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Domestic Relations Law: How can I protect my assets if the marriage doesn’t work out?

Domestic Relations Law: How can I protect my assets in the event my marriage doesn’t work out?

Daryle C. Tibbs, owner of Tibbs Law Office, continues a new series dedicated to the topic of Domestic Relations Law.

For more online sources on this and similar topics, please visit our firm youtube channel at:

www.youtube.com/tibbslawoffice

www.youtube.com/tibbslawofficeKentucky

Tibbs Law Office, LLC
8845 Governors Hill Dr., Ste 450
Cincinnati, OH 45249
(513) 793-7544
www.tibbslawoffice.com

Domestic Relations Law: What is financial misconduct?

Domestic Relations: What is financial misconduct?

Daryle C. Tibbs, owner of Tibbs Law Office, continues a new series dedicated to the topic of Domestic Relations Law.

For more online sources on this and similar topics, please visit our firm youtube channel at:

www.youtube.com/tibbslawoffice

www.youtube.com/tibbslawofficeKentucky

Tibbs Law Office, LLC
8845 Governors Hill Dr., Ste 450
Cincinnati, OH 45249
(513) 793-7544
www.tibbslawoffice.com

Domestic Relations Law: Is marital fault a factor in determining support, dividing property, and determining parenting time?

Domestic Relations: Is marital fault a factor in determining support, dividing property, and determining parenting time?

Daryle C. Tibbs, owner of Tibbs Law Office, continues a new series dedicated to the topic of Domestic Relations Law.

For more online sources on this and similar topics, please visit our firm youtube channel at:

www.youtube.com/tibbslawoffice

www.youtube.com/tibbslawofficeKentucky

Tibbs Law Office, LLC
8845 Governors Hill Dr., Ste 450
Cincinnati, OH 45249
(513) 793-7544
www.tibbslawoffice.com

Domestic Relations Law: Is there a way to get child support while the divorce case is pending

Domestic Relations: Is there a way to get child support while the divorce case is pending?

Daryle C. Tibbs, owner of Tibbs Law Office, continues a new series dedicated to the topic of Domestic Relations Law.

For more online sources on this and similar topics, please visit our firm youtube channel at:

www.youtube.com/tibbslawoffice

www.youtube.com/tibbslawofficeKentucky

Tibbs Law Office, LLC
8845 Governors Hill Dr., Ste 450
Cincinnati, OH 45249
(513) 793-7544
www.tibbslawoffice.com

Domestic Relations Law: What is an annulment?

Domestic Relations: What is an annulment?

Daryle C. Tibbs, owner of Tibbs Law Office, continues a new series dedicated to the topic of Domestic Relations Law.

For more online sources on this and similar topics, please visit our firm youtube channel at:

www.youtube.com/tibbslawoffice

www.youtube.com/tibbslawofficeKentucky

Tibbs Law Office, LLC
8845 Governors Hill Dr., Ste 450
Cincinnati, OH 45249
(513) 793-7544
www.tibbslawoffice.com

Risks and Benefits of Separating before filing for Divorce

I don’t know if I have said this before (in written form, of course) but if I have, I am going to say it again: Americans are ready to start spending money again.  I know that the stock market says otherwise, but I can tell the economy is recovering because people are finally pursuing divorce again.  For several months at the end of last year, and for several months at the beginning of this year, couples were separating, but not pursuing divorce.  The domestic relations courts were deserted.
Getting divorced is expensive, not only because both parties have to pay attorney fees but also because prior to the divorce, they had two incomes and only one household.  Once the parties separate, each only has one income available but each has an entire household to support.

Being separated prior to pursuing a divorce usually makes the divorce/dissolution process easier and less expensive because the separation allows the parties to divide up property and debts that can easily be divided, and by the time the parties are dealing with more difficult decisions, they are no longer angry, they have already moved on and they just want the paperwork to reflect the divisions they have already made.  Separating before pursuing a divorce makes sense for a lot of reasons but I wouldn’t recommend it under all circumstances.

I do not recommend leaving the marital home if the parties have children.  Both parties should seek the advice of an attorney before leaving the martial home when there are children of the marriage.  A parent’s right to custody or shared parenting could be affected by leaving the home and this may be avoided by seeking the advice of an attorney before leaving the home.

If the parties don’t have children, there isn’t much risk in leaving the home; however, seeking the advice of an attorney to discuss your rights in regards to marital property is recommended.

If you do not have children and your financial situation is improving and you are ready to separate and begin the divorce process, being separated for approximately 6 months should provide an adequate amount of time to cool off from the marriage and allow the parties to negotiate with a calm head.  Often, parties that have separated first are able to pursue a dissolution, which is much more friendly and cost-effective than a divorce.

 Domestic Relations: Can My Child’s Stepparent Adopt My Child?

Domestic Relations: Can My Child’s Stepparent Adopt My Child?

Daryle C. Tibbs, owner of Tibbs Law Office, begins a new series dedicated to the topic of Domestic Relations.

