Washington state provides a special legal status to devoted couples who form a household together: it is called a committed intimate relationship (CIR). Partners who have been together for several years continuously and can show their intent to form a marriage-like relationship may receive some,...
Tolstoy wrote, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Many unhappy families eventually end up in court, but not all family law matters arise from disputes or unhappiness. Sometimes, what is necessary for families to carry on with...
When you get a divorce, one spouse will often make alimony payments to the other. The courts will order spousal support so that your ex-spouse can return to the lifestyle they had prior to your marriage. However, if you are looking to reduce your alimony...
Divorce can bring out the worst in people. Suddenly, someone who didn’t care much about material possessions insists on taking all the wedding silver, or an inexpensive souvenir of a long-past vacation becomes a dealbreaker for both partners when negotiating property division. Holding your emotions in...
Washington state courts emphasize the best interests of children when examining proposed divorce settlements and in determining child support. They will look at a couple’s combined gross income, remove allowable deductions, and arrive at an amount each parent should pay that the court deems fair...
Child support can be very confusing, and many myths exist about these payments. Get to know the common misconceptions about these payments to clearly understand what your child support order could look like. Learn more about what these monthly payments entail and what you should...
Fights over money are often the biggest fights couples ever have. When couples split, they may argue over whether one partner should support the other financially after a divorce. Courts take several aspects of a couple’s life together to determine whether one partner should support...
In Washington state, divorcing parents submit a parenting plan to the court for approval. The plan should establish custody arrangements for both legal (major life decisions) and physical (where the child will live) custody. If parents can’t agree on a plan, or if the court...
Couples that live in community property states often assume that should they ever split, their property will be divided evenly between them. But it’s not as simple as that. In Washington state, courts are required to find a “just and equitable” division of property. This means...
In the movies, pregnancy is a time of excitement and anticipation, false alarms, and mad dashes to the hospital. Sometimes, it’s a time of tragedy shared by the expectant parents when the pregnancy ends in miscarriage, threatens the life of the mother, or the child...