- Subjects
- Published
-
Berkeley, Calif. :
Nolo
2006-
- Language
- English
- Physical Description
- volumes ; 23 cm
- Bibliography
- Includes index.
- ISBN
- 9781413329773
- Introduction: Your Divorce Companion
- 1. Getting Oriented
- Taking the High Road
- Separation or Divorce?
- Annulment
- Family Court
- Kinds of Divorces
- Property, Custody, and Support
- Getting Help From Experts
- 2. First Steps After You Decide to Divorce
- Breaking the News
- Where Will Everyone Live?
- Gathering Financial Information
- Managing Your Family's Money
- Getting Legal and Other Professional Help Early
- Taking Care of Yourself
- 3. When You Can Agree: Uncontested Divorce
- Basics of the Uncontested Divorce
- Summary Dissolution for Short-Term Marriages
- Default Divorce
- Preparing and Filing Legal Papers
- How the Other Spouse Can Respond
- Negotiating a Settlement and Preparing a Marital Settlement Agreement
- Finalizing Your Uncontested Divorce
- 4. Working It Out: Divorce Mediation
- Why Divorce Mediation Works
- What Does Mediation Cost?
- Is Mediation Right for You?
- Suggesting Mediation to Your Spouse
- Choosing a Mediator
- Choosing and Working With a Lawyer
- The Mediation Process
- How to Make Your Mediation a Success
- After the Mediation, the Paperwork
- If Mediation Doesn't Work
- 5. When You Can't Agree: Contested Divorce and Trial
- Finding the Right Lawyer
- Paying the Lawyer
- Is Fault a Factor?
- Getting Started
- Gathering Information for Trial: Disclosures, Discovery, and Digging Up Dirt
- Settle, Settle, Settle!
- The Pretrial Conference
- Anatomy of a Divorce Trial
- After the Trial
- 6. Custody Decisions and Parenting
- The Effect of COVID-19 on Custody
- Physical and Legal Custody
- The High Road: Agreeing With Your Spouse on a Parenting Plan
- Helping Your Kids Cope With Divorce
- Making Shared Parenting Work
- Trying to Get Along With Your Ex
- When It Comes to Divorce, Grownups Are Kids, Too
- 7. Custody Disputes
- The Low Road: Fighting It Out in Court
- How Courts Handle Custody Disputes
- If the Custodial Spouse Interferes With Visitation
- If One Parent Wants to Move Away
- Drug and Alcohol Abuse
- 8. Child Support
- Who Pays Support?
- Temporary Support While the Divorce Is Pending
- Working It Out Yourselves
- How Courts Decide Support Amounts
- Estimating Child Support in Your Family
- How Support Is Paid Each Month
- If You're the Recipient: Enforcing Child Support Orders
- If You're the Paying Spouse
- How Long Support Lasts
- If Circumstances Change
- Taxes and Your Children
- Health Insurance
- 9. Yours, Mine, and Ours: Basics of Marital Property
- Taking Inventory
- Property That Gets Divided
- Identifying Community Property
- Getting Financial Information
- Is Your Spouse Hiding Assets?
- 10. Yours, Mine, and Uncle Sam's: Dividing Property
- You're in Control
- How Judges Divide Property
- What to Do With the House
- Dividing Your Other Assets
- What to Do With a Family Business
- Dividing Debt
- Tax Consequences of How You Divide Property
- Retirement Benefits
- Money Now and Later
- 11. Spousal Support and Health Insurance
- Basics of Spousal Support
- Types of Spousal Support and How Long They Last
- How Courts Set the Amount of Support
- Negotiating Support With Your Spouse
- Planning for Possible Disability or Death of the Supporting Spouse
- Changing the Amount of Spousal Support Later
- Tax Planning When You Pay or Receive Support
- Keeping Health Insurance in Force
- 12. Military Divorce: Special Issues
- Beginning a Divorce
- The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
- Custody and Visitation
- Support for Children and Spouses
- Dividing Property
- Pensions, Insurance, and Other Benefits
- Tax Issues
- Domestic Violence and Other Abuse
- Postdivorce Follow-Up
- Resources
- 13. Getting It in Writing: Preparing Your Marital Settlement Agreement
- What It Is, What It Does
- Creating the Agreement
- Negotiations
- Doing the Math
- Consultinga Lawyer
- Completing the Paperwork
- 14. Critical Care: When Things Really Go Wrong
- Domestic Violence
- Child Abuse
- Kidnapping
- Bankruptcy
- 15. After the Divorce
- You're Not Done Yet: Ten Postdivorce Tasks You Can't Ignore
- The Kid Connection
- Modifying Spousal Support
- Your Right to Social Security
- Dating and New Relationships
- Hope Springs Eternal: Remarriage
- Getting Help and Helping Yourself
- 16. Getting Help, Finding Information, and Looking Stuff Up
- More Great Books
- Getting Divorce Information and Forms
- Help With Negotiations
- Financial Advice
- Document Preparation Services
- Legal Advice
- Other Ways to Look Things Up
- Appendix
- Financial Inventory
- Net Worth Summary
- Monthly Income
- Daily Expenses
- Monthly Expenses
- Mediator Interview Notes
- Index