At-Fault Divorce Historically, the legal system used to assign blame to one of the parties in the divorce and split marital assets in such a way that punished the party who was found to be at fault. This turned an already emotional and difficult divorce into a full blown war with both people trying to […]
Ask five different people what common law marriage is and how long it takes to be in one, and you will get six different answers. This is especially true if you ask people from around the country. All over the U.S., each state has different time frames and requirements before a couple can be considered […]
In a court case where children are involved, such as a divorce or a question of parental responsibilities, a court or any party involved may request a CFI. CFI stands for Child and Family Investigator. Sometimes your lawyer may recommend you request a CFI. And sometimes, your lawyer would object to having a CFI appointed […]
After initiating a divorce or a child custody dispute, there will come a time that the court asks if the parties can come to an agreement on their own, would like to try mediation, or would have to go to a trial/hearing. If the parties cannot work out a settlement on their own, it is […]
Children are one of life’s best gifts. Sometimes the parents of a child do not stay together, and then must decide what they each believe is in their child’s best interest. When the parents are getting along, this can be easy to decide together. However, when the parents are not getting along or even speaking, […]
Grandparents can be some of the most important people in a child’s life. They can care for a child when the parent has to work, they can teach the child the importance of family, and they can spoil the child rotten when necessary (and it usually is necessary from my experience). However, and sometimes unfortunately, […]
Having a family member with special needs requires special attention. A qualified, experienced family law and estate planning attorney can help you determine what issues a lawyer can help you with in caring for your special needs family member. To begin with, your family member may qualify for certain government subsidies. More specifically, they may […]
In a relatively recent article from the Washington Times, the author outlines a study about the concerns of individuals facing a divorce (see article here). The number one concern: the cost of a divorce. The next question on anyone’s mind after that statement should be: well, what is the cost of a divorce? Of course, […]
divorce can be a messy affair. Sometimes divorces are so messy people fight about which pieces of silver they want. Sometimes divorces are not messy, but trying to decide who gets the dog (or cat, or snake, or whatever animal you both loved) is a very difficult decision. Interestingly, but very unfortunately, in a divorce […]
Protecting a child from abuse is extremely important and immediate action should take place to stop any future occurrences. Calling the police and getting an emergency protection order is one of the first things that should be done when trying to protect a child from abuse. The juvenile court and the district court have jurisdiction […]