Family Law: Study of Gender Justice in the Court of Washington In 1989, the Washington State Task Force on Gender Justice in the Courts issued its final report after a 20 month study of the extent and consequences of gender bias in the Washington State Courts, along with its recommendations. This extensive study (several hundred […]
About Ed Shoemaker
Posts by Ed Shoemaker:
Attorney Fees
Family Law: Attorney Fees In family law actions (divorce, legal separation or declaration of invalidity), it is typical for the Court to address the issue of attorney fees. By statute, if one party has a need, and the other party has the ability to pay, the Court will order that party to pay a reasonable […]
Income of a Self Employed Person
When one party is either self employed or has an ownership interest in a business, there are two issues that typically arise in a divorce case. The first is the parties actual income for child support and spousal maintenance purposes, and the second is the value of the business interest for property division purposes. Frequently […]
Criteria for Determining a Permanent Parenting Plan
When the parties separate during a divorce and there are children, the determination of a Permanent Parenting Plan can often be one of the biggest issues to resolve. The Washington statute, RCW 26.09.187 sets out the criteria for establishing the residential schedule for a Permanent Parenting Plan as follows: (3) RESIDENTIAL PROVISIONS. (a) The court […]
Risks of “Do It Yourself Divorce”
We live in a society that likes to “do it yourself”. This can save you time and money in many circumstances, especially in home improvement projects. Today, many people also try to do a do it yourself divorce, without the necessity of an attorney. This is much easier to do today, especially in Washington, as […]
Confirmation of Issues in King County Divorce
In King County, Washington, a case is governed by a Case Schedule, with critical dates starting with the date of filing and ending with the Trial Date. About 3 ½ months after filing, a Confirmation of Issues is due. This is an administrative document that tells the court if you are on schedule to meet […]
Cost of Attorney Fees
In our office, we do our work on an hourly basis. The hourly rate depends upon attorney representing you. We have two (2) attorneys to chose from, Peter W. Mogren and Michelle R. Ahrens. In most cases, we require an advanced fee deposit to be paid. This deposit goes into our trust account, which means […]
Time for Divorce
Family Law: What is the Time for Divorce? What is the time for divorce? In the State of Washington, there is a mandatory waiting period of 90 days between the time you file for a divorce and the time you may obtain one. This means that it takes a minimum of 90 days to obtain […]
Annulment (Declaration of Invalidity) in Washington
There are two legal ways to end a marriage in the State of Washington. The first way, the Dissolution of Marriage (frequently called divorce), is the ending of a valid marriage through a process that restores the parties’ single status and gives them the ability to remarry. The second way, Declaration of Invalidity (frequently called […]
Child Custody – Washington
Child custody in Washington, has been replaced with the concept of a Parenting Plan. This change was made over 20 years ago by the legislature. The terms custody or joint custody are technically no longer used. If you are seeking joint custody, you really need to break it down to the terms of a Parenting […]