Key Terms to Know

• Emancipation: A court process through which a minor becomes self-supporting, assumes adult responsibility for his or her welfare, and is no longer under the care of his or her parents.

• Marital Property: Property acquired by either spouse during the course of a marriage that is subject to division upon divorce.

• Alimony: An allowance made to one spouse by the other for support pending or after legal separation or divorce.

• Paternity: Origin or descent from a father (to establish paternity is to confirm the identity of a child's biological father).

• Prenuptial Agreement: An agreement made between a man and a woman before marrying in which they give up future rights to each other's property in the event of a divorce or death.

• FindLaw.com