Can I get permanent spousal support from my ex-spouse?
It can be a serious challenge to recover economically from a divorce, especially for the spouse that earns less. If your earning capacity or ability to work is significantly lower than that of your soon-to-be ex-spouse, you might depend upon a spousal support award to see you through until you can become self sufficient again. […]
How hard is it to modify a child support order?
Child support is simply money one parent pays to the other to provide for the needs of the child. Because a parent’s support obligation stems from a court order, there are serious consequences for falling behind on support payments or stopping them altogether. In some cases, these consequences include jail time. If you cannot pay child support, […]
Experimenting with “nesting”
Divorce is a reality for millions of American families. However, even though divorce is stressful, the real challenges often do not appear until after the lawyers settle the paperwork; this is particularly true for families with children. Assuming that there is no history of violence or addiction in the household, it is highly likely that […]
Is parental alienation a serious issue?
When going through divorce, the process often puts a lot of strain on every member of your family. Unfortunately, sometimes a person may go out of their way to make things even worse. This happens with parental alienation. In parental alienation cases, your co-parent may try to turn your child against you using various tactics. […]
How does child custody work with substance abuse treatment?
Child custody may prove difficult enough on its own, but one parent may struggle with substance abuse during this portion of the divorce. How does receiving treatment affect the court’s child custody decision? Vertava Health explores potential outcomes while and after a parent receives treatment. Parents should know how to handle their situation while showing up […]
What expenses does child support cover?
Despite your divorce, you and your ex-spouse must still work together to raise your shared child, which requires one of you to pay child support. Do you know which expenses qualify for child support? Our Family Wizard explains how divorced couples may use child support payments. Learn when you or your ex may misuse support funds. […]
Another way you may receive support from your ex-spouse
While spousal support may become an important source of your income, at retirement age, you will need every penny you can get to maintain the standard of living you used to enjoy while married. Lawmakers understand that, often, one spouse earned considerably less during the course of the marriage but contributed more nonfinancially. So, the […]
What does a minor’s counsel do in California?
In contentious child custody cases, California may appoint an attorney called a minor’s counsel. He or she serves as a neutral party to represent the child’s best interests during the court proceedings. Review the role of the minor’s counsel and how this person takes part in the custody process. Appointment of minor’s counsel The court may appoint […]
When should you tell your child about your divorce?
As parents, going through a divorce affects more than just you and your spouse. You must take your child into consideration as well. Though they are not directly involved, the outcome will have a huge impact on their life moving forward. As such, it is common for divorcing couples to have plenty of questions about […]
Child custody considerations
When parents go through a divorce, one of the most difficult things is deciding on child custody. Although it used to be common that the mother got main custody, things have changed, and now the court considers a variety of factors when determining custody and visitation rights. Whether parents come to an agreement, or the […]