Once a divorce settlement is signed or entered on the record under CR 2A, a spouse generally cannot back out except in cases of fraud, duress, or mistake. Before that point, either party can renegotiate. After weeks of negotiation, you and your soon-to-be former spouse agree to a divorce settlement which makes everyone happy. All…
Navigating a divorce or family law issue can be daunting, and while the allure of resolving matters outside of court is strong, it’s crucial to recognize the potential pitfalls for you and your family. I’m Zachary C. Ashby from Pacific Northwest Family Law, and today, we’re diving into the realities of alternative dispute resolution. Mediation,…
Divorce mediation is a process of negotiations. Facilitated by a trained, neutral mediator, it can cut down on court costs by speeding up the divorce negotiations. It is not a form of marriage counseling. Unlike with marital counseling, the goal of divorce mediation is not to reconcile differences in the marriage, but instead, to find…
Financial incompatibility is one of the top reasons couples find themselves considering divorce. This incompatibility doesn’t mean the couple is fighting about a lack of money. Instead, they have different approaches to spending money. Those approaches can feel impossible to reconcile. That’s when divorce becomes an option. But that doesn’t mean that every couple who thinks about…
Divorce is complicated enough, and when property is involved, things can get even more complicated. 40-50% of couples in the United States get divorced, making the issue of how to divide property a common one. Since most married couples purchase property together, it can be hard to determine who owns what. Understanding marital…
There are a wide variety of retirement plans, from pensions to 401(k) plans, but all of them are potentially subject to division as community property in a Washington divorce. Even if one spouse contributed to or accrued a portion of the plan’s value prior to the marriage it may be part of the overall division…
Mediation is a means of resolving all issues related to the parties’ divorce by agreement. It is an alternative to going to trial to resolve disputed claims. Most courts in Washington require the parties to mediate before going to trial, so you need to know what to expect and how to prepare. In divorce mediation, a mediator,…
Mediation is a form of alternative dispute resolution that is designed to help people settle legal disputes outside of the courtroom. The courts in Benton, Franklin, Yakima and Walla Walla counties require all parties in most domestic relations cases to go to mediation. In mediation, a neutral third party called a mediator works with the…
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.…