This is yet another pop quiz that looks at how Washington courts apply our state’s community property laws to specific individuals and their unique stories. To recap: Washington is a community property state, which generally means that all property that a couple acquires during their marriage is presumed to be jointly owned by both spouses, while all property acquired…
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…
The term “temporary orders” is shorthand for a number of different orders that you can ask the Court to enter prior to the finalization of your divorce. They are temporary in the sense that they will be in force until they are replaced by the orders entered when you finalize your divorce (or, occasionally, later temporary orders).
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Getting a divorce is way more complex than it probably should be. In fact, depending on your case, you could end up filling out 25 or 30 forms en route to your freedom. Think of it as Washington’s way of supporting the logging industry, one unhappy marriage at a time.
Don’t fret, though. We’re here to help. Because…
Question: What is the difference between legal separation and dissolution (divorce)?
Answer: Not much. The main practical difference is that you can’t get remarried. In all other respects – property settlement, child support, etc. – you are as good as divorced.
People usually pursue legal separation instead of divorce for one of three reasons:
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Historically, divorce has been a nasty business with equally nasty terminology. “Custody” and “alimony” conjure up images of bile-spewing, decades-long battles. Washington, like many states, has altered the terminology of many key divorce concepts in an effort to escape the loaded words of the bad old days, probably in the hope that more harmonious language will mean more harmonious litigation.…
de⋅cou⋅ple
[dee-kuhp-uhl] verb, -pled, -pling.
Origin: 1595–1605; de- + couple
Decoupling offers a simple guide…
