A good family law attorney can handle more than just divorce and child custody cases. They ought to be able to advise you, at least in a general manner, on financial trusts, alimony, child support, civil unions, domestic partnership, adoption, and more.

Family law courts are usually the busiest in most jurisdictions, and often the most underfunded. If you're involved in a family court case, expect it to take a while to come to trial. Once it has, however, it will probably be dealt with very swiftly.

Family law is complex enough as it is just in the United States, but if you go to another country with your family you may have a great deal of trouble with if you decide to leave your foreign spouse and move back to the U.S. with your children. Fortunately, there are attorneys who specialize in international family law -- but don't expect them to come cheap.