Arizona Divorce Laws

What is a Resolution Management Conference | Phoenix Divorce Attorney

Jason Castle

 

Introduction

My name is Jason Castle. I’m an attorney at Jaburg Wilk, and my practice areas are family law and criminal defense.

Resolution Management Conference

A resolution management conference – often called an RMC – is one of the first times the parties will end up going to court. Most of my clients when they come in are scared of court and don’t want to go. So the RMC ends up being their first opportunity to be a party in a lawsuit, and to go to court.  The RMC sounds scary as well. It is not. It is primarily just a scheduling conference.

However, it is an important step in the process towards litigation. It typically is scheduled somewhere between 45 and 60 days after the Respondent files his or her response, and the order setting the RMC will require the parties to have a settlement meeting prior to the RMC.

Settlement Meeting

During the settlement meeting, depending on where the parties are in the litigation process, some people come in already having an idea of what they want to do in order to resolve their divorce. Others do not. That’s a good time to set what are called temporary orders.

Temporary Orders

Temporary orders are the rules or the orders that will apply between that point in time and the final decree.  During the RMC, you will then go to be in the court. They’ll tell the court, These are our issues. This is how long we need for trial. The court will look at its calendar, talk to the parties to find out when it’s good for them, and schedule the trial.

By: Jason Castle

Introduction

My name is Jason Castle. I’m an attorney at Jaburg Wilk, and my practice areas are family law and criminal defense.

Resolution Management Conference

A resolution management conference – often called an RMC – is one of the first times the parties will end up going to court. Most of my clients when they come in are scared of court and don’t want to go. So the RMC ends up being their first opportunity to be a party in a lawsuit, and to go to court.  The RMC sounds scary as well. It is not. It is primarily just a scheduling conference.

However, it is an important step in the process towards litigation. It typically is scheduled somewhere between 45 and 60 days after the Respondent files his or her response, and the order setting the RMC will require the parties to have a settlement meeting prior to the RMC.

Settlement Meeting

During the settlement meeting, depending on where the parties are in the litigation process, some people come in already having an idea of what they want to do in order to resolve their divorce. Others do not. That’s a good time to set what are called temporary orders.

Temporary Orders

Temporary orders are the rules or the orders that will apply between that point in time and the final decree.  During the RMC, you will then go to be in the court. They’ll tell the court, These are our issues. This is how long we need for trial. The court will look at its calendar, talk to the parties to find out when it’s good for them, and schedule the trial.

By: Jason Castle

What are the Benefits of Filing for Divorce First | Scottsdale Divorce Attorney

Greg Davis

 

Filing For Divorce First in Arizona

I am asked the question, “does it make sense to file first” all the time, almost every day. The truth is it doesn’t matter at all whether you’re the petitioner or the respondent. What may matter, however, is the filing attorney’s zip code controls what judicial district you end up in.

So, if you call me, Greg Davis, my zip code points me to the northeast judicial district. That is my home court. Every attorney has a home court and I like mine. Most attorneys like theirs too. For more information, please contact me, Greg Davis, at (602) 279-1900.

By: Greg Davis

Filing For Divorce First in Arizona

I am asked the question, “does it make sense to file first” all the time, almost every day. The truth is it doesn’t matter at all whether you’re the petitioner or the respondent. What may matter, however, is the filing attorney’s zip code controls what judicial district you end up in.

So, if you call me, Greg Davis, my zip code points me to the northeast judicial district. That is my home court. Every attorney has a home court and I like mine. Most attorneys like theirs too. For more information, please contact me, Greg Davis, at (602) 279-1900.

By: Greg Davis

How Long Will My Divorce Take to be Final and How Much Will I…

Mitchell Reichman

 

Hi. I’m Mitch Reichman. I’m a state board of Arizona certified specialist in family law, and I practice at Jaburg and Wilk.

How long will it take for my divorce to be final?

The amount of time it takes for your divorce to be finale is different in everyone’s case. It’s driven by a number of factors. The first is whether other professionals need to be brought into the case, such as custody evaluators or business appraisers. They are the major factor in terms of how long it will take your divorce to be finale, is whether your case goes to trial.  If we resolve your case short of trial, it will typically take less time. If we have to go to trial, then we have to deal with the judge’s calendar. Most judges are setting trails three to six months out, so by the time you know you need to go to trial you might wait another three to six months, and your case might not be resolved for over a year.

How much in attorney fees will I incur in my divorce?

The amount of attorney’s fees you incur in your divorce largely depends on the reasonableness of the positions that each party takes during the course of the proceedings. If your case is a high conflict case and where people take unreasonable positions, it will take longer for us to help you through the process, and therefore you incur more in fees. Truly is impossible to predict in the beginning of your case how much you’re going to incur in attorney’s fees, because we don’t know what positions the other side is going to take. As your case develops, as we get information, we’ll at some point have a good idea of how much you’ll incur in fees and be able to predict that for you.

