Author Description

The practice of family law can be complicated when a military spouse is involved. Issues of deployment and child custody, military pensions and division of property, and a panoply of federal rules and regulations make protecting the rights of military spouses very complex. Even the jargon is specialized. Military Family Law makes sense of the intricate web of federal rules and regulations governing the military, as well as the practices special to each branch of the service. The authors, Patricia and Steven Shewmaker, both served in the military before going on to earn their law degrees and fully understand the unique issues that confront military families. They explain: • The different branches of the military • Military pay, including basic pay, allowances, and basic allowance for housing • TriCare® medical benefits • Retired pay, and the division of retired pay • Military disability and VA benefits• The Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act (SCRA) • Domestic violence • Support issues, including interim family support for each branch of the service • Child custody and visitation