For more online sources on this and similar topics, please visit our firm youtube channel at:

www.youtube.com/tibbslawoffice

www.youtube.com/tibbslawofficeKentucky

Tibbs Law Office, LLC
8845 Governors Hill Dr., Ste 450
Cincinnati, OH 45249
(513) 793-7544
www.tibbslawoffice.com

Royal Prenup

If you are anything like me, you were glued to your television this morning, to catch a glimpse of the royal bride before you headed off to work.  It has been reported that Will and Kate did not sign a prenup before getting married.  Although I would recommend a prenup for most couples (Crystal and Hef), I don’t necessarily think a prenup for Will and Kate is essential, especially considering the laws in Great Britain.  While prenups are common in the states, they are not nearly as common in Britain.  Although prenups carry some weight, they are not 100% binding in Britain. 
Prenuptuals are all about bargaining power.  Once the royal couple got engaged, the only bargaining power each of them had, was their willingness to walk away from the marriage; something that neither of them were likely to do considering the short length of their engagement and the media coverage surrounding the wedding.  If you aren’t willing to walk away, you don’t have any power because you will do whatever it takes to get to the wedding day.   Perhaps Will realized that he was already asking Kate to give up her life as she knows it and it would be too much to ask her to decide how much that was worth right now. 
The difference between Will and Kate and the rest of us commoners is this:  Will and Kate are both very wealthy at a young age, whereas the rest of us are not so lucky.  Our society tends to view prenuptial agreements as something only the wealthy do.  That should not be the case.  One purpose of a prenuptial agreement is to predetermine how assets would be divided and support would be ordered in the event of a divorce.  However, prenuptial agreements also serve a very important second function: to declare assets that are already acquired as pre-marital assets.  Sometimes attorneys spend more time trying to determine what each of the parties had prior to the marriage (or the value of their assets) than they do trying to figure out what to do with what was acquired during the marriage (this is actually a very simple equation- you divide marital assets equally).  
One of the factors that should be considered when having a prenuptial agreement prepared is age.  The younger you are when the prenuptial agreement is being drafted, the less ability you have to foresee what you might need in the future, especially if other circumstances change.  For example, Will and Kate might have a difficult time negotiating what they may need if they divorce because they do not yet have children and they do not know how much time they are planning for (they do not know how long the marriage may last).
To be enforceable, both parties must fully disclose their financial picture, and the agreement must be entered into without coercion by either party.  Each party should seek separate counsel to advise them on their rights when contemplating a prenuptial agreement, in fact, our office will not participate in drafting or reviewing a prenuptial agreement unless the other party is also represented by counsel.  And remember, you only have as much power as your willingness to walk away.

Divorce vs. Dissolution

One of the most common questions I get from my family law clients is about the difference between a divorce and dissolution.  Although they accomplish the same thing, there are many differences between a divorce and dissolution and most of the differences relate to the total amount of money you will spend to terminate your marriage.

A dissolution is often considered the amicable way to terminate a marriage. With a dissolution, the parties come to an agreement on all terms of separation, including: property division, spousal support, child support and parenting time.  They put their agreement in writing and they present it to the court.  The court will make their agreement an order of the court as long as it finds that both parties voluntarily entered into the agreement, the parties fully disclosed their assets and debts, and it is a fair and equitable division of property.  Both parties must cooperate throughout the process and both parties are required to appear at the final hearing.  Dissolutions often cost less, especially when the parties have their agreement worked out before an attorney gets involved.  Parties can keep their costs low, not only by working out all details of their agreement before meeting with an attorney but also by finding an attorney that will do the work on a flat fee.  Although most family law attorneys will not work on a divorce for a flat fee, many do offer flat fees for dissolutions.  You will also find that the filing fee is less for a dissolution.  In the Cincinnati/Dayton area, you will find that the filing fee is between $250-$350.

Although divorces do not involve an agreement between the parties, not all divorces result in disagreements between the parties.  There are two types of divorces: uncontested and contested.  Once one of the parties files a complaint, it is considered a divorce.  If the responding party files an answer, it is then considered a contested divorce.  If no answer is filed, it is considered an uncontested divorce.  You may be asking yourself why anyone would file for a divorce if they are not having disagreements about the terms of separation.  The answer is that many times people choose to file for divorce because the other party will not cooperate with the dissolution process by signing the necessary forms and going to the final hearing.  In those situations, a divorce is a better option, and if the other party does not file an answer, the process will be similar to a dissolution in terms of time and money.  If you suspect or know that the other party will not respond to the complaint, you may ask your attorney if he/she will do an uncontested divorce for the same price as a dissolution.

The most expensive way to end your marriage is a contested divorce.  The court often sets several pretrial dates in the hopes that the parties will come to an agreement and in the end, most contested divorces do end in an agreement; however it may take a very long time to get to that point.  If you find yourself in a contested divorce, you may feel that there is nothing you can do to save money.  The filing fee is often between $300-$400 and attorneys often refuse to work on a flat fee.  Sometimes the other party is just being disagreeable or has unjustified expectations.  You can, however, save yourself some money by finding an attorney that approaches your case with your best interests in mind.

If you find that you are more upset at the other party when you leave your attorneys office than when you went in, it is possible that your attorney is intentionally winding you up to fight so that you spend more on attorney’s fees.  If you suspect that you may be in this situation (and believe me, I see it all the time), you should evaluate your expectations and determine if they are reasonable.  If your attorney has given you unrealistic expectations, you will be unhappy with the result no matter what happens and you will spend more.  You should find an attorney that gives you realistic expectations about your case.  An attorney that really has your best interests in mind will not be able to prevent the opposing attorney from using the same tactic to rack up attorney fees but will at least provide a starting point for getting your divorce settled with a fair result at a reasonable cost.

No matter how you decide to terminate your marriage, it is likely that your attorney will have you fill out a long questionnaire regarding every aspect of your marriage.  It is important to understand that every question is on that questionnaire for a reason.  Your attorney will have to report that information somewhere in the paperwork.  If you take the time to make sure that you have filled out each and every section of that questionnaire before returning it to your attorney, your attorney will spend less time following up on incomplete information; therefore saving you money.