Causes of Divorce Conflict
Mark Alexander has written: In many divorces, the greatest causes of conflict are: -What mudslinging is the other side going to say about me? -Are they going to try to extract the last ounce of blood? -What is my future budget going to be? -When will I be spending time with the children?...
Legal Remedies to Domestic Violence
Domestic violence can occur in any type of relationship. It crosses racial, socio-economic and age lines and isn't limited to a "type" of person or couple. If fact, it will may surprise you to know that one in five Washington women has reported being injured by domestic violence during their lifetim...
Spouse Baiting
Mark Alexander writes: During a divorce, your spouse or the other attorney may say or do outrageous things to goad you. Some people deliberately “push your buttons” to cause an uncharacteristic response, inviting you to sink to their level. To the extent they succeed in provoking an emotional...
What is a Parenting Plan?
If you are divorcing and have children under 18, a parenting plan is a handy tool that is required by courts. You and your spouse, or former spouse, can use the parenting plan as a guideline for responsibly sharing parenting responsibilities. A parenting plan is a way for both parties to come to...
Extended Hours
In order to better serve clients, Seattle Divorce Services has recently added the option to schedule a consult outside of regular business hours by special arrangement. Attorney Mark Alexander will have a limited number of early morning appointments available. Attorney Mimi Buescher is scheduling...
What are Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements?
Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements are legal agreements made before or shortly after marriage when couples determine their rights and responsibilities related to property and debts. A prenuptial agreement is signed before marriage, while a postnuptial agreement is signed after marriage. In gen...
Dividing Retirement Benefits
Because Washington is a community property state, any asset acquired during the marriage is presumed to belong to both spouses, regardless of whose name it’s in. That includes wages and employment benefits as well as houses, stocks, and cars. Transferring all or part of tax-deferred retirement bene...
What am I Entitled To in a Divorce?
In a divorce, the judge is charged with dividing marital property in a fair and equitable way. What's considered fair and equitable depends on the unique circumstances of each party, so there are a wide variety of possible outcomes regardless of what you expect you are entitled to. During a divor...
Can I Fill Out My Own Divorce Papers?
"Can I fill out my own divorce papers?" On another blog, Mark Alexander of our office responded to this common question: You are certainly allowed to, and virtually all the Washington State forms are available online. However, they are bare-bones forms, which were designed to ens...