Divorce and custody cases aren’t like personal injury cases. At the end of the day, all you have to divide is what was already there to begin with – so, most of the time, people wind up with less than they had before. I mean, if you think about it, it makes sense. If you...
Should I take my husband to court?
Everything changes when mom and dad can’t make it work. Things that used to work out and were generally accepted sometimes don’t continue to work, especially where nonparents are concerned. Specifically: grandparents. Here’s the typical scenario: mom and dad are happy together (married or unmarried, it’s irrelevant). Mom’s mom is super active in the kid’s...
It happens sometimes – though I definitely don’t prefer it – that custody is handled separately from the rest of the divorce proceedings. It can happen for any number of reasons. Like everything else, divorce and custody cases are highly variable, and all sorts of things can happen that can result in people choosing to...
One of our goals in every single case is making sure that each woman understands the options available to her. Whether she files petitions with the court or whether she negotiates her result, there are advantages and disadvantages. We know the law best. But you know your husband/child’s father best. And, as a result, some...
Guardians ad litem are tricky. But they’re often necessary. And, perhaps even more to the point, we often don’t have a choice – they’re appointed in cases when a judge deems it necessary based on the best interests of the child, so sometimes, we just have to grin and bear it. It’s scary, to trust...
Domestic violence is often a big part of a divorce case. It’s sad (and really, really scary) but true. We see these types of cases all the time. When I first started practicing family law, I was surprised at how many cases there were that involved some kind of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse; maybe...
On Wednesday, we talked about your first custody court date – otherwise known as your initial appearance – in juvenile court. You know, that first date in, where you presented the details to the judge and set a trial date. It’s a common misconception that the first custody court date is going to be the...
Everyone (and I do mean everyone) wants us to give them just a “ballpark” figure for how much their case might cost. In some cases, that’s an easier thing to do than others. But, even so, costs can be a difficult thing to estimate. There are a lot of variables involved. There are a lot...