At Myrianthous Law Firm, we offer extensive advice and legal representation on a broad spectrum of Family Law issues.
Divorce and Child Custody
Our specialist team of divorce lawyers are able to assist couples looking to initiate divorce proceedings. We offer help in regards to resolving different types of disputes related to the separation, be they financial, to do with child custody arrangements, or both.
Cognisant of the sensitive nature of divorce, our lawyers take special care in delivering a high quality service that seeks to reduce any of the stress surrounding this type of legal proceeding. We handle every case with consideration, discretion and care and guide you through the court process in a manner that instils confidence and assurance. We also strive to find optimal but affordable solutions that address the concerns of our clients successfully.
Divorce proceedings
In Cyprus, one of the spouses is required to file a petition for divorce at the District Family Court. One of the spouses must have resided in Cyprus for a minimum of 3 months prior to filing the petition for the courts here to have jurisdiction. The petition should include the name of the applicants, marriage date, whether they have any children/child, and why they wish to divorce. The Court will then consider the reasons for the divorce and who assumes responsibility for the breakdown of the marriage, be it one spouse or whether both are equally liable. If one spouse is found responsible, that spouse will be ordered by the Court to pay any fees arising from the proceedings. If both parties are responsible, then each spouse will pay their expenses.
Custody disputes
Disputes about children are handled by our team of Child Custody lawyers with absolute discretion through strategic negotiations or via court proceedings, to secure a beneficial outcome for both parties, and which serves in the best interests of the children/child involved.
Child support
Where a petition for divorce has been filed and the applicants have children, the economic status of both parents is evaluated so that their duty to properly maintain the children is suitably fulfilled. The final settlement is at the discretion of the courts. The child support continues until the child/children reach 18 years of age, and in some case even after, e.g. tertiary education.
Marital property claims
When two people get married, it’s usually the case that they bring certain assets and properties into the marriage. If they subsequently divorce, the parties may be awarded an amount by court order equal to the value of their contribution to the creation/improvement of other spouse’s property before or during the marriage.
The property should have been obtained during the marriage (land, money in the bank, shares, securities or objects). To calculate the increase in property, the court compares the value of this property at the day of the wedding to its value at the day of separation. The court may attribute a value to the claimant spouse for indirect contributions. For example, if a stay-at-home helped her husband work long hours and look after children and as a result had substantial savings in their bank account that assisted with business growth substantially.
Rebuttable presumption of 1/3
If the spouse does not fully prove their claim for how much of the increase in value of a particular property came from their investment, but there is a common agreement that they did have an increase in the property’s value through their efforts and contributions, then the court will award the spouse 1/3 of the increase unless it is proven by another party that their contribution was less than 1/3.
Interim orders and/or freezing injunctions
If the family court is satisfied that a respondent to a marital property action may sell any property that is part of the action, it may issue an interim freezing order prohibiting the respondent from selling, donating or transferring the property until the final completion of the marital property case and the final verdict is issued. The applicant may be entitled to a portion of the property equal to his or her contribution in the acquisition, depending on the final verdict.
Property Disclosure Order
A spouse may apply to the Family Court seeking an order that requires their spouse to disclose through affidavit a list of all assets they owned on the date of marriage or any other date in question. The court is authorized to issue such orders that aid in calculating property increases during marriage. It is criminal offence for spouses to fail or give inaccurate information about disclosed assets.
Adoption in Cyprus
We specialize in helping clients adopt children. To begin the adoption process we collect information and documentation of our client and work with social workers to ensure the best interest of the child is considered. Social workers monitor the character, record and living conditions of our client. We support our client any way applicable providing legal services throughout the adoption process as instructed by our client in full cooperation according to local laws.
Paternity dispute
We help clients question paternity in the family court and follow procedures to determine the father of a child. However, results are not always conclusive as we cannot order mothers to take blood tests but may only direct them to do so. Courts however can draw their conclusions if a mother denies these requests.
Father recognition law
When children are born outside marriage or paternity has not been established, they may not benefit from any inheritance if intestate. In such cases, we advise you to seek legal advice and assist in completing an affidavit to be recognized as the father by the Republic of Cyprus.
Family home dispute
When couples split after years of marriages, some people usually presume that they are then entitled to visit their children at home whenever they want. However, this often leads to a lot of aggression between separate parties and it further confuses the matter since kids then have trouble understanding why their parents don't live together anymore and likewise, this may have an affect on the child's behavior. If the children are still young and don't really comprehend what's going on naturally, even parents themselves aren't really clear about what they should do next. In cases like these, courts will give one parent permission to enter their family home when so desired, in order to provide stability for everyone involved which is most important right now. This permission is not meant to be tolerated indefinitely but rather something that should only be temporary until the kids get older enough and understood everything thoroughly.
When a married couple gets divorced, the family home usage order will automatically be cancelled. However, this is not the case all of the time and ex couples may find themselves in situations where they have to go through certain procedures in District Courts to solve any disputes that may arise with their former spouses. We aim to assist our clients in solving these issues promptly and with minimal hassle.
Other areas of specialisations and representation include:
We are also specialised in international family cases, collaborating with highly qualified family lawyers within the European Union and Russia. These primarily concern international abductions, international divorce cases and international child custody cases.