While many family law matters do not end up in court, there will be times when separating spouses cannot work together to make decisions about finances, property, or the care of your children. In such cases, you will need to ask a judge to make those decisions for you. You can also ask the court to intervene when your spouse is acting unfairly or inappropriately with respect to family assets, financial support, or parenting issues.

While there are many reasons to avoid court wherever possible (it is often costly, time-consuming, unpredictable, and extremely stressful), there are times when litigation is necessary to resolve your family law issues for financial reasons, or for safety or fairness issues.

Litigation will likely be the preferred choice when there is a history of family violence; your children are at immediate risk; there is high level of conflict between you and your spouse; there is a significant power imbalance between you and your spouse; and/or you believe your spouse is dealing with family property or other assets inappropriately.