Q&A: How can I keep the cost of my divorce down? There’s no getting around it: if you hire a lawyer to handle your divorce, it can be pretty expensive. Many lawyers charge over $200 per hour and require several thousand dollars upfront to get started. Most of the cost is for lawyers’ and legal […]
Tag: divorce
Q & A: Spousal Maintenance (“alimony”)
Q: Will I be awarded spousal maintenance (“alimony”) in my divorce? A: This is one of the hardest questions to answer. The possibilities are vast. Spousal maintenance can be temporary (“rehabilitative”) or permanent. If it’s temporary, it can be for a year or for several years or for many years. It can be tied to […]
Q & A: Marital and Non-Marital Property
Q: How do I make sure a gift or inheritance I received, or something I owned before I got married, remains MY property if I end up getting divorced? A: You may have heard of prenuptial agreements, meant to protect each person’s separate property if they get divorced. Prenuptial agreements are signed before the wedding […]
Lawyers are people too
Don’t believe all the lawyer jokes. I am proud that most lawyers are caring human beings who are concerned about their clients as people and not just about making a living. And I am proud that the law sometimes does offer people a real remedy for injustice. Two of my proudest and happiest professional accomplishments […]
What is collaborative divorce, and how does it work?
As helpful as the law can sometimes be to solve problems, I have come to believe that litigation and court-imposed solutions are rarely the best choice for divorcing couples. At a recent gathering of family lawyers, we were asked to throw out words we associate with the litigation process in family law cases. The words […]
Credit card obligations to former spouse
It is important to note that if you are divorced, and your divorce decree requires you to pay credit card debt incurred by your former spouse during the marriage (including cards on which you are jointly liable with your former spouse), you likely will not be able to discharge the obligation to your former spouse […]
Domestic support obligations in bankruptcy
Domestic support obligations, which include alimony, spousal maintenance, and child support, are considered priority claims under bankruptcy law. This means that if the debtor is making monthly payments under a Chapter 13 plan, the full monthly domestic support obligation must be paid in full as part of the plan, including those payments that become due […]
More ways to save money on divorce costs
In my last post I shared some ways to help you keep your legal costs down in a divorce. Here are a few more tips. Do your homework. Your legal action is a joint endeavor between you and your lawyer. You will be asked to document your income, property, and debts. The more information – […]
Ways to save money on divorce costs
This may be obvious, but what lawyers have to sell is their time. As an experienced divorce attorney (and formerly divorced person), I have some tips to pass along. You should end up with a fair result in your divorce case, but how much you pay for it will depend on the amount of time […]