Call us today
The impact of the third round of COVID stimulus payments on your divorce depends on a number of relevant factors including applicable court orders and where in the divorce or separation process you and your spouse are.
Collaborative divorce is a transparent divorce process, which takes place outside the court system. An attorney represents each spouse, but each attorney agrees not to take the case to trial. Settlement discussions take place with both lawyers and spouses present, with the goal to reach a fair and lasting agreement.
A pet’s life after divorce is dependent on its owners. In the best cases, owners draft their own legal arrangement, which covers pet parenting, vet bills and decision-making. If the issue goes to court, the outcome will depend on the judge. Washington law designates pets as personal property and most times a judge will simply award the pet to one spouse or the other. However, it is becoming more common for judges to treat pets more like family members and consider what is best for the pet.
You do not have to change your name during a divorce. During the divorce, you have the choice to keep your married name, revert to your maiden name, or choose a new name altogether. You can also change it later on. However, if you’re on the fence know that the process is easier and less expensive if the name change is included as part of the divorce.
Washington courts do award ex-partners certain interests at the end of a relationship. Although the rights of non-married couples are limited, an ex-partner will be entitled to a fair division of community property acquired during the relationship. However, a court must first rule that there was a committed intimate relationship (CIR).
When I worked on my first divorce case I had a list of my top WA divorce questions and spent hours searching for answers. Since then, I’ve kept track of the most common divorce questions and have compiled the answers below. As someone new to the divorce process you’ll be asking yourself many of the same questions. Here are the top 10 questions I’m asked by clients about divorce in Washington.
It is possible to become a guardian without an attorney. Keep in mind the process is complicated, so advice from an expert can only help you. Although, if you can’t afford legal fees or you’re just a do it yourselfer with the time to learn, you can file for guardianship on your own. This post is designed to make the process as easy to understand as possible.
The process is more complicated, but an uncooperative spouse can’t stop the divorce by ignoring it. If your spouse is missing or out of state you can ask for permission to serve them by publication or mail. If they ignore the papers after being served you can file a motion for default, which asks the court to approve the divorce anyway.
Washington’s version of an annulment is called a declaration of invalidity. Unlike divorce, which ends a marriage, a declaration of invalidity cancels a marriage. Essentially it wipes it clean from the record like it never occurred in the first place.
As of January 1, 2019 spousal support will longer be tax deductible. The spouse paying support will also pay the taxes. Prior to 2019 spousal support was tax deductible. Going forward we’ll need to calculate support in a whole new way. This article covers topics like how to calculate support today, why the pre-2019 support rules still matter, when to use spousal support, and how long payments should last.
