Arizona Family Law Laws

What is Sole Legal Decision Making Authority | Scottsdale Child Custody

Greg Davis

 

Legal Decision Making

In Arizona, we don’t use the word legal custody anymore. We now refer to legal custody as decision-making authority. Sole legal decision making authority refers to a situation where one parent makes all the major decisions for a child. It’s rare. Most of the time, legal decision-making is joint. For more information, contact me, Greg Davis at Davis Limited, (602) 279-1900.

By: Greg Davis

Legal Decision Making

In Arizona, we don’t use the word legal custody anymore. We now refer to legal custody as decision-making authority. Sole legal decision making authority refers to a situation where one parent makes all the major decisions for a child. It’s rare. Most of the time, legal decision-making is joint. For more information, contact me, Greg Davis at Davis Limited, (602) 279-1900.

By: Greg Davis

What is a Temporary Orders Petition | Scottsdale Family Law

Greg Davis

 

Petition for Temporary Orders in Scottsdale

In Arizona, we have a procedure called a petition for temporary orders. A temporary orders petition asks the court to award spousal maintenance, child support and, or parenting time and decision making authority, with respect to children while the divorce is going on. For more information, contact me, Greg Davis at Davis Limited, (602) 279-1900.

By: Greg Davis

Petition for Temporary Orders in Scottsdale

In Arizona, we have a procedure called a petition for temporary orders. A temporary orders petition asks the court to award spousal maintenance, child support and, or parenting time and decision making authority, with respect to children while the divorce is going on. For more information, contact me, Greg Davis at Davis Limited, (602) 279-1900.

By: Greg Davis

How to Enforce Child Support in Arizona | Phoenix Family Law

Joel Hoffman

 

Enforcing Child Support in Phoenix

Enforcement of child support is controlled by Arizona revised statute, title 25, starting at section 500. I find that many of my clients need me to return to court to pursue non-payment of a child support obligation.

Petition for Contempt

You can file a petition for contempt, requesting that the court one, determine the amount of child support arrearage, two, enter a finding of contempt, three, order incarceration with a purge clause for the payment of a lump sum amount to satisfy all or a portion of the arrearage, in order to avoid going to jail and four, enter a judgment for the unpaid child support amount with a repayment plan with accruing interest until the arrearage is paid in full.

Non-Compliance

If the other party fails to appear for court after being served with the petition, the court can even issue a child support arrest warrant. Finally, depending upon the amount of child support arrearage that is owed, the court can order the other party to attend regular monthly hearings through accountability court to monitor compliance with the child support court order. If you want to learn more about enforcing and collecting your child support court order, please contact me at Warner Angle, (602) 264-7101, to schedule a complimentary consultation. I look forward to meeting with you.

By: Attorney Joel Hoffman

Enforcing Child Support in Phoenix

Enforcement of child support is controlled by Arizona revised statute, title 25, starting at section 500. I find that many of my clients need me to return to court to pursue non-payment of a child support obligation.

Petition for Contempt

You can file a petition for contempt, requesting that the court one, determine the amount of child support arrearage, two, enter a finding of contempt, three, order incarceration with a purge clause for the payment of a lump sum amount to satisfy all or a portion of the arrearage, in order to avoid going to jail and four, enter a judgment for the unpaid child support amount with a repayment plan with accruing interest until the arrearage is paid in full.

Non-Compliance

If the other party fails to appear for court after being served with the petition, the court can even issue a child support arrest warrant. Finally, depending upon the amount of child support arrearage that is owed, the court can order the other party to attend regular monthly hearings through accountability court to monitor compliance with the child support court order. If you want to learn more about enforcing and collecting your child support court order, please contact me at Warner Angle, (602) 264-7101, to schedule a complimentary consultation. I look forward to meeting with you.

By: Attorney Joel Hoffman

Michael Clancy - Profile Video | Arizona Family Law

Michael Clancy

 

My name is Michael Clancy. I’m an attorney with Hildebrand Law. I practice family law. Being the oldest of five kind of lent itself to be a guardian of sorts and sometimes I take that guardian approach with protecting my clients or protecting the children that are common to my client and their spouse. Children are at the forefront of my practice. Children matter the most because they’re the innocent parties in everything. They didn’t ask for the divorce. But, that person is unique. That person is a human being that has interests, that has passions, that has things they are very concerned about and it’s important for the client’s good to have an understanding attorney who is going to treat their case very uniquely and make sure they represent them with the passion and advocacy that they deserve. Any number of different factors can go into the detail that each case uniquely requires and we found that in being detailed, we are more successful in settling cases than going to trial. There are no two cases, even ones that are very similar to each other, no two cases that are alike. And it’s a good attorney who will look at each case and say this is not your run of the mill case. I don’t believe in that terminology, run of the mill. Your life is individual to you. Ask any court judge and they’ll say, you are in a position to make a better decision for your future than I ever will and it’s our job as attorneys to kind of recognize and tell that to our clients. Our clients know that they have the power to make decisions and we help them make the right one. I strive everyday to get better at what I do and I know that I’m working for a firm now that strives to pay close attention to the details of each individual case and make sure each individual client’s needs are met. If you’d like more information about me and my practice, feel free to email me and I’d be happy to setup a consultation with you.

