If you and your spouse are getting divorced this year, you absolutely do not have to tell your child’s teacher. You can keep it to yourself. It’s no one’s business but your own. That being said, if you’re looking out for your child’s best interests, it can be wise to let the teacher know what is going on at home and in that child’s personal life. Remember that your child spends the entire day with his or her teacher, so being on the same page can help in numerous ways. Increased resilience For one thing, some studies have found that children have more resilience when the teacher knows about th ..read more

Both parents will play important roles in the life of a new baby. Even if their relationship with each other ends, they will still have responsibilities to the child. Shared custody is an expectation in modern divorces or when unmarried couples with children break up. However, many fathers don’t fully understand their right to parenting time, especially if their children are still quite young. Newborns and infants require intense supervision and around-the-clock care. It is common for young, first-time fathers to assume that they cannot share custody of such young children, but it is often pos ..read more

For years now, there has been a strong correlation between the start of a new year and a sudden spike in divorce filings. Many family law attorneys see a massive uptick in consultations for people considering divorce in January every year. Although people can and do file for divorce at any point throughout the year, the beginning of a new calendar year often triggers an explosion in interest in divorce. Every person considering divorce will have their own unique motivations, but trends in timing can reveal overarching cultural matters that influence divorce. It’s hard to ignore how interest in ..read more

If you are going through a divorce now, one of the things that might be on your mind is how you’re going to divide your retirement income. You may not want to divide your retirement at all, or you may be ready to split it in a way that is fair to you and your spouse. Depending on the circumstances, you may not have to give up your retirement. While Arizona is a community property state, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to divide each asset 50-50. Instead, it means that you need to split the same value of your assets between each other. Protect your retirement in your divorce Dependi ..read more

Maybe your spouse already had a substance abuse problem when you got married, but you believed they would seek treatment or keep things under control. Perhaps they successfully hid their addiction from you until after you already had children together. Living with an addict can be an exasperating experience. They can be unreliable as a partner and parent, possibly disappearing to go on a bender or failing to remember basic obligations, like picking the children up from school. They could also spend household income on their worst habits or lose their job because of their addiction. If you deci ..read more

With your children back in school and your divorce underway or imminent, you will soon need to make big decisions about how you share parenting time with your ex. For many families, creating the basic standards for custody won’t be that difficult. Parents often agree about the terms of the general split, such as 50/50 parenting time or 70/30 if one parent has a much more demanding job than the other. That delicate balance can become much more difficult to maintain when special events come up for your family. Holidays, birthdays and even spelling bees are special times when children want their ..read more

Almost everyone has a basic understanding of prenuptial agreements, but far fewer people know about postnuptial agreements. Both documents serve similar purposes, even if couples sign them at different points in their relationships. Marital agreements help establish expectations for the relationship and typically put rules in place in the event of a divorce. A prenuptial agreement ensures that you enter a marriage in agreement about each spouse’s role in the relationship and can pave the way for a smoother divorce if the relationship doesn’t work out in the long term. Those who have already go ..read more

The summer is often a difficult time for single parents, because they have to go to work while still being able to make time to care for their children. This may require a new schedule at work or the help of a daycare or babysitter. Many parents love the summer months because they see their children more, but those months can be tricky when it comes to work. Fortunately, when school is in session, at least a few hours of the day will be covered by the school providing care and education. As the fall approaches, be ready to change your custody schedule It’s possible that your custody schedule c ..read more

If you have kids and you get divorced in Arizona, the courts will have to split up your parental rights and responsibilities. Each parent can receive a portion of both legal and physical custody.  Legal custody involves your right to make important decisions about your children, while physical custody involves being present with them and spending time together. Joint custody has become the go-to solution in most modern divorces. Each parent can expect to receive some physical custody so that they can spend time with the kids.  Do you have to ask for legal custody, too, if all you rea ..read more