Category Archives: Family Law
Dividing the Marital Estate When Assets vs Income Is Lopsided
The longer a couple is married, the harder it typically is to divide property acquired during marriage if divorce becomes a reality. Couples tend to accumulate a wide variety of assets and liabilities over time, but in some relationships, there may be a distinct lack of valuable assets to divide. This situation, while not… Read More »
New Parenting Laws Go into Effect for 2018
Settling child custody issues with an estranged spouse or partner is one of the most difficult issues a parent will undertake. Sharing time and decision-making responsibilities for a child with someone a person no longer wants to be around is often challenging at best, and can be untenable in some situations. Unmarried parents frequently… Read More »
What Happens to Health Insurance after Divorce?
Paying for health care is a concern for many Americans, and most may not be able to afford necessary treatment without the contribution of health insurance benefits. Most couples place all family members under one policy offered by a spouse’s employer, and the choice is typically driven by the cost and quality of benefits… Read More »
Protecting Your Child from the Negative Effects of Divorce
Children do best when they have the support of two loving parents, but divorce can upend this balance, and leave a child feeling unstable and unsure of his/her place. Divorce is hard on all members of a family, but children are particularly affected due to the difficulty they have understanding the often sudden and… Read More »
Common Issues Associated with High Conflict Child Custody Disputes
Child custody is a delicate and highly volatile issue that can produce heated disputes between divorcing parents. Ideally, the parents are truly fighting for what they believe to be best for the child, but in other cases, pushing back on child custody can also be used as a way to punish the other spouse…. Read More »
A Spouse’s Right to Asset Appreciation of Separate Property in Divorce
When couples get married, each brings aspects of their single lives into the marriage, including previously-acquired property. Solely-owned assets do not necessarily directly benefit the marriage, but they can become a point of contention when property is divided in divorce. Unless the couples privately agree otherwise, each spouse will walk away with a share… Read More »
Tax Bill Would Repeal Income Tax Rules for Alimony Payments
Amidst all the concerns of divorce, the tax consequences of property settlements and the payment of alimony are not commonly on a spouse’s radar. Property settlements can result in significant tax liability if not correctly structured, thereby reducing the real value of the acquired assets. When it comes to alimony, the party who pays… Read More »
Figuring Out How to Divide Credit Card Debt during Divorce
One of the hardest parts of any divorce is settling which spouse should be responsible for debt. Some financial obligations are easier to address, such as the marital home, which can be sold if necessary to get rid of a large mortgage, but other obligations, credit card debt especially, can lead to heated disputes…. Read More »
Determining When a Court Can Issue or Modify a Child Custody Order
Going through a divorce or breakup is hard enough by itself, but when child custody concerns are thrown into the mix, the situation can quickly turn complicated and messy. This is especially true if one parent recently moved to another state or divorce/custody petitions were initiated by each party in separate courts. A court’s… Read More »
How a Court Decides Whether to Modify Alimony
Alimony is a touchy subject for couples getting divorced, and is often a highly-disputed issue in the divorce case, assuming it was not earlier addressed in any prenuptial agreement. There is no set formula for how much support one party would need to pay the other, leaving courts with wide discretion over determining the… Read More »
