Grandparents often wonder whether they have any legal rights to see and visit with their grandchildren under Washington law. This is most often an issue when there is a strained relationship between grandparents and their own children, or some sort of family estrangement. Currently, however, Washington law does not provide for grandparents to have court-ordered…
There are two main ways under Washington law to legally establish paternity for a child who is born outside of a marriage. A father can sign a paternity acknowledgment form, which establishes him as the child’s legal father. Alternatively, a court can issue an order that establishes a man as the legal father of the…
The parenting plan and residential schedule that you and your ex develop or the court orders in your divorce or parentage case can be a difficult adjustment, especially for a parent who normally sees his or her children on a daily basis. However, it is even worse when one parent intentionally keeps the children from…
In the state of Washington, just like in many other states, there are laws in place to prevent one parent from taking his or her child and simply moving out of state or far away from the other parent. After all, it would be unfair to the noncustodial parent to allow the custodial parent to…
If you get divorced early in your child’s life, you are not likely to be thinking about how to pay for the child’s college education. Several years later, however, your child may be looking at attending college. As college tuition and related costs continue to skyrocket, resulting in unprecedented levels of student loan debt, you…
Custody cases are difficult for all parties involved, and particularly for children. Some parties are able to privately negotiate their own residential schedules, either on their own or with the help of a third-party mediator. When parties cannot reach a custody agreement, however, the judge must make a decision about what arrangements would be best…
Although family courts historically may have given preference to mothers in awarding child custody, times have changed significantly. For far too many years, most people, including family court judges, assumed that the mother should have custody of the child, and the father should pay child support and alimony to the mother. In today’s world, however,…
In the typical divorce, the spouses’ retirement plans, pensions, and mutual funds often may be the most valuable assets that they own. As a result, the division of these items of property in a divorce can be a hotly contested matter. Under Washington law, retirement funds that either spouse acquired during the marriage are the…
A restraining order is not the same as a civil domestic violence order for protection or a criminal no contact order. Rather, a restraining order is a broader court order that orders a specific person not to engage in a certain form of conduct or take certain actions. A restraining order may involve a number…