Being one of the no-fault states, getting a divorce in Washington is not affected by your partner’s behavior or misbehavior. But a restraining order against them can affect the verdict on various key aspects of the divorce. If your partner threatens your well-being, children’s welfare, or community property, a restraining order might be necessary. But…
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…
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.…
You and your partner have decided to split. You’ve thought this through, perhaps gone to couples therapy, and maybe you are even past legal separation (which is not a prerequisite to divorce but it can be an alternative, and it can be done by court order). At this point divorce is a certainty. In that…
Mediation and similar alternative dispute resolution techniques help many couples come to an agreement about difficult family law matters like child support or the division of assets and debts. When divorcing couples are willing to work together, they can often accomplish more in less time than if they had gone to court. In a high…
The ASPCA estimates that between 37-47% of American households have at least one dog, and another 30-37% have at least one cat. For many people in these households, their pets are as much a part of their family as their children. When a couple gets divorced, pets are often a large source of contention. While…