Utah Family Law Lawyer

Are you looking for a family law lawyer in Utah?
At Felt Family Law & Mediation, we provide family law representation grounded in over 10 years of work on behalf of clients in Utah.

If you’re facing a divorce or custody dispute in Utah, you need an attorney who understands your situation and has the experience to help you. A divorce often raises questions about the house, the children’s schedules, and household bills before the first court date.

Jonathan L. Felt founded our firm in 2016, and we have over 10 years of experience with family cases in northern Utah. Some settle at mediation. Others go to trial. We prepare for both and tell you honestly which path fits. Contact us to schedule a consultation with a family law lawyer in Utah.

Family Law Lawyer Utah

Family law deals with marriage, children, and household finances when a family changes. A family law lawyer handles divorce and legal separation, custody and parent-time, child support, alimony, adoption, guardianship, and prenuptial or postnuptial agreements. Much of that work happens outside the courtroom, through negotiation, paperwork, and mediation.

Utah recorded 3.1 divorces for every 1,000 residents in 2023, based on figures from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. That count doesn’t include custody, support, and adoption cases, which move through the same district courts.

Types of Family Law Cases We Handle in Utah

Most people who call us have more than one issue on the table. These are the matters we handle most often:

• Divorce: Contested and uncontested divorces for either spouse. That covers dividing property and debt, settling custody and support, and legal separation for couples who aren’t ready to end the marriage.
• Child custody: Custody questions come up in divorces, between unmarried parents, and when one parent wants to move. We put together child custody arrangements and parenting plans that spell out where the children live and who makes the major decisions.
• Parent-time: Utah calls visitation “parent-time.” We help parents set up parent-time schedules, change them when circumstances shift, and enforce them when the other parent won’t follow the order.
• Child support: Utah uses a statewide formula tied to each parent’s income. Whether you’re requesting child support or responding to a request, we check the numbers and handle modifications and enforcement.
• Alimony: Temporary and permanent alimony claims, for the spouse requesting support and for the spouse asked to pay it. We look closely at both sides’ finances.
• Prenups and postnups: We draft and review prenuptial agreements and postnuptial agreements, negotiate the terms, and enforce them if a dispute comes up later.
• Adoption: Stepparent and family adoptions, including consents, court filings, and the finalization hearing.
• Guardianship: Adult and minor guardianships for families who need someone with legal authority to make decisions for a child or an adult who can’t make them alone.
• Mediation: Mediation lets spouses and parents settle disputes with a neutral third party instead of a judge. Jonathan is a Master Mediator and handles divorce mediation and negotiated settlements.
• Modifications and enforcement: An order that worked five years ago may not fit your family today. We file modifications for custody, support, and alimony, and we bring enforcement actions when the other party stops complying.

Why Choose Felt Family Law & Mediation as My Family Law Lawyer in Utah?

Mediation Training and Courtroom Experience

Jonathan L. Felt practices family law only. He is a Master Mediator, and he also serves as a Guardian ad Litem, the attorney appointed to represent children in highly contested cases. That role gives him a close look at how judges weigh a child’s interests.

Before law school, he served in the U.S. Air Force, worked in special education, and taught middle and high school. He earned his J.D. magna cum laude from Hamline University School of Law and belongs to the Utah State Bar, the American Bar Association, and the Northern Utah Chapter of the American Inns of Court. He was named Utah Pro Bono Publico Young Lawyer of the Year and one of the American Bar’s Top 40 On the Rise Young Lawyers.

What Our Clients Tell Us

Results in family law look different from case to case. For our clients, they have included:

• Divorces settled through mediation without a trial
• A parent keeping primary physical custody after the other parent moved to Colorado
• Stepparent adoptions finalized smoothly

That Colorado case belonged to Matthew Barker, who said, “I was able to keep my daughter here with me as the primary physical custodian.” You can read what other clients have said on our testimonials page.

What Is Important to Understand About Family Law Cases in Utah?

Divorce, Custody, and Support Basics in Utah

A few legal concepts come up in almost every Utah family case:

• Grounds for divorce: Most people file on irreconcilable differences, Utah’s no-fault ground.
• Property division: Courts divide marital property and debt equitably. In practice, that usually lands close to an even split.
• Custody: Legal custody is decision-making authority over things like school and medical care. Physical custody is about where the children live.
• Best interest of the child: Judges decide custody and parent-time based on the child’s welfare, not on what either parent prefers.
• Child support: The guidelines look at both incomes and how many overnights each parent has.
• Alimony: The court considers need, ability to pay, and the length of the marriage. Alimony generally can’t last longer than the marriage did.

What Are Important Aspects of a Family Law Case?

Utah has procedural rules that catch people off guard. A few are worth knowing ahead of time:

• Residency: One spouse must have lived in Utah and in the filing county for at least three months.
• Required classes: Parents with children under 18 have to finish a divorce orientation course and a parenting course before the judge will sign a final order.
• Mediation: Contested divorces generally have to go through mediation before trial.
• Financial declarations: Both sides exchange detailed financial disclosures early on.

What Is the Family Law Case Timeline?

How long a case takes depends on how many issues are disputed. Most divorce and custody cases follow a similar order:

• Filing and service: One party files a petition, and the other is formally served.
• Temporary orders: Either side can ask for temporary custody or support orders while the case is open. Utah also has a 30-day waiting period before a divorce can be finalized.
• Disclosures and discovery: Financial records and other evidence are exchanged.
• Mediation: The parties try to reach a settlement with a neutral mediator.
• Decree or trial: Settled cases end with a signed decree. Anything left unresolved goes to trial.

If you and your spouse agree on everything, a divorce can wrap up in a few months. A contested case often takes a year or more.

What Should You Bring to Your Family Law Consultation?

The more we can see, the more specific our advice can be. Useful items include:

• Any petitions, orders, or other court papers
• Pay stubs, recent tax returns, and bank statements
• A rough list of assets and debts, including the home, retirement accounts, and loans
• Your current parenting schedule and any texts or emails with the other parent that relate to the case
• A prenuptial or postnuptial agreement, if you have one

At the consultation, we’ll go over the facts, explain how Utah law applies, and talk through what your next steps could look like.

Utah Family Court and Local Resources

Family cases in Utah are filed in district court. Northern Utah is covered by the Second District Court, which hears cases from Davis, Morgan, and Weber counties at courthouses in Farmington, Bountiful, Layton, Ogden, and Morgan. We represent clients throughout these counties, whether they’re looking for a Syracuse divorce lawyer or an Ogden family lawyer. The Utah State Courts keep a list of approved divorce orientation and parenting courses, plus a free online class for kids ages 6 to 17.

Reach Out to Felt Family Law & Mediation to Schedule a Consultation

Some clients need a mediator. Others need someone ready to argue their case in court. We can help you figure out which fits your situation. Contact us to schedule a consultation with a Utah family law attorney, and someone from our office will get back to you promptly.