Articles Posted in Divorce

Many things change for a person who gets divorced: marital status, financial situation, and relationships with children to name a few.  Another thing that might change is the person’s last name.  While in comparison to moving, having less time with kids, and having to divide most of your assets, changing a last name might not seem like a big deal, for many people actually faced with the situation, it is.

There are many reasons why people who are getting divorced decide to keep their married last name.  It is important for people to know that whatever the reason you want to change or decide not to change your last name name, it is up to you.  It is not mandatory for a person to change their married name upon dissolution of marriage.  Here are a few of the reasons people choose not to change their married last names: Continue reading

We have covered the issue of legal costs during family law cases on this blog before, but we think it is an important enough issue to merit further discussion.   Each person has their own priorities and it is important that your family law attorney be willing to adjust their usual procedure to help you reach your objectives without ruining your financial future (or be honest about their inability to change their procedures enough to fit your budget and let you seek help elsewhere).  Sometimes, keeping costs low during a family law proceeding is pretty high on a client’s list of priorities.  Here are a few (more) ways to save on legal costs during your family law case: Continue reading

As part of the dissolution of marriage process in Washington, according to RCW 26.09.080 “the court shall, without regard to misconduct, make such disposition of the property and the liabilities of the parties, either community or separate, as shall appear just and equitable after considering all relevant factors…” Prior to dividing property and liabilities, the court must identify what property exists.  For the most part, it is the job of the parties and their lawyers to show the court what property needs to be divided.  At times, the identification of property can be difficult.  (It should be noted, while the courts will divide property if asked to do so, it is also an option for most couples to divide their own assets and liabilities without court intervention.)  Below, we provide a few examples of property that is sometimes overlooked during the dissolution of marriage process. Continue reading

During a Washington State Divorce a divorcing spouse will have the ability to ask questions (through interrogatories or depositions), request documents, and ask for admissions from the other party (and third parties); this process is called the discovery process.  Here are five areas that divorcing people should focus their attention on during the discovery process. Continue reading

After last week’s blog post about preparing yourself for divorce (called dissolution of marriage in Washington State) we had more to say on how to prepare your relationship with your children for your divorce and subsequent two-house family.  (Please note, this article is also relevant for non-married couples with children when the parents are planning to separate.)  The end of a marriage can be very difficult for children.  In this article we write only about the issues related to your legal case (though oftentimes what is in the best interest of your legal case is also in the best interest of your child’s emotional health).  We recommend that if you have any questions about how to guide your child emotionally, you speak to a person trained to assist with children’s emotional well-being (for example, a counselor or psychologist).

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People often spend months or years considering whether to get divorced (called dissolution of marriage in Washington State). This time should not be wasted.  There are things that should be done in case your marriage does come to an end. Here are a few things to consider doing in the time leading up to the filing of a petition for the  dissolution of marriage:   Continue reading