Contact Us  Karin Quirk
Attorney at Law
(425) 289-0293
5400 Carillon Point
Kirkland, WA 98033
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email: info@DivorceForGrownups.net |
Seven Common Misperceptions about Divorce in Washington State
1. This is a community property state so everything is 50-50
While asset and debt acquired during the marriage is community property in Washington, it is not necessarily divided equally. The operating word in Washington is “equitable”. There are a number of standards by which equitable is determined. The length of the marriage, the relative earning capacity of the parties, the age and health of the parties as well as the existence of separate wealth are all factors in determining equitable. Read more….
Is you mailbox, both paper and on line, filling up with ideas for pre-paying something so you can get a tax deduction? Well here is a radical thought — prepay your divorce before the end of the year.
Sounds a little self serving doesn’t it? Well, yes, but hear me out. Read more….
“You were once husband and wife, then you became mom and dad, now you will no longer be husband and wife but you will always be mom and dad.” So advises my friend, a family therapist who helps divorcing parents.
As I try to work with soon-to-be ex spouses I help them divide their property and debt, help them make financial support decisions, and develop a parenting plan that is in their children’s best interest. Most often the parties are able to negotiate the property and support issues in a businesslike way, the parenting plan, (our newer nomenclature for “custody”) often becomes mired in emotional baggage. Read more….
Here are some random Friday musings about some of the misconceptions I often hear. No particular order or importance just as I thought about them. As always, this is informational only and not intended as legal advice for your particular situation. Always confer with an attorney before taking any action regarding these issues. Read more….
Did you know that divorce files are open to anyone?
At one time divorce files could be “sealed” so that no one other than the parties or their attorney could look at the files. That is no longer. Divorce files are public record and available to anyone with or without a legitimate purpose according to the Freedom of Information laws. In many places the files are available on line or soon will be. The only way to keep such information from prying eyes is to not have it in the record at all. Just because you are getting a divorce does not mean you have to expose all of your private information to other’s scrutiny. Read more….
There was a time, not so long ago, that divorce property settlement agreements were based upon the concept that real estate values only go up and there was always equity in the family home. In today’s reality of falling real estate prices we have to get more creative with what to do about houses that are valued at less than the mortgage, rental property, and houses that have dropped so far in value the owners want to maintain the property long enough to recover some of their losses. Here are some questions I frequently hear: Read more….
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