In some blended families, stepparents take on the role of a primary parent. In these cases, the stepparent and his or her spouse often want to protect that stepparent’s relationship with the child. If the child’s other parent is willing (and sometimes even when they are unwilling), some stepparents choose…
When it passed, Referendum 74 made same-sex marriage legal in Washington State. Along with providing equal rights to marriage to same-sex couples, this referendum changed domestic partnership law. After June 30, 2014, pursuant to RCW 26.60.030, to enter a state registered domestic partnership two people must meet the following requirements:…
Most parenting plans are not strictly followed all of the time. In fact, some parenting plans contain provisions for times when the parents may agree to not follow parts of the parenting plan (in which case their behavior is not a violation at all). Many times, the failure to follow…
In some states determining whose fault it is that the marriage ends is a necessary part of the dissolution process. However, in Washington it is unnecessary to show who is to blame. A divorce may be ordered by the court without establishing that one party is at fault. In the…
Many divorcing parents come into our office assuming that they either have an advantage or disadvantage in parenting plan issues because of their sex. Fathers often think that the court is going to award the mother more residential time with the children than they receive merely because they are men.…
When a person is served with a divorce petition they are often left feeling afraid and unsure of what to do next. There are a few things that should be done within a few days of being served with divorce papers: Read every word of every document you are served…
Jurisdiction is the power of a court to make decisions regarding an issue or case. In family law, questions of jurisdiction can be very simple, extremely complex, or somewhere in between. For example, if the parties (to a family law action) have children and all involved parties and children live…
During marriage, many people say that they have to pick their battles with their spouse. They say that in everyday annoyances they choose to let it go and choose not to “battle,” but in bigger, fundamental issues they choose to discuss, argue, and (hopefully) work it out. While it may…
On this blog, we’ve previously discussed the ways that a parenting plan can adjust to the needs of children as they grow and change. Parenting plans can also be drafted to fit the needs of the parents. This can include work schedules. Our clients are not all 9-5 employees. Some…
It is intuitive that a divorce after one year looks different from a divorce after ten years. It follows that a divorce after twenty or thirty years can be different by a greater degree. Here are three ways divorces can vary based on the length of the marriage: Spousal Maintenance:…