Aggressive Yet Fair. Supportive Yet Tenacious.
If you are reading this page, you may have been served with divorce papers, or you may be contemplating a divorce. Because Washington is a no-fault divorce state, it does not matter if one of you does not want a divorce. Divorce will happen anyway. The question is this: How do you get through the process in a way that is equitable and fair and comes with as little pain as possible?
Divided and Equal
Our task as your attorney is to provide education and guidance in addition to legal advice. We recognize potential problems because we have seen them before and we go the distance to protect your interests in those cases. One of main issues to address in a divorce is the division of property. Property division needs to happen in a way that is equitable to each spouse, but also recognizes that there is both marital property and separate property. This does not necessarily mean equal cash or property to each person.
A simple scenario:
- Your home is worth $200,000. You still owe $100,000 on the home.
- You have $100,000 in the bank.
- One of you gets the house and one gets the cash. However, $100,000 of equity in a house is not worth as much as $100,000 in cash, so you will need assistance in determining a fair exchange.
A more common scenario:
- Your home is worth $200,000. You still owe $100,000 on the home.
- You have $15,000 in the bank, $45,000 in a 401(k), $10,000 in credit card debt and one of you has $15,000 in pre-marital assets.
- How do you make this work out fairly?
Assets and equity are not always liquid. There are options available to you, such as a promissory note, or deed of trust. A skilled divorce lawyer will help you sort through the variety of issues you are facing and help you identify the best options.
How We Will Help You
- We will provide information on how division of property works, on child custody issues, on how to use legal protections in instances of domestic violence, and all other divorce-related topics.
- We will connect you with our vast resources to help you ride the emotional and financial waves. We can provide referrals to therapists, CPAs, financial planners and genetic labs for a paternity test if one is needed.
- We will counsel you to help you make a positive impression in court.
- We will work to lighten the burden and take care of all the details during this stressful time in your life.
We will do everything in our power to make sure your divorce is handled correctly because we understand that a satisfied client is often a client for life. If you are facing a divorce, call 360-633-2036 or contact our Silverdale law office using this contact form.
