In law and legal matters, there are occasions that give rise to lawyers of separate practices crossing into different courts. The most common of these crossovers is criminal law into family court. If you want to know when and why family law attorneys and criminal defense attorneys would work together, keep reading, especially if you feel that it may apply to your situation. 

Victims of Domestic Abuse

Victims of domestic abuse would definitely seek the help of a criminal defense attorney, especially if the victims were to maim or kill their abusers. In made-for-TV movies like The Burning Bed,  the abused fight back. While it may or may not be based on reality, the truth is that when the abused have had enough, they may do some criminal things that would require both a family court lawyer (to decide what to do about the children and the children's safety), and a criminal attorney (to defend the actions of the abused against the abuser).

Parental Kidnapping

It is every parent's nightmare: an ex- or soon-to-be-ex-spouse kidnaps the kids from school or jumps in the car with the kids on his or her weekend and leaves. Parental kidnapping happens, and when the police find and finally arrest the parent who runs away with the kids, both family court and criminal court are involved. It does not matter if the kidnapper has a good reason or not; it is still a crime that must be prosecuted and heard in the courts. Sadly, some people also report false charges of parental kidnapping in order to gain full custody of the children. Whether you actually did run away with the children or you have been falsely accused of such, you are going to need a criminal lawyer on top of your family court lawyer. 

Intentional and/or Preplanned Homicide of a Spouse

Spouses that threaten divorce or spouses that feel as though divorce is not an option may plot to kill the other spouse. You can be prosecuted even for planning a homicide and/or hiring a hitman to do the job (i.e., conspiracy to commit murder). Whether or not you succeed in carrying out your plan, you will eventually be caught and tried. If you still have minor children living with you when you are arrested, the family court will be involved to place the children in foster care or with extended family members. You will need the criminal defense attorney for your own hearing.