No matter how long you were married, the assets you generated in your marriage matter. Not only will you never be younger, but – if you waive too much – you’ll never have the chance to take advantage of compounding interest. That can be the difference between being able to retire and … not. Sure,...
What are my entitlements in a VA divorce?
As far as equitable distribution – the legal process where your assets and liabilities are divided during divorce – is concerned, division of the retirement accounts is pretty easy. But, because retirement accounts represent a large portion of what most people have saved throughout their lives, they are also very emotionally complicated. The higher earning...
By any reckoning, 15 years is a fairly lengthy marriage. At some point – and I’d theorize that’s somewhere along the ten year mark – there comes a time when, even if you break up, you and your soon-to-be ex owe something to each other. The longer the marriage, the more difficult it is to...
Maybe you suspect things will be difficult. Maybe he’s refusing outright to sign anything that you prepare. Maybe there’s legitimately nothing to divide in your divorce. For whatever reason, you tell your attorney, “I don’t want anything from him – anything at all – except a divorce.” When people tell me that, it makes...
I was talking to a woman the other day who sort of surprised me. “I have ADHD and Asperger’s,” she said. “I know it’s not always easy, and people get frustrated with me. Would you firm be able to work with me?” I was surprised she asked, for one thing. Though many of us have...
I’m always surprised at just how many people maintain separate bank accounts throughout the entirety of their marriage. Though I definitely understand the desire to keep things separate – and maybe to share expenses in a mutually owned household account – I do think that it often causes confusion about what is marital property...
In many cases, it’s not necessary to use fault based grounds for divorce. After all, if you file on fault, you’ll have to litigate to prove to the judge that your grounds exist. Because, depending on the grounds, different civil and criminal penalties apply, you’ll have to meet a specific burden of proof, and that...
Women frequently bring us in already drafted agreements for our review and comment. Usually, a drafted agreement – whether it’s a prenuptial agreement, a marital agreement, or a separation agreement – includes some sort of language that says there’s been a full and frank disclosure of the assets and liabilities, and also that each party...