Frequently Asked Questions about Living Trusts

December 1st, 2023 - Category: Marriage, Divorce and Family

A Living Trust may seem like a complex legal document that is designed only to help well-off individuals preserve family wealth. However, they can also be an incredibly helpful tool for estate planning that families of every size and economic background can use as a way to avoid probate and ensure that beneficiaries receive certain assets. [...]

How to Get Divorced

April 23rd, 2023 - Category: Marriage, Divorce and Family

There are two parts to every divorce. The first part is the termination of the marital relationship itself by a court decree. [...]

How to Handle Kids in a Divorce

April 23rd, 2023 - Category: Marriage, Divorce and Family

There are two parts to every divorce. The first part is the termination of the marital relationship itself by a court decree. [...]

Tackling Tricky Topics: the Ins and Outs of Prenuptial Agreements

April 23rd, 2023 - Category: Marriage, Divorce and Family

A Prenuptial Agreement, commonly known as a "prenup," is an agreement entered into before marriage that sets out what happens to assets and liabilities and lays out any spousal support obligations or waivers if a couple divorces or one of the parties dies. Marriage laws stipulate certain defaults upon death or divorce, but a prenup is an easy way to modify those defaults. [...]

Child Support: how to Establish it and how to Enforce it

April 23rd, 2023 - Category: Marriage, Divorce and Family

All parents are required to support their children, either by maintaining custody or paying support to the parent who does have custody. Child support is a monthly allowance that is paid from one parent to the other to help cover the child's expenses. [...]

Who Gets the Kids: Creating and Modifying Child Custody Agreements

April 23rd, 2023 - Category: Marriage, Divorce and Family

Even for parents who are no longer married or romantically involved, child custody and visitation are complicated issues only if both parents want custody of the children. If the parents can agree on who gets custody, the judge will almost always accept their decision without second-guessing it. [...]

Where there's a Will, there's a Way: Exploring the Importance of Estate Planning

April 23rd, 2023 - Category: Marriage, Divorce and Family

Estate planning is usually thought of as a luxury reserved for the very wealthy with lots of resources to give away. However, estate planning can be beneficial for most people. [...]

When, why, and how to Review, Revoke, or Change a Will

April 23rd, 2023 - Category: Marriage, Divorce and Family

Once a Last Will and Testament is made, it is good until you die, change it, or revoke it. If you make a will today and die fifty years from now without making any changes to it, the property will be distributed according to the will you made a half-century earlier. [...]

Will Writing 101: Essential Facts and Features in a Valid Will

April 23rd, 2023 - Category: Marriage, Divorce and Family

A last will and testament, otherwise known simply as a will, is a way to dictate how your property and affairs will be handled after you die. All wills are different and what you include in your will depends on what property you have, whom you want it to go to, the dynamics of your family and friends, and many other factors unique to your particular situation. [...]

Estate Planning 101: Estate Documents Necessary for a Comprehensive Estate Plan

April 23rd, 2023 - Category: Marriage, Divorce and Family

Many people feel intimidated when confronted with the task of planning for their future by creating an estate plan. However, having an up to date estate plan is one of the most loving things a person can do for their family. [...]

Last Wills vs. Living Wills

April 23rd, 2023 - Category: Marriage, Divorce and Family

Although they are both essential estate documents with similar names, last wills and living wills serve entirely different purposes. As such, it's important to think of these documents as two distinct parts of a comprehensive estate plan. [...]

Cataloguing Custody: Forms of Custody Arrangements and how to Use them

April 23rd, 2023 - Category: Marriage, Divorce and Family

Issues surrounding children can often be the most contentious and difficult to resolve during the process of divorce or separation. When parents separate or divorce, the term "custody" serves as shorthand for "who lives with and cares for the children" under the divorce agreement or child custody agreement. [...]

The Grandparent's Guide to Custody and Visitation

April 23rd, 2023 - Category: Marriage, Divorce and Family

Children often form close emotional bonds with their grandparents. Families can experience rifts and divisions for many different reasons such as divorce, the death of a parent, addiction issues, or incarceration. [...]

State by State Grandparents Guide to Custody and Visitation

April 23rd, 2023 - Category: Marriage, Divorce and Family

Most grandparents cherish the time they are able to spend with their grandchildren and find the building and maintaining of those relationships vitally important. In nearly all 50 states, grandparents have certain rights concerning seeking custody or visitation with their grandchild when circumstances otherwise get in the way. [...]

Let's Get Together: Creating Legal Documents to Protect Unmarried Couples

April 23rd, 2023 - Category: Marriage, Divorce and Family

More and more couples are choosing to live together or buy property together prior to getting married, or, in many cases, instead of marriage altogether. Getting married involves a couple entering into a legal contract with each other that outlines the many rights and responsibilities that come with marriage and dictate the couple's future, whether that include separation or death. [...]

Divorce Mediation 101: A Quick Guide to the Divorce Mediation Process

July 28th, 2022 - Category: Marriage, Divorce and Family

As court systems become more and more backlogged with cases and the cost of legal representation continues to increase, divorce mediation has continued to grow in popularity as an alternative to the court process for divorcing couples. Divorce mediation involves the use of a neutral third party to facilitate and guide a couple in deciding what's best for all parties involved. [...]