Archives for May, 2010

May 19, 2010

Six Ways to Protect Your Pocketbook Before, During, and After Divorce

Divorce is expensive and can be a major setback in reaching your financial goals. During this time you’ll need to make serious decisions about your current finances and your future.

The following tips will help keep you on track and your divorce in order.

Tip #1 – Look at Your Current Financial Situation

Now that you’ve decided to divorce, it’s time to sort through your financials. But before you separate, pay for as many joint expenses using joint funds as you can. For example, pay for home repairs and new school clothes for the children using your joint account. After you split funds it becomes more complicated to track who pays for what expenses.

May 17, 2010

A Celebrity Divorce Dictionary – What the Celebrity Magazines Really Mean?

Ever read an article from a celebrity magazine or paper and wonder what all that legal jargon means? The following definitions explain many of the terms often used by reporters to describe celebrity divorce.

Divorce Paperwork – TMZ reported that Charlie Sheen and wife, Brooke Mueller, have not “lawyered up” for a divorce, but the couple has gotten paperwork together in case they decide to file.  Divorce paperwork refers to a “petition,” plus other necessary documents needed by the court to initiate a divorce. It’s possible the term also refers to copies of prenuptial agreements, financial records, etc. that will help both sides determine how to divide marital property.

Estranged Spouse – The LA Times reported that Dwayne Wade’s estranged wife, Siohvaughn Wade, filed a lawsuit against Dwayne and his current girlfriend, Gabrielle Union, for emotional stress. While not a legal term per se, “estranged” is commonly used when referring to a former spouse. Technically, the term means one whom was once loved, but later becomes alienated by the other. 

May 15, 2010

What the McCourt Divorce Means for the LA Dodgers

Earlier this month, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ordered LA Dodgers owner, Frank McCourt, to pay his wife, Jamie McCourt, $637,159 in temporary spousal support on top of covering her lawyer’s fees. This monthly payment is meant to cover expenses related to the eight homes in her name plus living expenses.

In the same hearing, the judge ordered Ms. McCourt to sell the couple’s Cabo San Lucas home (don’t worry, she gets to keep the other seven for now). With the McCourt’s marriage and personal finances in a bit of a tangle, what do you suppose this means for the LA Dodgers?

May 12, 2010

The Elkins Family Law Task Force: Making California Divorce Fair

In May 2008, the Judicial Counsel of California established the Elkins Family Law Task Force to create ways to improve the efficiency and accessibility of the California Family Law Courts. This past April, the task force released its recommendations that show a promising shift in how California handles divorce.

The report outlined 117 recommendations, which will be implemented by a special committee. Here are some of the key recommendations:

1.    Development of family court education programs for the public and for court staff, officers, and judges with the intention of improving services and the skills of supervising family law judges.

May 5, 2010

How to Keep Your Pet After Divorce

According to an article on MSNBC.com, Americans spend $40 billion on their pets each year. This is proof that pet owners often consider their dog, cat, bird, etc. to be part of the family.

During divorce, a conflict arises between the courts and the loving pet owners. When the parting spouses look to the court to decide on custody of the animal, there’s no sympathy. In fact, the judge will look at the pet as a piece of marital property that should be given to one of the owners, not both. A pet is not something that can be divided by way of a custody arrangement, at least not in the eyes of the California Courts.

It’s not just California divorce law that doesn’t take pets into consideration; no state offers a consideration for pets. In 2007, a bill made its way to the Wisconsin Legislature, but that bill died. In other words, it doesn’t matter where you file for divorce – it’s next to impossible to get “legal custody” of a pet.