By: Michael Clancy

My name is Michael Clancy. I’m an attorney with Hildebrand Law. I practice family law. Being the oldest of five kind of lent itself to be a guardian of sorts and sometimes I take that guardian approach with protecting my clients or protecting the children that are common to my client and their spouse. Children are at the forefront of my practice. Children matter the most because they’re the innocent parties in everything. They didn’t ask for the divorce. But, that person is unique. That person is a human being that has interests, that has passions, that has things they are very concerned about and it’s important for the client’s good to have an understanding attorney who is going to treat their case very uniquely and make sure they represent them with the passion and advocacy that they deserve. Any number of different factors can go into the detail that each case uniquely requires and we found that in being detailed, we are more successful in settling cases than going to trial. There are no two cases, even ones that are very similar to each other, no two cases that are alike. And it’s a good attorney who will look at each case and say this is not your run of the mill case. I don’t believe in that terminology, run of the mill. Your life is individual to you. Ask any court judge and they’ll say, you are in a position to make a better decision for your future than I ever will and it’s our job as attorneys to kind of recognize and tell that to our clients. Our clients know that they have the power to make decisions and we help them make the right one. I strive everyday to get better at what I do and I know that I’m working for a firm now that strives to pay close attention to the details of each individual case and make sure each individual client’s needs are met. If you’d like more information about me and my practice, feel free to email me and I’d be happy to setup a consultation with you.

By: Michael Clancy

Does the Court Consider Separate Property When Determining Alimony | Phoenix Divorce Laws

Erik Bergstrom

 

4 Factors to Determine Alimony Eligibility

In Arizona, alimony is called spousal maintenance. There are four specific criteria that the court must evaluate in determining whether a spouse is entitled to spousal maintenance, and the central theme is whether the requesting spouse can provide for his or her reasonable needs.

Separate & Community Property

In determining whether a spouse can meet his or her needs, the court can consider that spouse’s sole and separate property, along with any community property that is awarded to that spouse as part of the divorce. If the court determines that one spouse is entitled to spousal maintenance, the court then considers all other relevant factors, including thirteen specific statutory factors to determine the amount and duration of the award.

Determining Amount & Duration

The factors that potentially relate to separate property include the following: the ability of the paying spouse to meet his or her own needs and still pay something to the other spouse; the comparative financial resources of each spouse; and the ability of the parties to contribute to the future educational costs of their common children. So, separate property can be considered both when determining if a spouse is entitled to spousal maintenance and if so, the amount and duration of the award. If you would like more information, please contact me.

By: Attorney Erik Bergstrom

4 Factors to Determine Alimony Eligibility

In Arizona, alimony is called spousal maintenance. There are four specific criteria that the court must evaluate in determining whether a spouse is entitled to spousal maintenance, and the central theme is whether the requesting spouse can provide for his or her reasonable needs.

Separate & Community Property

In determining whether a spouse can meet his or her needs, the court can consider that spouse’s sole and separate property, along with any community property that is awarded to that spouse as part of the divorce. If the court determines that one spouse is entitled to spousal maintenance, the court then considers all other relevant factors, including thirteen specific statutory factors to determine the amount and duration of the award.

Determining Amount & Duration

The factors that potentially relate to separate property include the following: the ability of the paying spouse to meet his or her own needs and still pay something to the other spouse; the comparative financial resources of each spouse; and the ability of the parties to contribute to the future educational costs of their common children. So, separate property can be considered both when determining if a spouse is entitled to spousal maintenance and if so, the amount and duration of the award. If you would like more information, please contact me.

By: Attorney Erik Bergstrom

Can I Appeal a Dissolution of Marriage or Business Valuation | Arizona

Kathi Sandweiss

 

I’m Kathi Sandweiss. I’m the Chair of the appellate practice section at Jaburg and Wilk.

Can I appeal a dissolution?

You can appeal basically any final judgement, and that means you can appeal a dissolution, but it’s not as if you’re no longer divorced. You’re not appealing the fact of the divorce. What you’re appealing typically is about money. It can be about something else, but typically somebody will appeal a distribution of property, for example. And a lot of times that will go back to what the lower court determined was the value, for example, of a business. And the value of that business will then impact how your property is distributed.

How do I know my business was valued correctly during my divorce?

One of the basic errors that someone alleges in the divorce decree, in the dissolution decree is that a business was not valued properly. So, that goes back to a dueling expert standard. My expert witness, say, valued my art practice at $300,000. Your expert witness valued my business at $500,000, and that’ll determine a lot of how much money is distributed to each party. The problem with it is you’re looking at credibility of witnesses, and you don’t want to be in the position of asking the higher court to determine that there was a factual error because that’s a much tougher standard on appeal.