By: Mitchell Reichman

Hi. I’m Mitch Reichman. I’m a state board of Arizona certified specialist in family law, and I practice at Jaburg and Wilk.

How long will it take for my divorce to be final?

The amount of time it takes for your divorce to be finale is different in everyone’s case. It’s driven by a number of factors. The first is whether other professionals need to be brought into the case, such as custody evaluators or business appraisers. They are the major factor in terms of how long it will take your divorce to be finale, is whether your case goes to trial.  If we resolve your case short of trial, it will typically take less time. If we have to go to trial, then we have to deal with the judge’s calendar. Most judges are setting trails three to six months out, so by the time you know you need to go to trial you might wait another three to six months, and your case might not be resolved for over a year.

How much in attorney fees will I incur in my divorce?

The amount of attorney’s fees you incur in your divorce largely depends on the reasonableness of the positions that each party takes during the course of the proceedings. If your case is a high conflict case and where people take unreasonable positions, it will take longer for us to help you through the process, and therefore you incur more in fees. Truly is impossible to predict in the beginning of your case how much you’re going to incur in attorney’s fees, because we don’t know what positions the other side is going to take. As your case develops, as we get information, we’ll at some point have a good idea of how much you’ll incur in fees and be able to predict that for you.

By: Mitchell Reichman

What Does the Court Consider During a Divorce Case | Tempe Divorce Laws

Douglas Gardner

 

Divorce Case in Tempe Courts

For divorce cases in Arizona, the court is required to enter orders as to three basic issues, or even better, if the parties can reach an agreement on those issues, the court can adopt that agreement as the court order.

Parenting Time

The first issue is the parenting-time arrangement. This agreement should include which parent will have the child during the week, which parent will have the child on weekends, how the children will be divided up for the holidays, and other issues as to the transportation and the division of the children.

Legal Decision Making

The second issue that the court will look at is the legal decision-making for the children. In Arizona, generally the court will give both parties joint legal decision-making, which means that both parties should be involved in making major medical decisions, major educational decisions, and major religious decisions. Only in rare circumstances will the court give one person sole legal decision making of those major decisions for the child.

Child Support

The final issue is child support. In Arizona, we have a guideline adopted by the Arizona Supreme Court that gives us an opportunity to based on your income, the other party’s income, and several other factors we can figure out based on that formula real close what the court is likely to order for child support in each case.

If you’d like more information regarding child related issues in your divorce case please contact me at (480) 733-6800 or you can reach us online.

By: Attorney Douglas Gardner

Divorce Case in Tempe Courts

For divorce cases in Arizona, the court is required to enter orders as to three basic issues, or even better, if the parties can reach an agreement on those issues, the court can adopt that agreement as the court order.

Parenting Time

The first issue is the parenting-time arrangement. This agreement should include which parent will have the child during the week, which parent will have the child on weekends, how the children will be divided up for the holidays, and other issues as to the transportation and the division of the children.

Legal Decision Making

The second issue that the court will look at is the legal decision-making for the children. In Arizona, generally the court will give both parties joint legal decision-making, which means that both parties should be involved in making major medical decisions, major educational decisions, and major religious decisions. Only in rare circumstances will the court give one person sole legal decision making of those major decisions for the child.

Child Support

The final issue is child support. In Arizona, we have a guideline adopted by the Arizona Supreme Court that gives us an opportunity to based on your income, the other party’s income, and several other factors we can figure out based on that formula real close what the court is likely to order for child support in each case.

If you’d like more information regarding child related issues in your divorce case please contact me at (480) 733-6800 or you can reach us online.

By: Attorney Douglas Gardner

Who Pays Attorney Fees for My Divorce Case in Arizona | Tempe Divorce Laws

Douglas Gardner

 

Attorney Fees in Tempe

When you hire a divorce lawyer, your contract with that lawyer will initially require that you to pay the fees for that lawyer. The court however, can reallocate the payment of attorneys fees based on a couple of considerations prior to entering any orders, making one party pay the other party’s attorney fees.

Factors to Consider

The court has to look at which party has been reasonable in the litigation, and also the court has to look at the relative financial positions of both parties, both the assets and the incomes of the parties. So, in cases where one person has a lot of money and the other person has no ability to hire an attorney, the court is going to be very inclined to order the person with the greater financial wherewithal to pay the attorney fees of the other party.

And also, in cases where one person has been very unreasonable throughout the litigation and has caused unnecessary trial, or unnecessary litigation, the court is likely to enter as a punishment, an order requiring that person to pay all, or some part of the other person’s attorney fees.

Now, if you’d like more information about divorce, attorney fees, or any of these other issues, please contact me at (480) 733-6800, or you can visit us online.

By: Attorney Douglas Gardner

Attorney Fees in Tempe

When you hire a divorce lawyer, your contract with that lawyer will initially require that you to pay the fees for that lawyer. The court however, can reallocate the payment of attorneys fees based on a couple of considerations prior to entering any orders, making one party pay the other party’s attorney fees.

