The decision to move forward with a divorce is not one to take lightly. It is more than just the end of a romantic partnership. A divorce is a legal process that requires the parties meet certain requirements before finalizing the process. But how long does this legal process take? Although the exact answer differs for each divorce, the following information can help you get a better idea of the potential timeframe for your situation. What factors most often impact the divorce timeline? The time it takes to finalize a divorce varies widely. Several factors can influence this timeline, includin ..read more

Custody matters can make people very emotional and anxious. Parents invest a huge amount of their resources and time into raising their children. No one wants to sacrifice that relationship just because their marriage didn’t work as they intended. Most divorcing parents in West Virginia end up sharing custody of their children. However, there are some scenarios in which one parent can obtain sole custody during a West Virginia divorce. What situations might lead to one parent having near total control over the lives of the children instead of sharing it with a child’s other parent? Mutual agre ..read more

Marriage means not just spending the present with someone but also planning for a future with them as well. Many married couples look forward to their retirement years, for example. They imagine traveling together, doting on the grandchildren and fixing up their home. They can also generally expect to maintain a higher overall standard of living because they share a household and can combine their retirement savings and other assets during a time when they will live on a fixed income. However, despite careful planning, many couples in West Virginia choose to divorce rather than to remain marri ..read more

West Virginia grandparents may fill numerous roles in the lives of their grandchildren. If their children experience relationship troubles or unemployment, grandparents may provide financial support or even housing for the family. When children are not old enough for school, grandparents may provide child care so that parents can return to work without spending every penny they make on daycare services. Grandparents may also simply be a consistent and encouraging presence in children’s lives, offering them guidance, love and support. They may spend occasional weekends with the grandchildren, m ..read more

If you get divorced, you will have to divide at least some of your marital assets with your spouse. Some of the things that you own may qualify as marital assets, well others qualify as separate assets. These separate assets often remain with the spouse who owned them originally and marital assets generally get divided. But you can change the status of these assets – for instance, by turning separate assets into marital assets. One way to accomplish this transition is by commingling them. This is not an ideal approach if you’re concerned about retaining ownership of separate assets that belong ..read more

When you went to your spouse to tell them that you wanted to get a divorce, you expected that they would not agree with you or be happy about it. You were certainly aware that a divorce wasn’t what they wanted, even though you had decided it would be best for you. But what you didn’t expect was that they would tell you that you can’t get a divorce and that they’re not going to agree to it. Hearing them tell you this may be shocking for you, but perhaps your spouse seems very convinced that they have this ability to deny the divorce. Perhaps they claim that, just as you need both people to agre ..read more

The average American household has a few credit cards and several thousand dollars of credit card debt. Credit cards help you pay your bills on time and absorb unexpected costs as they arise. They can provide you with an overall higher standard of living than you would enjoy if you had to truly live from paycheck to paycheck. Unfortunately, credit cards can lead to overspending and can cost thousands in financing fees. If you have credit cards and find yourself thinking about divorce, the amount owed on those accounts could fail you a big role in the property division process. There are multip ..read more

You’re a business owner, but not on your own. You and your spouse had the idea to start the business together after you got married. For the next decade, you worked together as joint business owners, much as any other business partners would do –  except, of course, for the fact that you were married. This can become problematic if you then decide to get a divorce. What happens to the business? What happens to your career? What do you deserve to get out of the marriage? Your asset situation is simply much more complicated than someone who brought in earnings from another source. So what a ..read more

For many couples facing divorce in West Virginia, their house is going to be the biggest issue. Maybe you spent a long time waiting for a home in the right school district, or perhaps you have invested countless hours of sweat equity in the home fixing it up to increase its value. In West Virginia, equitable or fair distribution is the standard for property division proceedings. You and your ex have to either agree on a settlement or provide information about your marriage and property to the courts for a judge to split everything. Thinking about your goals before you head to court or negotiat ..read more

The holiday season can be stressful, especially when your marriage isn’t in a good place. It also falls right before a noteworthy annual spike in divorce filings. Every year, divorce attorneys and the family courts see a significant spike in consultations and divorce filings right after the holiday season. January is one of the peak times of year for people to initiate a divorce. There are numerous reasons why the holidays seem like a trigger for modern divorces. The holiday season strains already struggling relationships Many couples fight about money, and the holidays only worsen household f ..read more