Maricopa County Superior Courts
Northeast Regional Court Complex
Northwest Court Complex
602-506-3360
14264 W. Tierra Buena Ln., Surprise 85374
Family Law and Domestic Relations Issues in Maricopa County
Family law courts are courts of equity. This means that the judges are asked to make decisions based on fairness. Arizona family law courts are governed by Arizona statutes (in Section 25, Marriage and Domestic Relations), by the Family Law Rules of Procedure and by the case law that has interpreted these statutes and rules. (Case law is what a court of appeals or the Arizona Supreme Court has determined is the actual meaning of the rules or statutes).
Sometimes, you will read a statute and think you know exactly what it means, but a court has decided another interpretation. Luckily, most cases and most divorces are not that complicated, and the parties do not need an in-depth legal analysis. If you find your case in a grey area and you do not know the answer, that is the time to consider consulting with an experienced attorney. If your question is straightforward, remember that hourly consultations are much cheaper than advance (retainer) fees.
Because family law courts are courts of equity, there are no juries. Although you may find a jury box in your family law courtroom, the judge alone will make all decisions in your case if there are disputed issues that must be litigated (brought to trial). However, there are ways to handle your entire divorce without ever having to set foot into a courtroom. You and your spouse can make all the decisions instead of a judge. That brings up our next point.
Arizona Revised Statues, commonly abbreviated as A.R.S. Simply put, these are the Arizona Laws. Every Arizona law is contained in these statutes. They govern everything, including Domestic Relations. The Laws are broken down into Titles, Chapters and Articles. The family law chapters are located under Title 25 – Marital and Domestic Relations. You can view all of these chapters online at: http://www.azleg.gov/ArizonaRevisedStatutes.asp?Title=25
In order to be successful in your family law matter you need to understand what the law says. It’s no use arguing something that isn’t in the law. But legal jargon can make this virtually impossible. It’s like trying to read a novel in a foreign language. And for most people, learning all of this law is useless. That’s why there are attorneys. We know the law and we can help interpret it for you. If you have any questions about how these laws affect you and your family law matter, give us a call and we will help you in any way we can.
Rules Family Law Procedure are the Superior Court rules outline how A.R.S. Title 25 laws are enforced and they layout the court’s processes and procedures. So basically, anything that happens in Arizona Courts related to Family Law must follow these rules. (They must also follow the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure and the Arizona Rules of Evidence when/where applicable). There are 22 Rules that dictate how everything is done. You can view these Rules online here.
Knowing these Rules is critical to successfully managing your family law matter. The Rules dictate everything from filing procedures to deadlines. If there are errors in your documents the court won’t accept them. If you miss a deadline, you could lose the issue automatically. That’s why having a law firm on your side is so important. Don’t learn the hard way. Give us a call and we will help you manage your legal issue correctly.
602-506-3360
14264 W. Tierra Buena Ln., Surprise 85374
602-506-3360
222 E. Javelina Ave., Mesa 85210-6201
We provide specific legal advice on your matter so you can move forward, lessen anxiety and have peace of mind.
No. Arizona law allows you to do this yourself. You are considered pro se or pro per; you must follow all the same rules as parties with attorneys. You may have to go into a courtroom, but you are held to the standard of an attorney. But, even if you do this yourself, it is always a good idea to have an attorney review your work and give you some legal advice.
The court has useful information online at: http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/
Yes, as it is not a requirement that you have an attorney to represent you in court proceedings. However, the same rules and procedures apply whether you have an attorney or not, which means all papers must be correctly completed and filed on time.
The Maricopa County Superior Courthouses are listed above with their address and contact information.
Schedule your consultation and meet with our team to create a customized game plan and move forward confidently.
Families Helped
Trials & Settlements
Years In Business
Years of Combined Experience
Best Law Firm has helped thousands of families during the past 18 years. We help families through negotiation, settlements, mediations and court litigation when necessary. The goal is to resolve issues with the least amount of money and stress and only use court litigation as a last resort. Every family we meet is important to us so we would like to share just a few of our success stories with you.
We represented an unmarried father and were able to reunite him with his 4 year old son after the mother secretly moved him to Florida.
We represented a mother and were able to require the father to undergo therapy before he could have any parenting time with his three daughters who he had been physically and emotionally abusing. We had a certified domestic violence expert testify in the case.
We represented an unmarried mother and were able to reunite her with her 2 year old daughter after the father took the child in secret without permission or a court order.
We represented a husband who had a large estate and the wife wanted assets greater than their prenuptial agreement allowed.
