A marriage license issue by the county clerk
A man and woman of legal age, or with the consent of a parent or guardian
Proof of termination of prior marriages
Proof of certain vaccinations, blood tests, health clearances
The mental capacity to enter into a contract such as marriage
The couple not being close blood relatives
Recording of marriage license after marriage ceremony is performed
Performance of marriage ceremony by a person authorized by the state (such as a judge) to perform the ceremony and witnesses to be present during the ceremony

Sadly, nearly half of marriages in the United States will end in divorce. Each state also sets requirements for ending marriages. A divorce, or dissolution or marriage, terminates the marriage by court order.?

Couples often try a time of separation before they go to the extreme measure of a divorce. A separation is when a couple no longer lives together, but still remains legally married. The term "legal separation" is more familiar than actually legal, and simply means that a court order is probably involved, declaring the couple is no longer living together and that financial and other issues such as child custody and visitation have been worked out until the marriage decision (to remain married or not, for example) can be determined.

Another very difficult area in family law is child support and child visitation rights. Child support is the payment by the non-custodial parent (usually) to the other parent for the support of their common child. The amount of child support payments are suppose to be set according to guidelines mandated by federal law so that amounts are not varying widely from state to state or courtroom to courtroom. States, then, should be following specific formulas to determine child support payment amounts to be paid on a monthly basis to custodial parents by the non-custodial parents.

These formulas should take into consideration the following:

Time spent with the child
Number of children in common between the parents
Special circumstances, such as a serious medical condition, travel expenses in visiting a child who lives far away, special needs

An order for child support can be changed or modified any time there is a change in circumstances from the time the original order was issued. It is important to contact a good family law attorney to insure that your rights are being protected in this area.