Family Law involves much more than just divorce. The Shoemaker Law Firm is committed to helping families achieve their strongest support in a variety of areas.



Grandparent Rights

We help grandparents who have established meaningful relationships with their grandchildren maintain those relationships by achieving enforceable Court Orders with appropriate timeshare to grow those important grandparent-grandchildren relationships.

This opportunity is not available for all grandparents. New Mexico Law requires that a minimum set of requirements be met in order to obtain a court-ordered visitation schedule.


Child Custody & Visitation

New Mexico Courts and custody evaluation professionals focus on what is in the “best interests” of a child when determining custody and timeshare issues between biological parents. While parents nearly always have their child’s best interests at heart, it’s not uncommon that they have different parenting approaches and see a different set of “best interests” for their child than the other parent. These conflicts, as well as some of the post-divorce/break-up aftermath, can color co-parenting efforts.

The shoemaker Law Firm is committed to helping parents maximize the amount and quality of time with their child as well as strengthen the co-parenting relationship where possible to improve the child’s growing up years.


Child & Spousal (Alimony) Support

New Mexico has very specific child support laws that can often be dealt with by simple calculations of the statutory formulas. However, case-specific facts frequently create conflicts that merit individual attention and application of insightful case law.

Many cases also warrant different calculations based on their particular facts. Courts look at the duration of the marriage, the comparative earning capacity of the spouses, the need for it and the ability to pay it, among other aspects. Understanding how your unique mix of facts might play out at trial is critical to your success at Court.

At the Shoemaker Law Firm, we help you understand the applicable law and how it relates to the specific facts of your case.


Property Division: Retirement, Real Estate, & Businesses

New Mexico is a community property state. Assets and debts acquired during the course of a marriage are presumed to be shared equally by both spouses, regardless of who created the asset or debt.

There are exceptions and complications. For example, calculating the respective rights to a spouse’s retirement, residence or business may not be exactly equal depending on when the asset was acquired and the relative pre-marriage contributions, among others. Some laws are intuitive while others are not. Check with the Shoemaker Law Firm to learn what your rights are.


Domestic Partnerships

As our communities rapidly change, the law struggles to keep pace. New Mexico does not provide the same scope of legal rights to domestic partnerships, whether heterosexual or homosexual. But there are rights. Knowing what you can do when your domestic partnership dissolves is just as important as those that involve a divorce, emotionally and legally. The Shoemaker Law Firm has helped workout the legal aspects of partnership break-ups and can help you with yours.


Domestic Violence

Domestic violence, both real and exaggerated, is serious and requires special education and training than what the standard family law practice provides. Real domestically violent relationships usually have common patterns, for both the abuser and the abused, which makes ending or changing the relationship difficult if not dangerous. Special care is needed in handling these cases, whether for protective orders, divorces and custody matters, or criminal cases.

The Courts have also witnessed a growing number of exaggerated and false domestic violence cases. These are often filed to retaliate against a former spouse/partner or in an attempt to gain some legal advantage. These cases likewise present serious consequences for all involved. The Shoemaker Law Firm has particular training and experience in dealing with domestic violence that may serve you and your case.