Insight, Analysis, and Perspective for Businesses and Individuals

Several weekends ago, I celebrated a belated Mother’s Day and birthday with my extended family.  One of the pictures taken reflects four generations of our family: my mother on one side and my father on the other.  That may not seem noteworthy, but they have been divorced for 41 years.  If you were to look […]

More and more couples are opting for a process called a “Collaborative divorce” when their marriage is at an end.  At its core, Collaborative Divorce is a dispute resolution process that asks each party to determine his/her goals, interests, and priorities for the divorce process which are then openly discussed and used to form the […]

When you were younger, after getting married and having children, you met with a lawyer and created an estate plan.  Now the kids are grown, finished with college, and are is settled in their adult lives.  Of your three children, two are married.  One has your first grandchild on the way.  Your retirement is still […]

Your divorce can be one of the most important business decisions that you make in your lifetime. Whether you have years of employment ahead, have stayed home to support the household, or are nearing retirement, a divorce is a life event with long lasting personal, emotional, and financial implications. Some couples are quick to call […]

We have all read the headlines that divorce rates are increasing worldwide and those rates are not expected to be dropping soon.  The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many of us to our limits.  People are stressed out and locked down, which has put pressure on relationships that may have already been holding on by a […]

From time to time a person may want to change their name—maybe their first name, or maybe their full legal name.  Maybe it is for a serious and legitimate reason (perhaps they have married), or maybe it is for a more whimsical reason (Instagram stardom?).  If you go by what you see on TV, you […]

In March 2020, the Washington State Legislature passed legislation against “abusive litigation.”  Abusive litigation is regularly perpetrated by domestic violence abusers and has been referred to as “legal bullying.”  . In addressing this problem, the Legislature recognized that family law cases including dissolutions, legal separations, parenting plan actions, and protection order proceedings are commonplace for […]

Tearing up a prenuptial agreement has made national news in music mogul Dr. Dre’s divorce in California, but how would Washington State courts treat the issue?  In Los Angeles, Dr. Dre’s wife, Nicole Young, says that Dr. Dre tore up multiple copies of their prenuptial agreement and they both verbally agreed it was no longer […]

In the shadow of COVID-19, change in the way that lawyers resolve cases has become a necessity. In the area of Family Law, and in divorce cases, social distancing and quarantine have altered the tools used to assist parties with their disputes. Pre-pandemic, more than 90 percent of divorce cases settled prior to trial. With […]

If you are going through a separation and/or divorce, it is important to review your estate plan as early as possible.  In Washington State, you can start your estate planning when you know that you intend to file for divorce.  You can also draft a new Will while a divorce is pending.  Even with an […]

The Family Law Practice Group of LHS&E is virtual!  Thanks to remote access, electronic files, secure document sharing, and meetings via Zoom as well as conference calls we are able to near seamlessly continue to serve our clients.   We are closely monitoring State, County, and Court issued Emergency Orders directly and via information exchanges on […]

In a divorce, there are generally three types of payments that can be made between the divorcing parties. The first is considered an equalizing property transfer payment. For example, if, after the allocation of all real property, bank accounts, retirement accounts, and investment accounts, there is a disparate value between the parties, one party usually […]