Getting a divorce is a life altering event. The decision to end a marriage is never an easy one – especially when children are involved. The long-term effects on children of divorce parents can be severe. When the decision to end a marriage happens, it is certainly easier if their are no children. There are…
If you are going to file an initial pleading or other legal document with a court, you are going to need to consider a very important legal matter that many non family law lawyers often miss – the necessity of “service of process”. In theory, service of process is simple concept. Basically, when a Petition…
The official formula for calculating child support varies from state to state. Some states weigh certain factors more heavily such as calculating income only on a 40-hour-work-week – while others states do not. It is important that you check with an experienced Apple Valley family law lawyer in your area to find out how your state…
I have had many clients ask me what “child custody” really means. I try to tell them and then I get back that look: the blank “what the heck are you talking about” stare. So, in an effort to be more clear, I am posting about the general meaning of child custody as I understand…
Apple Valley Divorce attorneys will explain to you that a putative spouse is generally defined by the law to mean a person who has cohabitated with another for a period of time with the understanding that they are married when they actually are not. I know, in this day in age, it would be a hard sell…
In the topic of divorces and divorce law, lawyers should make sure their clients are aware of the possibility of an annulled marriage. Similar to an annulled marriage, an otherwise valid marriage can be voided, in certain circumstances. For example, a marriage may be voidable under the law of some states if: A person did not have the mental…
In the field of family law, there are laws in every state which state that, in certain situations, people can’t get married even if they want to. There are many reasons why a state government would dissallow a marriage. Although the laws vary in every state, the typical reason for disallowing a marriage are: A marriage…
The laws in every state in the United States require that a person meet a minimum age and mentally competency requirement in order to get married. For instance, in some states, a person has the right to marry someone of the opposite sex as long as they are at least 18-years-old or, with parental consent,…
