Family Law

While focusing on family values we provide personal, compassionate, professional, and aggressive representation provided in a cost-effective manner that effectively and successfully accomplish your family law goals.

DIVORCE: We can help with filing your divorce, assist you if you have been served with divorce papers, and help you with any post-divorce issues such as estate planning (e.g., revising wills and trusts that have your former spouse listed as a beneficiary, and living wills that allow your former spouse to make a health-care directives on your behalf) or business-panning or reorganization. We understand that a divorce can be difficult, especially if children are involved. Issues related to child custody, visitation, and child support can be psychologically and economically draining, not to mention hard to deal with while you are in an emotional state. We will be your voice of reason; providing you with sound advice. You will appreciate our patience, compassion, and ability to present you with your viable options.

CHILD CUSTODY & VISITATION: Our clients include men and women in conventional marriages as well as domestic partnerships involving a child or children. We also assist unmarried mothers and fathers with child custody and visitation issues, as well as stepparent and grandparent rights issues.

We can help you with issues revolving around legal custody (sole custody or joint custody). Legal custody allows the parent(s) with legal custody to make decisions for the child (or children), including decisions regarding schooling, extracurricular activities, and medical decisions.

We also assist our clients with physical custody and visitation issues, including the primary residence for the child or children, and how weekdays, weekends, holidays, birthdays, summers, and other significant dates will be divided. Physical custody and visitation often affect the amount of child support payments to the custodial parent.

CHILD & SPOUSAL SUPPORT: we provide clients with understanding and professional legal advice and consultation, as well as aggressive representation in child support matters.

We are always cognizant of the costs, and utilize technology whenever possible to keep costs down. If you are going through a divorce, you want to make sure you receive the child support to which you are entitled; likewise, you want to ensure you are only obligated to pay what the law requires. We constantly remind clients that the amount of child support payments are a minimum, and that any parent paying support can always voluntarily contribute more money to support their child.

While spousal support varies from state to state, there are several factors a judge considers when deciding whether to grant spousal support (alimony). They usually involve things like the parties' relative ability to earn money, both now and in the future; their respective age and health; the length of the marriage; the kind of property involved; and the conduct of the parties. We will be your zealot advocate in this matter.

PRENUPTIAL & POSTNUPTIAL AGREEMENTS: Many people don't realize that prenuptial and postnuptial agreements can be limited in time and scope, and may be used to contract out of general Washington Community Property Law. Some people who utilize prenuptial agreements are people who want to make sure the marriage will last. You need not be wealthy to utilize this important service. Regardless of the scope of your assets and liabilities, your agreement will reflect your personal needs and goals. Your agreement will set forth each party's rights and obligations during the marriage, giving each partner peace of mind and a foundation to build a future together.

Our experienced prenuptial and postnuptial agreement attorneys can advise and assist in negotiating and drafting a pre-marital or a post-marital legal document.

In addition, our firm will utilize technology to keep costs down. Our goal is to work as cost-effectively and efficiently as possible without sacrificing the quality of legal representation you receive. We treat you as we would want to be treated if we were the client.

DIVISION OF MARITAL PROPERTY: We also assist clients with post-divorce issues regarding the discovery of undisclosed assets, such as hidden bank accounts, real estate, and collectibles or other personal property (cars, boats, guns, antiques, art, etc.). We understand many of the issues regarding valuation and distribution of marital assets, including marital property such as the following:

• Marital residence
• Other real estate holdings
• Businesses interests, including interests in family businesses and closely-held corporations
• Stock options
• Retirement plans (401(k)s, pensions, military, etc.)
• Collectibles
• Insurance policies
• Inheritances
• Pets (dogs , cats, etc.)

Sorting out which assets are community property, and thus subject to division under Washington's community property laws, can often be a difficult task. We have the experience, skill, and understanding to help.

DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS: Whether you need a domestic partnership rights lawyer to assist you with registering your partnership, drafting a domestic partnership agreement, or assisting you with a domestic partnership dissolution (or legal separation), we can help. Our partners will listen to you, learn about your issues and goals, and provide you with experienced, professional advice and dedicated legal representation. Because the laws regarding domestic partnerships are fairly new, there is much of the law that is still being developed and interpreted. As experienced domestic partnership legal rights lawyers, we stay on top of the latest developments of domestic partnership law.

POST-DIVORCE MODIFICATIONS: Most post-divorce decree modification requests center around child custody, child support , and spousal support . Our attorneys also have significant experience assisting clients to enforce their judgments and orders.

Change of Circumstances

While there is no formal definition of what constitutes a change of circumstances, some courts may consider the following a change of circumstances that may qualify for a court ordered modification:

• Relocation (especially to another state)
• Loss of job or increase or decrease in earnings
• Unsuitable environment for children
• Unforeseen expenses, including medical expenses
• Drug or alcohol use or abuse

These are just a few of the situations that may be considered a significant change of circumstances, thus warranting a post divorce modification. We understand that a change of circumstances can be devastating. We will work with you to fully comprehend the scope of your problems, and we will focus our efforts on addressing those concerns.

PATERNITY SUITS: Paternity suits can arise when there is uncertainty or a disagreement regarding the identity of the child's father. Often, parents will use a paternity action to establish a man's legal obligation to provide child support.

In some cases, a man will use a paternity action to establish fatherhood for the purpose of obtaining custody and/or visitation rights.

We can assist mothers and potential fathers in paternity actions. Whether you are seeking a paternity action to obtain child support or to avoid paying child support for a child you believe may not be yours, or to establish custody and visitation rights , then you want experienced legal representation from a skilled family law attorney.

We will discuss your issues and provide you with your options, which may involve negotiating a settlement without taking a paternity test. If you elect to take, or are required to take, a paternity test, we can work to protect your legal rights and interests.