorado has adopted child support guidelines based upon the Income Shares Model to calculate child support. The factors considered in calculating child support include:

The parties’ incomes
Number of children
The number of overnight visits with each parent
The financial resources of the custodial parent
The financial resources and needs of the noncustodial parent
The physical, emotional, and educational needs of the child
The standard of living the child would have had if the family had not separated

Parents can agree to a higher or lower child support amount than that calculated by the Child Support Calculator. However, they will have to demonstrate to the Court why the alternate amount is in the best interest of the child or children. Our experienced attorneys at McGuire Law can advise as to what you may have to pay in child support or, if you are seeking child support, how to make your case for your child’s needs.