Family law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including the nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships; issues arising during marriage, including spousal abuse, legitimacy, adoption, surrogacy, child abuse, and child abduction; the termination of the relationship and ancillary matters including divorce, annulment, property settlements, alimony, and parental responsibility orders (in the United States, child custody and visitation, child support and alimony awards).
Portsmouth is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan areas of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 100,565, and a 2008 Census estimate showed the city's population had slightly increased to 100,577.