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 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
HOW TO CO-PARENT SUCCESSFULLY WITH A DIFFICULT EX
Tips for Co-Parenting with a Difficult Ex Unfortunately, not everyone has an amicable Co-Parenting situation. Effective Co-Parenting requires two parents genuinely invested in putting aside their own differences to best promote the well-being of their children. However, often it is difficult for one or both parents to lay to rest their past conflict. Much of the time, Co-Parenting difficulty stems from a deep or longstanding distrust of the other parent which can turn th
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
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
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
Children's Sports / Extracurricular Activities
Kids these days are more active than ever before. Between increased school workloads, various after school clubs, extracurricular activities and sports, it’s astounding how busy (and often cluttered) children's lives have become. While all of these activities may look good on a college application or a job resume as the children get older, the fact is extracurriculars and sports are vital to providing children of any age some sense of normalcy as their parents go through a
A New Year's Resolution to Divorce?
Traditionally, Divorce filings spike dramatically upward in the month of January. In some years, the amount of new Divorce filings are up in January by almost 33% over any other month in the year. Many attorneys see a surge in new Divorce clients in January. In fact, the first Monday of the month is often referred to as "Divorce Monday" by Family Law Attorneys, and the entire month of January, as "Divorce Month." This dramatic increase in January Divorce is also consisten
