Divorce
Nobody gets married with the idea that they will eventually get divorced. But nearly half of all married couples in America end up doing exactly that. If your marriage ends up on the rocks, choosing the right lawyer to handle your case may be one of the most important decisions you will ever make. You want a good result-not a settlement or judgment that burdens you unfairly, and makes it difficult to move on with your life. Some lawyers develop their “celebrity status”–but then have no time to return your calls. Others buy a fancy office–which their clients subsidize. Still others indulge their verbosity: on the phone, in Court and on paper-which their clients also subsidize.
Custody
If there are minor children, it must be decided how their parents will make decision about important choices in their children’s lives (Legal Custody or Decision-Making). It also must be decided where the children will live, and what schedule will be followed after their parents have physically separated.
Financial Issues
Money issues have to be resolved: is there child support, and if so, how much? Is there “spousal maintenance” (alimony), and if so for how long, and how much? How are the parents’ “marital assets” and “debts” to be divided? What happens to the marital home or apartment? Are there retirement accounts or pensions to be divided? Does either spouse have to pay lawyers’ fees to the other?
Intimate Relationship Agreements
Intimate Relationship Agreements
Prenuptial – for couples planning to marry
Postnuptial – for couples already married
Cohabitation – for unmarried couples living together
Planning a future with your finance, lover, roommate, spouse or significant other? If so, consider a written and legally binding agreement with your other half: an Intimate Relationship Agreement.
We’ve all had some experience with written, signed, and legally binding agreements in a commercial context: a real estate lease or employment contract, a union agreement or insurance policy, a retainer agreement or retail store warranty, a loan agreement or deposit on future purchase, etc. These are generally contracts between strangers, often for one transaction or a short period of time.
