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…
In divorce mediation, a neutral third party meets with the divorcing spouses and tries to help them reach an agreement about all of the different issues involved in their divorce. The spouses typically meet with the neutral third party, or mediator, at an agreed-upon time and place in order to work out any disputed issues.…
Spousal support, which is also referred to alimony or maintenance, is a sum of money that one spouse is ordered or agrees to pay the other spouse on a regular basis during and/or after their divorce. In some cases, the spouses purposely agree to make a spousal support obligation non-modifiable. This means that the spouse…
While legal separation and divorce share some similarities, there also are many differences. Probably the most important difference is the fact that a legal separation does not officially end a marriage or allow a spouse to remarry; only a divorce legally and permanently ends a marriage, allowing either spouse to remarry. If your goal is…
While no two divorces are alike, many cases deal with common issues that Washington law requires you to resolve in your divorce. One common aspect of all divorces is the need to divide all property and debts owned by the parties, whether held separately or jointly. While the existence of a prenuptial agreement is ideal…
Washington is a no fault divorce state; the only legal ground for getting divorced in the state of Washington is a claim by either spouse that there has been an “Irretrievable breakdown of the marriage.” This simply means that one or both spouses believe that the marriage doesn’t work anymore and will not work out…
Washington law does not use the terms “custody” and “visitation” when referring to arrangements for children following a divorce or separation. Rather, Washington law refers to the term “residential schedule” in order to describe the parents’ physical custody and visitation arrangement. The primary residential parent is equivalent to the custodial parent, or the parent with…
While both parents have a responsibility under Washington law to financially support their children, changes in financial circumstances and related issues can justify a modification to a parent’s court-ordered child support obligation. However, it is important to remember that a parent’s child support obligation will stay the same amount until the court issues an order…
The essence of a parenting plan is who lives where, when, and with whom. The parenting plan is a court order that accompanies a petition for divorce, separation, or custody. It outlines the residential schedule of the child and lays out who can make decisions regarding the children involved. Before creating a schedule consider the…