In a Washington divorce, all debts are divided, even if they solely belong to one spouse or the other. While some spouses are able to agree to a division of debts, other spouses must turn to the court for the division of their debts. There are two major reasons why debt division is so important. First,…
Like many states, the state of Washington requires a waiting period before a couple can finalize their divorce. Traditionally, a waiting period was meant to be a “cooling-off” period, or one in which the parties might try to resolve their differences and reconcile. This 90-day waiting period is mandatory, even if the spouses definitely are not…
Bankruptcy is the legal process by which an individual or a married couple can discharge eligible debts or obtain a court order that you do not have to pay one or more particular debts. This is often a solution when a couple has accrued substantial amounts of debt that they really cannot repay. In many…
Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution that parties can use to resolve a legal dispute, include divorces and other family law cases. An arbitration involves both parties, each of whom is typically represented by an attorney, as well as a neutral third-party decisionmaker, who is called an arbitrator. Each side presents evidence under oath to the arbitrator,…
According to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), there were 24,258 divorces statewide in 2015, which is the most recent year for which divorce data is available. This data also does not include those individuals who divorced out of state and later moved to Washington. The number of divorces makes up about 3.4 per…
When a divorce is filed, one or both spouses are often emotional, hurt, and unsure about getting divorced. These feelings may cause a spouse to take actions that he or she believes will hurt the other spouse. One of these tactics is running up large bills and debts with the belief that the other spouse will be…
A guardian ad litem (GAL), who is also referred to an investigator or a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) is a person appointed by the court to make recommendations about the custody or visitation rights. Either parent can ask the court to appoint a GAL, usually if there are important issues about the safety or well-being of…
If your car won’t run, you take it to a mechanic. If you are sick, you go to the doctor. Likewise, if you need to get divorced, you should consult an experienced divorce attorney who can guide you through your divorce proceedings and give you the legal advice and advocacy that you need. There are a number…
In every type of lawsuit, including divorces, you are required to serve the other party with notice of the proceedings by personally serving him or her with documents concerning the lawsuit. In some cases, however, you may not be able to personally serve his or her spouse after making several attempts to do so. In other cases, you…