Author Archives: liz

Best Interests of the Child – The Wishes of the Child and the Schedules of the Parents

In this series, we have been examining Washington cases which help us to understand what exactly the “best interests of the child” standard means, and how it works when applied to a specific family.  Our last article examined the fifth factor under RCW 26.09.187(3)(a) – “the child’s relationship with siblings and other adults,

Best Interests of the Child – Relationship with Siblings and Other Significant Adults

In this series, we’re reviewing Washington cases which help us to understand what exactly the “best interests of the child” standard means, and how it works when applied to a specific family.  Our last article examined the fourth factor under RCW 26.09.187(3)(a) – “the emotional needs and developmental level of the child.“  Today,

Best Interests of the Child – The Emotional Needs and Developmental Level of the Child

In this series, we’re reviewing Washington cases which help us to understand what exactly the “best interests of the child” standard means, and how it works when applied to a specific family.  Last week we discussed the third factor, the “past and future performance of parenting functions“, which relates to each parent’s ability to take

Adventures in Community Property Breaking News – Clayton v. Wilson (2010)

In two previous pop quizzes, we discussed previous Washington court decisions regarding community property and community liability for torts committed by one spouse.  To recap:  Washington is a community property state, which generally means that all property that a couple acquires during their marriage is considered to be jointly owned by both spouses, and…

Best Interests of the Child – Past and Potential for Future Performance of Parenting Functions

In this series, we’re taking a look at some Washington cases that shed some light on to what the “best interests of the child” standard means, and how it works when applied to a specific family.  Last week we discussed the second factor, “the agreements of the parties.”  In that article we saw just how much

Best Interests of the Child – Agreement of the Parents

In this series, we’re taking a look at some Washington cases that shed some light on to what the “best interests of the child” standard means, and how it works when applied to a specific family.  Last week we discussed the first, and most important factor, “the relative strength, nature, and stability of the child’s relationship with each

Best Interests of the Child – The Quality of the Parent Child Relationship

In this series, we’re taking a look at some Washington cases that shed some light on to what the “best interests of the child” standard means, and how it works when applied to a specific family.  Today, in this second article in the series, we’re taking a look at the first of the seven  factors that Washington courts must consider

Best Interests Of The Child: What It Means

If you’ve ever been involved in a child custody dispute in Washington, you are probably familiar with, or have at least heard of the concept of “best interests of the child.”   The best interests of the child standard is a Washington court’s primary and most important consideration when making decisions about children.  Indeed, we’ve touched on the best interests standard…

I Want to Relocate with My Kids – Do I Need to Tell My Ex?

Question

My wife and I divorced about 5 years ago.  We have two kids.  Under our final parenting plan, I am the primary residential parent and my wife sees the kids every other weekend, and once a week during the week.  I was recently offered a great new job that will really improve our financial situation.  The only problem is…

The Split: Bringing Home The Check

The Split is an on-going series in which Decoupling talks to the people who are perhaps most affected by divorce – the kids.  We sat down with adults whose parents divorced when they were kids and talked to them about how their folks’ split affected them.  Each article will address one particular aspect of their experiences.  In this first article