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
Grandparents Rights (and Relatives) in Washington State – Procedure
Grandparents and relatives now have the ability to petition the Court for visitation. Please click - Breaking News!!! Grandparents (and Relatives) Now Have Rights, for more information. The purpose of this article is to further detail the process for loving grandparents and relatives to seek visitation. Proper Venue and Notice Most requests brought by grandparents or relatives should be filed with the Court in the county that has exclusive original jurisdiction (i.e. Parentin
Shared Parenting and Relocation
In Washington State, when a parent wishes to relocate with children, the residential schedule designated in the Parenting Plan may have significant legal consequences for the impending move. Do the parties have a traditional every other weekend schedule, where one parent is clearly the primary residential parent? Or do the parties have a joint custody type of arrangement, often termed as a shared parenting plan or 50/50 residential time? The type of Parenting Plan involved
BREAKING NEWS!!! Grandparents (and Relatives) Now Have Rights
Grandparents and relatives now have rights in Washington State.
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
Things to do Before Filing for Divorce
1. Educate Yourself About the Process Before filing for any family law action, such as divorce (or Legal Separation and Committed Intimate Relationship) educate yourself about that process. This can be beneficial when you decide to move forward. Consulting with an attorney may be helpful. In addition to seeking legal advice, reading other materials may also be useful. Be selective, as there is a lot of inapplicable and misinformation online. As divorce laws vary from state t
Parenting Plan--Who Speaks for the Child?
In contested family law cases with children, emotions can run high and allegations plentiful if child custody is an issue. When both parents are seeking primary residential placement, or "custody" of the children, there is often no shortage of harmful and hurtful allegations. Serving the best interests of the children becomes excruciatingly difficult for the Court to resolve when the parents are focused upon tearing each other down. As such, when parenting abilities are an
Post-Secondary Educational Support
In Washington State, postsecondary educational support can be ordered to require parents to pay for college for their children. In general, child support obligations end when a child turns eighteen or graduates from high school (whichever occurs later), unless postsecondary educational support is awarded. When determining whether postsecondary support is required of the parents, the first thing to do is to review the final child support order. If the Court has already estab
Child Support Modification and Adjustment
In Washington, provisions in "final" child support orders can be modified or adjusted. The same is true for "final" parenting plans. Such changes, however, cannot be made in final orders regarding most property awards or debt allocations entered in divorce or legal separation matters. The following discusses modification and adjustment of final child support orders. There are two ways for most parents to change a final child support order, either by a Petition to Modify Ch
Parenting Plan Modification
In Washington, "final" parenting plans are modifiable (as are final orders of child support). This is unlike final orders regarding most property awards or debt allocations. The following discusses modification of parenting plans. In order to modify a parenting plan, a parent must file a petition for modification to initiate the case. Next, either party can bring the matter on for an adequate cause determination. This is often called the "threshold requirement" because if
