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Can Child Support be Retroactive in Washington State?

One of the most common questions we receive when parents are divorcing is whether the court will require payment of retroactive or “back” child support. This question often arises in situations where the parents have been separated for a significant period of time prior to beginning divorce or custo...

Can We Divorce Without A Lawyer?

It certainly is possible in Washington State to divorce without a lawyer, although as a lawyer I need to clarify that I do not recommend it. I have had clients spend a lot of money trying to undo mistakes they made writing their own court orders (remember the old car care commercial "Pay me now, or...

Alternative Child Support

Washington has established child support guidelines for how child support is to be calculated by the courts. The courts have the ability to deviate from the guidelines but have an obligation to ensure that the deviated support still meets the needs of the children. The ability to deviate actually...

Tax Issues in Divorce

I saw a good article by Robert Bordett called "What Are The Tax Implications Of Divorce?". Several issues to be aware of are: Your marital status for tax purposes is determined as of the end of the year. In other words, if you finalize your divorce on December 31, 2014, you are considered single...

A Sample Debt Calculation

In some ways dividing debt in a divorce is just like dividing property, but in other ways, it is more complicated. Generally, community property and debt are combined to reach a net community estate value, and then that total value is divided between the parties....

What are Temporary Orders?

When a divorce is filed, there is generally a need to determine what the various living arrangements are going to be until the case can get to trial (which in King county can be a year away, and more or less in other counties). In the mean time, the spouses may need answers to questions like: how ar...

Financial Planning in Your Divorce

Many people getting divorced fail to do any real financial planning as they go through the process. They basically are saying, "I'll see what I end up with and make do". However, sitting down with a financial adviser to start planning for your post-divorce life can be helpful in several ways....

Can I Do My Divorce Without a Lawyer?

Yes, you can do all of your divorce without a lawyer, though the paperwork and rules can be intimidating, and it is easy to make costly mistakes. The state has published standard forms for doing it yourself (and lawyers are required to use the same forms). However, if you do find that you need help,...

Seattle Attorney Carol Bailey on Amicable Divorce

Carol Bailey is an attorney here in Seattle with a strong interest in more peaceful divorce processes. In an article in the Seattle PI blog last February, she talked about amicable divorce, making several very good points....

What Is My Income?

In the divorce cases we do, our attorneys often hear various forms of this question - how is my income calculated? This is usually in terms of figuring out child support and spousal support/maintenance obligations....

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