Last week the Washington Post published an interesting peek into the uniquely complicated marriages and divorces of CIA agents. Unsurprisingly, the secrecy required of CIA agents can take a tremendous toll on the civilian spouse, leading to an “astonishingly high” rate of divorce in the agency.
Sure, he's dapper and suave, but his secret life might start to…
Cynthia Shackelford suspected something was up with her husband when his late nights at the office became more frequent and charges at fancy restaurants started appearing on his credit card bill. So, she hired a private investigator, who confirmed her heart wrenching suspicions: her husband of 33 years was having an affair with a woman named Anne Lundquist.
Cynthia…
February 15, 2012 – 1:28 pm
In this three-part series, we’re examining the Washington common law remedy of “de facto parentage,” which will sometimes afford parental rights to individuals who are not legally considered parents to a child, if they can prove that they have – in the words of the Washington Supreme Court – “fully and completely undertaken a permanent, unequivocal, committed, and responsible parental…
February 7, 2012 – 1:21 pm
If you’ve ever been through a painful divorce or breakup, chances are at some point you found yourself staring at an object that was once a treasured token of your great love – the movie ticket from your first date, the dried flowers from a Valentine’s day bouquet, the thoughtfully compiled mix CD – and saw only an irritating or…
January 27, 2012 – 12:05 pm
A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to be in Washington D.C. during the running of the “Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life” exhibition at the National Museum of American History. The exhibition was wide-ranging in scale, but of particular interest to me was the portion describing Lincoln’s 23-year career as a “prairie lawyer” in Springfield, Illinois. I was…
January 13, 2012 – 12:24 pm
On a global level, the law regarding same sex marriage seems to be changing every day. Here in Washington, where”everything but marriage” domestic partnerships have been in effect since 2007, the state legislature appears to be on the verge of making same sex marriage legal. And of course, there are six other states in the United States, as well…
December 28, 2011 – 10:33 am
In this three-part series, we’re examining the Washington common law remedy of “de facto parentage,” which will sometimes afford parental rights to individuals who are not legally considered parents to a child, if they can prove that they have – in the words of the Washington Supreme Court – “fully and completely undertaken a permanent, unequivocal, committed, and responsible parental…
December 2, 2011 – 2:58 pm
According to an ABC Action News report, at least three U.S. states have enacted, or are considering enacting, drastic changes to their spousal support laws. At the forefront of the reform trend (if three states a trend makes), is Massachusetts. The legislature there is changing state law to eliminate life time alimony, and to enact a formula by which…
November 4, 2011 – 9:03 am
It’s probably not altogether uncommon for unhappy brides or grooms to sue over sloppy wedding photos or terrible food. But Todd Remis of New York has taken the wedding vendor lawsuit to the next level. He’s suing the photographer and the photography studio for failing to capture every precious moment of his 2003 wedding (specifically, the last dance and the…
October 21, 2011 – 11:14 am
And we should have guessed it’d arrive in one of America’s favorite formats – reality television. That’s right, Jim Halfens, the man who brought the upscale “Divorce Hotel” to wealthy and unhappily marrieds in the Netherlands, has teamed up with an American television producer to bring the Divorce Hotel to American television. And what better way to drum up…