Relationships can be unpredictable, and marriage is no exception. Making the decision to dissolve a marriage can feel overwhelming and confusing. You can turn to friends to help you with the emotional turmoil, but you need experienced legal guidance to handle the paperwork.
Cohen Family Law Firm, LLC, is here to provide rational and compassionate advice on how to protect everything that is important to you. We help you understand your options regarding your children, finances, home, and safety. Contact us to schedule a consultation and begin the next step in your life’s journey.
The team at Cohen Family Law knows that identifying the right divorce attorney is critical. Few couples put much thought into their assets before marriage. Divorce means you must scrutinize every decision to ensure the best outcome for everyone.
Your Vancouver, WA, divorce attorney works to improve the lives of you and your children. Our practice is focused on family law, handling custody agreements, separations, and divorces. With over 25 years of combined practice experience, we are confident in our ability to ease this process for you.
We offer superior client-attorney communication, responding to your questions and concerns as often as you need us. We take the legal burden off your shoulders so you can focus on managing the many other challenges you face. Our team will be at your side every step of the way.
Alimony refers to the money paid to the lower-earning spouse after divorce. How much you might receive varies greatly in Washington due to your specific circumstances and the ruling tendencies of the family court judge in your case.
Generally, the award lasts about one-fourth of the length of the marriage. However, how a judge will rule is very difficult to predict. A skilled divorce attorney in Vancouver, WA, can give you an estimate after your initial consultation.
You can request an adjustment to spousal support for a dramatic change in your financial circumstances, health situation, or marital status.
One of the major concerns of many divorcing couples is ensuring their children have the best outcome. Your Cohen Family Law divorce lawyer in Vancouver, WA, can help you avoid common pitfalls that could devastate your ability to care for your offspring.
The best attorneys focus on creating custody agreements that put the interests of the children first, removing irrational disagreements between the parents. They work to encourage collaborative parenting and set the stage for a nurturing future after this difficult time.
Custody can be sole or joint, which can affect both legal and physical custody. Custodial parents make decisions concerning each child’s:
Ideally, both parents can come to decisions that put the children first. Child custody agreements cannot be changed without appearing in court again. You need a highly qualified divorce attorney to reach the best agreement the first time that will last for years to come.
Child support is not a punishment but is meant to ensure the health and well-being of the children. When one parent earns significantly more than the other, the lower-earning spouse often spends more of their time on childcare during a marriage.
This leaves that parent with a diminished earning potential after a divorce. Facing the costs of being a single parent with custody of children without child support makes it much harder to give your kids the lives they deserve.
A Washington child support order begins by applying the Washington State Support Schedule. Parents disclose their income on a worksheet, and the state includes other factors to establish the monthly amount, including:
Washington is a community property state, so both spouses are entitled to an equitable division of their assets, according to the Revised Code of Washington 26.16.030. However, each case has unique circumstances that must be considered, so “fair” is not always the same as each spouse getting half.
Assets must be evaluated and valued before any division occurs. Anything accumulated during the marriage is considered marital property unless it was owned only by one spouse prior to the marriage or given to them exclusively during that time.
The custodial parent often receives the marital home to maintain consistency and stability for the children. Other factors that can influence the division of assets include:
If you have money in savings or other accounts prior to the marriage, that money is considered separate and not eligible for division. The same is true of any real estate you owned before the wedding. If you inherit money or receive property in your name only during your marriage, this is also separate under the law.
The problems arise when you commingle assets or add your spouse’s name to them. It becomes marital property and eligible for division during a divorce. Joint checking accounts or adding your spouse to your personal account makes it a marital asset. If you inherit money or win a lottery and put it in a shared account, it can be divided.
A valuable service your Vancouver, WA, divorce attorney can provide is to hire a forensic accountant to investigate all assets and advise you on their status. These professionals can also uncover hidden assets your soon-to-be ex-spouse may be trying to keep you from accessing.
Our highly-qualified team of family law attorneys understands the challenges of dissolving a marriage. We work to see that you are better off after your divorce, using our network of professionals to ensure you are treated fairly.
Do not face this daunting process without experienced legal representation. Even the most amicable of divorces can turn ugly unexpectedly, and you deserve to have someone in your corner who is looking out for you.
Contact us today to discuss how to begin your new life successfully.