Do Washington Grandparents Have Visitation Rights?

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…

What Can I Do if My Ex Denies Me Visitation?

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…

Can I Stop My Ex From Moving Away From My Child?

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…

Can I Get Divorced While I Am Pregnant?

While the fact that you are pregnant does not mean that you cannot get divorced, your pregnancy does raise some legal issues that as a practical matter may delay or impact your divorce proceedings. To some degree, the extent to which your pregnancy affects your divorce depends on whether the unborn child belongs to your…

Do Children Get a Say in Custody Cases?

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…

Do Mothers Seeking Custody Have an Advantage Over Fathers?

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,…

How Does the Court Divide Retirement Plans in a Divorce?

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…