We represented a wife in a long term marriage to obtain the spousal maintenance that she was due.
We represented the husband whose wife violated their divorce decree's spousal maintenance agreement by living with her boyfriend.
We represented an unmarried mother and were able to obtain a large child support order from the father who was a professional athlete and it was upheld on appeal. (Murphy)
We represented an unmarried father and were able to fight abuse allegations filed against him and get a court order for 50-50 parenting time for his 2 children.
We represented an unmarried father and were able to defend him against false allegations and obtain a court order where he was named primary custodial parent of his 3 year old son.
We represented a mother who lived in Italy whose teenager was unlawfully kept in Arizona after summer visitation by the Father. It was ordered for the child to return to his mom in Italy.
We represented a father whose 2 children were taken to Kansas after their divorce was filed in Arizona and the court ordered them to be returned.
We represented a father who lived in Texas and fought for primary custody of his daughter who lived in Arizona. The daughter was able to move to Texas because of the mother's abuse and neglect.
We represented a Canadian mother whose husband attempted to get a divorce in Arizona where he could keep the kids. Mother had no long term visa and would have lost her children. Tali Collins was a "friend of the court" and was heard at a Canadian hearing on the same matter that had been filed in BC.
We were the mediators for a mother who wanted to keep the community house (and equity) and the father who wanted to keep his community retirement. We were able to craft an agreement where she received more spousal maintenance up front which the husband agreed to pay to keep the community retirement he had earned.
We represented two ER doctors and mediated their parenting agreement which was drafted to help each doctor have the maximum time with their son.
We represented a father who was a doctor and obtained sole custody of his two daughters after the mother had a worsening mental illness.
We represented a father whose former wife attempted to enforce an out of state child support arrears calculation that was incorrect. We also won the case on appeal. (Glover)
We represented a mother and successfully protected against potential kidnapping by the father to a non Hague country, the UAE. The parenting time order put in safety measures and supervisors to protect the daughters.
We represented a father from Japan to obtain a parenting time order for his young son.
We represented a father to severe the rights of the mother with their two daughters after the mother was imprisoned for criminal abuse against them.
We represented a father and were able to negotiate a parenting plan with joint legal decision making and a 50-50 parenting plan for his son.
We represented a divorced couple against the grandmother who wanted visitation time with their daughter against the parents' wishes.
We represented a married couple and negotiated visitation with a former mother in law, grandmother to their son/step son.
We represented grandparents and negotiated parenting time with a previously estranged father of their grandson.
Our experienced team at Best Law Firm has helped thousands of clients. See what some of them have to say about working with us.
“Ms. Best resolved my spousal maintenance issue with my husband and his attorney in two hours. She accomplished what the lawyers could not do in 9 months of litigation. I am very grateful for her help.”
“We hired this law firm to represent our son in trying to get joint custody. They did a fabulous job keeping us informed as to their plan each week. I have to say I do not think my son would be enjoying his daughter right now with his 50/50 custody if it was not for this law firm.”
“You are the Best, before I retained counsel, I was not able to see my children and did not know what rights a father had in Arizona. I now have joint legal and physical custody. Thank you for all that you have done for my family.”
“Thank You! Thank you! Thank You! Thank you for getting my son what he deserves! Thank you for finally ending this 9 year chaos…I slept like a little baby last night! You are all GREAT!”
I’ve used Best Law Firm twice now. Excellent communication skills, rapid responses, and they know EXACTLY what they are doing. They look out for you.like one of their own and do everything they can to keep your case cost effective. Highly recommend!
“The service provided at ‘Best’ was beyond exceptional. The staff at ‘Best’ were professional, going above and beyond their normal duties to help me. I would sincerely recommend ‘Best’ for anyone looking for help with their families legal matters.”
“I have worked with Best Law Firm on two issues in the past 12 months. Their service is exceptional and the quality of their attorneys is second to none! So, their name (Best) is truly appropriate! I would recommend their legal services to anyone!”
Thank you for the excellence in your craft and communication each and every step of the way, for the care, for helping me to be brave and strong in holding someone accountable for their wrongdoings, for helping my sons and me to receive the best possible scenario out of the worst situation of my life.
“Alan was very professional and quick, he had our paperwork done the same day. When I called him to follow up I was able to speak with him then. Highly recommend Alan, he’s very easy to talk to, he’s very knowledgeable, and he means business.”
We can conduct your consultation by phone, zoom or in person. Call us today at (480) 219-2433 or fill out the form below.