A family lawyer is an attorney specializing in cases related to family and domestic problems. These can include a variety of issues, from domestic violence to divorces and disputes related to custody. It’s not common for family lawyers to work with multiple members of a family in the case of a dispute between them, though it can sometimes happen if the lawyer has been hired as a consultant or counselor instead of for his primary task of providing legal services. When working on a court case, a family lawyer performs their job similarly to regular lawyers, first building up a case and organizing their evidence, the documentation and everything else that needs to be presented in court.
The requirements for becoming a family lawyer are closely similar to those for other lawyers – one needs to pass Law school and obtain a Master’s degree, and in some jurisdictions, additional licensing may be required to perform counseling services. Apart from that, a family lawyer must be licensed by their respective jurisdiction and some states require the license to be renewed every certain number of years.
The pay rate for family lawyers varies greatly, which is common for most attorneys. The median for 2009 was $86,000, and the upper earning limit is around $125,000, though few lawyers get to see such high numbers, and those are usually very specific cases where the lawyer works with one primary client (or a small number of clients) which provide the majority of their earnings.