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I'm Keeping the Dog! The Rise in "Pet-Nups"

Custody disputes over individual’s beloved “fur babies” has become very common in breakups that it has led to a rise in “pet-nups”. A pet-nup is a type of prenuptial agreement that describes what would happen to a couple’s pet in the event of a breakup. Despite many pet parents considering their fur-babies to be children, in the eyes of the law pets are simply regarded as personal property. In definition personal property is things such as vehicles, jewels, money, and furnitu

Basic Do and Don'ts of Divorce

Listed Below are some Basic Do and Don'ts of Divorce Do Show your children love and attention. Reassure them that they are not the reason for the divorce. Pay all Court Ordered child support and spousal maintenance. Be prompt in pursuing collections of delinquent support that is owed to you. Show respect towards your soon to be ex-spouse, especially in front of the children. Be honest and up front. Use good sense when deciding what to fight for. Be reasonable, knowledgeable a

Domestic Violence and the Super Bowl Myth

Since Domestic Violence had long been a societal plague which was traditionally ignored, covered up, and swept under the rug, there have been many well-intentioned, and extremely successful, efforts made over the last several years to shed light onto the issue. In doing so, however, there has been a claim made that Super Bowl Sunday is “the biggest day of the year for violence against women”. This claim is completely inaccurate. The myth actually started back in January of

Domestic Violence and Your Job

Last night, New Zealand took a huge leap forward by becoming just the second country to grant victims of Domestic Violence ten days paid leave from work each year. (The first country was the Philippines). These ten days exclude annual holiday or sick leave. This additional time provides the victims an opportunity to find a new home, and otherwise protect themselves and their children. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the world. According to

Summertime Fun, Not Stress

Summer is the time to have fun in the sun, take vacations and generally try to relax. But for divorced and separated parents, Summer often brings its own unique set of challenges. With the kids out of school, a variety of complications may arise from agreeing to allowing the children to participate in sports, music, religious camps, to finding child care while a parent has to work, to negotiating time for extended vacations, and everything in between. Below are some tips th

What to do when someone you know is getting a divorce.

Many times when you find out someone close to you is getting divorced, you begin to feel concerned for them and invariably it leads to many questions on what to do next. Our natural reaction is to support them when they are going through this difficult time. How can I help? What do I say? What can I do? Divorce can be very difficult, not only for the family involved, but for those close family and friends as well. Unless you are an attorney don’t offer legal advice or strateg

Committed Intimate Relationships

Washington State recognizes Committed Intimate Relationships (previously referred to as: Meretricious Relationships). There is no specific definition of what constitutes a Committed Intimate Relationship, instead the Court will consider relevant factors that have been developed over the years to determine if such a relationship exists. The bottom line when considering the factors is that the more marriage-like the relationship, the more likely a Court is to consider it a Com

Sexual Assault and Social Media

For victims of Sexual Assault, Internet trolling of their social media is often commonplace. Postings from Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites are often used against the victim as the matter heads to Court. Social media may be used to undermine the victim’s credibility, and to otherwise cast doubt about their claims of sexual assault. Caution should be taken whenever using social media, as even when a post is deleted from an account, it may be accessible somewhe

Gray Divorce on the Rise

When spouses seeking a divorce are over fifty years old, it is often called “Gray Divorce”. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, the number of Gray Divorces has roughly doubled since 1990. For those over 50 years old, about 10 out of every 1,000 married individual end up divorced. For those over 65 years old, divorce rates have nearly tripled. At this later stage in life, a divorce can present unique issues and tremendous risk. Often, Gray Divorcees can b