Q & A | Page 3 of 8 | Seattle Divorce Services

Can I Have My Spouse Pay For Both Divorce Attorneys?

If your spouse agrees to pay for both divorce attorneys, certainly it is possible. Some attorneys may be reluctant to accept payment from the other spouse, citing conflict of interest concerns, but I would expect most would be okay with it. Even if the attorney does not want to take direct paymen...

What To Ask For In A Divorce

The main thing you need to be aware of (at least in Washington State): you don't need to know every detail about what you will ask for at the time the divorce is filed. The Petition, or Response to Petition, can be framed in very general terms. All you need to know are the broad categories. For ins...

Questions For Your Attorney About Divorce

Last week I discussed questions to help you decide which attorney to hire. This week, I wanted to suggest some questions to ask to help you be better informed about the divorce process itself and to help you make decisions about the divorce....

Can You Stop A Divorce After Filing?

At least here in Washington, and I imagine in any state, you can stop a divorce action before the divorce has been finalized if both parties agree to the dismissal. A dismissal ends the case so that the divorce does not move forward. Also, if the other party has responded to the Petition for Diss...

Money , keys, and cars representing assets

How is Property and Debt Split During a Divorce?

In Washington the courts are instructed to make a "just and equitable" division of all property and debt, both community and separate. Some factors the court is to consider include the nature and extent of the property, the duration of the marriage, and the economic circumstances of each spouse....

Who Pays for the Divorce?

In Washington State, each party is responsible for hiring and paying their own attorney, including any initial deposits as well as any subsequent bills. So this means that each spouse pays for the divorce based on their personal choice of attorney. However, the court does have the authority to alloc...

How Do I Get A Divorce Without My Spouse?

You can get a divorce in Washington whether or not your spouse chooses to cooperate, but you cannot get a divorce without notifying your spouse that you are seeking a divorce. Notification means serving the divorce papers on your spouse (see my previous article on serving divorce papers). Many pe...

Do I Need My Spouse’s Signature For A Divorce?

While it certainly helps to have a spouse sign off on a divorce, in Washington you can still get divorced even if your spouse is uncooperative. That can happen in several different ways, depending on the actions your spouse takes or fails to take. If the two parties are able to agree to get divor...

What is Cooperative Divorce?

Along with Collaboration and Mediation, you may sometimes hear the term "Cooperative Divorce". Cooperative Divorce is not a form of Alternative Dispute Resolution like Collaboration and Mediation, but is rather a way of approaching a traditional litigated divorce. There are no special rules or pr...

Can I Modify My Spousal Support?

In Washington, spousal support, also known as alimony or maintenance, is modifiable under some conditions. First, the decree of divorce must have NOT ordered non-modifiable spousal support. Second, there must be a "substantial change of circumstances". I would add, however, that in my experience, s...

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