Factors to Consider

The court has to look at which party has been reasonable in the litigation, and also the court has to look at the relative financial positions of both parties, both the assets and the incomes of the parties. So, in cases where one person has a lot of money and the other person has no ability to hire an attorney, the court is going to be very inclined to order the person with the greater financial wherewithal to pay the attorney fees of the other party.

And also, in cases where one person has been very unreasonable throughout the litigation and has caused unnecessary trial, or unnecessary litigation, the court is likely to enter as a punishment, an order requiring that person to pay all, or some part of the other person’s attorney fees.

Now, if you’d like more information about divorce, attorney fees, or any of these other issues, please contact me at (480) 733-6800, or you can visit us online.

By: Attorney Douglas Gardner

How Long to Finalize a Divorce Case in Arizona | Tempe Divorce Laws

Douglas Gardner

 

Divorce Case Length in Tempe

A very common question we receive is, how long will it take to finalize my divorce case. In Arizona, the short answer is that it has to take at least (61) days. By statute, the court cannot grant a divorce until 60 days after the case has been filed, and the other person has been served, or notified of the case, and so especially in simple cases where the parties can reach an agreement, we can often finalize those cases in (60) to (90) days.

With more complicated cases, especially those cases where we have to gather documents, and we have to gather evidence, and we have to prepare witnesses, and we have to prepare for trial, those cases can take (4) to (6) months and even in certain cases, up to a year. Now, if you’d like more information about your divorce case, please contact us (480) 733-6800, or you can visit us online.

If you are looking to finalize a divorce case in Arizona, please visit a profile and complete a contact form.

By: Attorney Douglas Gardner

Divorce Case Length in Tempe

A very common question we receive is, how long will it take to finalize my divorce case. In Arizona, the short answer is that it has to take at least (61) days. By statute, the court cannot grant a divorce until 60 days after the case has been filed, and the other person has been served, or notified of the case, and so especially in simple cases where the parties can reach an agreement, we can often finalize those cases in (60) to (90) days.

With more complicated cases, especially those cases where we have to gather documents, and we have to gather evidence, and we have to prepare witnesses, and we have to prepare for trial, those cases can take (4) to (6) months and even in certain cases, up to a year. Now, if you’d like more information about your divorce case, please contact us (480) 733-6800, or you can visit us online.

If you are looking to finalize a divorce case in Arizona, please visit a profile and complete a contact form.

By: Attorney Douglas Gardner

Can I Appeal My Divorce Decree | Arizona

Kathi Sandweiss

 

Hi, I’m Kathi Sandweiss. I’m an appellate lawyer here at Jaburg and Wilk.

Can a divorce be appealed?

You can appeal really any of your issues that you disputed in your divorce decree, assuming obviously that you didn’t stipulate to your divorce decree. But assuming that there’s been a decree entered after some sort of a conflict – an adversarial proceeding – there’s no reason you can’t appeal.   The time for appeal is the same – 30 days – just as in a civil case.  And the kinds of things that we see people appealing in a divorce are: child custody arrangements, valuation of businesses, amount of spousal maintenance, amount of child support. Any of the things that you might be disputing in your divorce, if you’re unhappy with the result, certainly they can be appealed.  A trial lawyer will be looking for the facts, will be helping you through your case, and trying the case. An appeal is based on the record already made in the trial court.

Will you work with my current divorce attorney?

We like to work with the trial lawyers, including the divorce lawyers and certainly, we have no intention of stealing back your case after the case is decided on appeal. The hope for you, if we’re representing you as the appellant, is to have the matter remanded to the trial court, and at that point, then your divorce will proceed in the trial court.  Not only that, but we really like to have your trial lawyer’s input and have him or her review our briefs before they’re filed.

By: Kathi Sandweiss

Hi, I’m Kathi Sandweiss. I’m an appellate lawyer here at Jaburg and Wilk.

Can a divorce be appealed?

You can appeal really any of your issues that you disputed in your divorce decree, assuming obviously that you didn’t stipulate to your divorce decree. But assuming that there’s been a decree entered after some sort of a conflict – an adversarial proceeding – there’s no reason you can’t appeal.   The time for appeal is the same – 30 days – just as in a civil case.  And the kinds of things that we see people appealing in a divorce are: child custody arrangements, valuation of businesses, amount of spousal maintenance, amount of child support. Any of the things that you might be disputing in your divorce, if you’re unhappy with the result, certainly they can be appealed.  A trial lawyer will be looking for the facts, will be helping you through your case, and trying the case. An appeal is based on the record already made in the trial court.

Will you work with my current divorce attorney?

We like to work with the trial lawyers, including the divorce lawyers and certainly, we have no intention of stealing back your case after the case is decided on appeal. The hope for you, if we’re representing you as the appellant, is to have the matter remanded to the trial court, and at that point, then your divorce will proceed in the trial court.  Not only that, but we really like to have your trial lawyer’s input and have him or her review our briefs before they’re filed.

By: Kathi Sandweiss

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