Blog
Understanding the Guardian ad Litem
Understanding the Guardian ad Litem If you become involved in a child custody dispute, you may hear the term Guardian ad Litem (“GAL”). It’s important to understand the GAL’s role in a child custody dispute. What is a Guardian ad Litem? “Guardian ad Litem” is Latin...
What to Expect During a Child Custody Case
Child custody disputes can be the hardest part of a divorce for many people. They are usually fraught with tension and emotion. Through it all, however, try to keep one thing in mind: All the court is trying to do is determine the best interests of your child(ren)....
Why Would You Need Divorce Decree Modification & How Can You Get It?
“Change is the only constant in life” - Heraclitus Life is constantly changing. Think about how your life looked 5 years ago and how it looks now. Some things may be the same, but others may have gone through drastic changes. Your divorce happened at a specific moment...
Is Your Spouse Hiding Assets?
Bank Statements It is an unfortunate reality, but divorce sometimes bring out the worst in people. When confronted with the thought of parting with half of their money, that same person you used to love and trust may suddenly become secretive. And if they are the one...
How Spousal Support Works in Ohio
Unlike child support, which is uniform across the state, the court has much more discretion over an award of spousal support, which is the modern term for what was commonly known as alimony. The principle behind spousal support is to compensate one spouse for lost wages or lost wage-earning ability. In Ohio, counties will often vary greatly in the amount of spousal support awarded. Most counties have established spousal support “guidelines” specific to that particular court; if either party wishes to deviate from those guidelines, they must provide the court with a justification for the deviation. Even though the equation used to…
Divorce Tips for the Self-Employed
6 Divorce Tips for the Self-Employed If you or your spouse are self-employed, a business owner or even a freelancer, you can expect to have some extra work to do before you file for divorce. Planning ahead and getting prepared by gathering your records and documents...
27 Steps to take Pre-Divorce
If you are contemplating divorce, there are things you should do to protect yourself before you tell your spouse. Gathering as much information as possible – and talking to an attorney first – will put you in a much stronger position when it’s time to file. Once you...
How is Child Support Calculated?
Wondering how much you might receive – or have to pay – in child support once you separate or divorce? Fortunately, in Ohio child support is standardized and based on a Child Support Computation Worksheet. This helps to ensure that children across the state are being...
When “Yours” Becomes “Ours”
When “Yours” becomes “Ours” The division of assets during a divorce can be very contentious. Both parties frequently want to reclaim assets they brought into the marriage as separate property. But separate property has a way of becoming marital property, and Kirkland...
Child Custody Protections for LGBTQ Families
When same-sex marriages result in divorce, the process is the same as it is for any other couple, straight or gay. Being in a same-sex marriage has no impact on standard court orders, which are gender-neutral. It doesn’t change asset distributions or even spousal...