The Service Member’s Civil Relief Act (SCRA)is a federal law that provides protection for service members involved in civil lawsuits, including divorces and other family law cases. The main goal of the SCRA is give individuals the chance to participate in the court proceedings when they are on active duty with the armed forces. The SCRA does not stop…
When you and your ex get divorced, the last thing that you probably want is to maintain any sort of relationship with your ex. If you share minor children with your ex, however, you have no choice but to maintain some sort of relationship, if only for your children’s benefit. While it may not be easy to maintain…
Whether or not spousal support (also known as alimony or spousal maintenance) ends depends entirely on the language in the final orders. Some spousal support orders remain in effect for only a certain period of time. Other spousal support orders stay in effect indefinitely. Spousal support also automatically terminates if the support order doesn’t say…
Divorce often takes the life to which you have grown accustomed and turns it upside down. You may feel uncertain, confused, lost, and lonely at various points during your divorce proceedings. As a result of all of this chaos in your life, it is no wonder that you want start dating and move toward a…
Washington law provides that when a couple divorces, all of their property is divided between the parties. Dividing some items of property is a relatively easy process, but some forms of property take more time and consideration than others. Property includes not only real estate and bank accounts, but also retirement plans, business interests, pensions,…
Divorce is not without some degree of resentment, conflict, and even hostility between the parties. Co-parenting during and following a divorce can be extremely difficult, especially when everyone’s emotions are running high. When divorcing parties share minor children, they have a special responsibility to maintain an amicable relationship with one another to the greatest extent…
The number of individuals getting divorced who are age 50 and older has risen considerably in recent years. In fact, individuals in this age group are twice as likely to get divorced as they were 20 years ago. These divorces often involve marriages that have been 20, 30, or 40 years in length. As a…
Many Americans have deep connections and emotional attachments to their pets. When a divorce occurs, however, a dispute may arise over which party should receive custody of the family dog. Unlike children, there are no “custody” laws involving pets in the state of Washington because pets are considered property under Washington law. If the parties…
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…