By: Kathi Sandweiss

I’m Kathi Sandweiss. I’m the Chair of the appellate practice section at Jaburg and Wilk.

Can I appeal a dissolution?

You can appeal basically any final judgement, and that means you can appeal a dissolution, but it’s not as if you’re no longer divorced. You’re not appealing the fact of the divorce. What you’re appealing typically is about money. It can be about something else, but typically somebody will appeal a distribution of property, for example. And a lot of times that will go back to what the lower court determined was the value, for example, of a business. And the value of that business will then impact how your property is distributed.

How do I know my business was valued correctly during my divorce?

One of the basic errors that someone alleges in the divorce decree, in the dissolution decree is that a business was not valued properly. So, that goes back to a dueling expert standard. My expert witness, say, valued my art practice at $300,000. Your expert witness valued my business at $500,000, and that’ll determine a lot of how much money is distributed to each party. The problem with it is you’re looking at credibility of witnesses, and you don’t want to be in the position of asking the higher court to determine that there was a factual error because that’s a much tougher standard on appeal.

By: Kathi Sandweiss

Alan Cochran - Profile Video | Scottsdale Divorce Attorney

Alan Cochran

 

Attorney Alan Cochran

I take on your case as though it were my case. I’ve been practicing a lot for 25 years primarily in the family law arena. Other areas have been civil litigation, juvenile law, and probate and estate. I’m primarily doing what I do for the best interest of the children. I have a five-year-old, so I’m very into the well-being and the best interest of the children. Clients can expect from me a compassionate, experienced and somewhat aggressive type representation. I represent you and your ideals and your request to the degree that I can under the ethical rules of the law. And gain what we’re able to gain in the process in your family law case.

By: Alan Cochran

Attorney Alan Cochran

I take on your case as though it were my case. I’ve been practicing a lot for 25 years primarily in the family law arena. Other areas have been civil litigation, juvenile law, and probate and estate. I’m primarily doing what I do for the best interest of the children. I have a five-year-old, so I’m very into the well-being and the best interest of the children. Clients can expect from me a compassionate, experienced and somewhat aggressive type representation. I represent you and your ideals and your request to the degree that I can under the ethical rules of the law. And gain what we’re able to gain in the process in your family law case.

By: Alan Cochran

Differences Between Divorce, Annulment & Legal Separation | Tempe Family Law

Douglas Gardner

 

Tempe Divorce, Annulment & Legal Separations

A divorce, an annulment, and a legal separation are all very similar in many respects, so there are a couple of important key differences that you should understand. When asked to enter a divorce, annulment, or a legal separation, the court is required to enter specific orders. If there are children involved, the court is required to make orders as to child support. The court is also required to enter orders explaining which parent is going to have the parenting time with the children and which parent, or both parents are going to have the legal decision-making for the child. Even if there are no children involved, the court is required to enter orders as to spousal support. Also, the court is required to enter orders dividing up the assets and debt of the parties. In those respects, a divorce, an annulment, and a legal separation are all very similar.

Legal Differences

Now, the differences are also important to understand. In a divorce, the judge is essentially saying, “I now pronounce the parties no longer man and wife”. With an annulment, the judge is saying, “We’re going to pretend that you guys were never really married”. With a legal separation, the parties actually remain married, but the court has divided up all the assets and debts. In a legal separation case, if the parties are able to reconcile the marriage, the court can remove the legal separation, and they are back to being married. If you would like more information, please contact me at (480) 733-6800, or you can visit us online.

For additional information on divorce, annulment and legal separation in Arizona, please visit a profile and complete a contact form.

By: Attorney Douglas Gardner

Tempe Divorce, Annulment & Legal Separations

A divorce, an annulment, and a legal separation are all very similar in many respects, so there are a couple of important key differences that you should understand. When asked to enter a divorce, annulment, or a legal separation, the court is required to enter specific orders. If there are children involved, the court is required to make orders as to child support. The court is also required to enter orders explaining which parent is going to have the parenting time with the children and which parent, or both parents are going to have the legal decision-making for the child. Even if there are no children involved, the court is required to enter orders as to spousal support. Also, the court is required to enter orders dividing up the assets and debt of the parties. In those respects, a divorce, an annulment, and a legal separation are all very similar.

Legal Differences

Now, the differences are also important to understand. In a divorce, the judge is essentially saying, “I now pronounce the parties no longer man and wife”. With an annulment, the judge is saying, “We’re going to pretend that you guys were never really married”. With a legal separation, the parties actually remain married, but the court has divided up all the assets and debts. In a legal separation case, if the parties are able to reconcile the marriage, the court can remove the legal separation, and they are back to being married. If you would like more information, please contact me at (480) 733-6800, or you can visit us online.

For additional information on divorce, annulment and legal separation in Arizona, please visit a profile and complete a contact form.

By: Attorney Douglas Gardner

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