Arizona Divorce Laws

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

Will I Have to Attend Court or Testify During My Divorce Proceedings | Arizona

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.

Will I have to appear in court during my divorce proceeding?

Yes, typically you’ll have to appear in court at least once. Judges in Maricopa County in divorce cases are very proactive, and so they call the parties to appear in front of them early on in the case to assess what their positions are and what other services might be required to help process the case, such as appraisers or custody evaluators. That appearance is not an appearance where you have to testify, but you will typically have to appear at least once in front of the judge.

Will I have to testify in my divorce proceeding?

One of the things that we do in your case is we put orders into place so that there is predictability while your case is proceeding. Those are called temporary orders. Orders for child support, orders for spousal maintenance, who gets possession of the house, how the bills get paid, these things need to be done in an orderly way, and we like to have court orders so that we are able to enforce people’s obligations during the process. That would typically require a hearing of some kind, and at that hearing, you would have to testify. That does not necessarily mean that you’ll have to testify for a long time, or that you would have to testify in a trial.  It is possible to complete your divorce without having a trial. In fact, we prefer that our clients complete their divorces without having trial, because trial is the most unpredictable way to resolve your divorce. There are a number of different alternatives, all of which we will explore. One is mediation. Another is arbitration, which is essentially hiring a private judge to make the decisions in your case. We can also ask our judge to appoint someone – called a Family Law Master –  to essentially take the place of the judge, and have hearings, and make recommendations in terms of findings. So there are a lot of different ways to settle your case or resolve it without having to go to trial.

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.

Will I have to appear in court during my divorce proceeding?

Yes, typically you’ll have to appear in court at least once. Judges in Maricopa County in divorce cases are very proactive, and so they call the parties to appear in front of them early on in the case to assess what their positions are and what other services might be required to help process the case, such as appraisers or custody evaluators. That appearance is not an appearance where you have to testify, but you will typically have to appear at least once in front of the judge.

Will I have to testify in my divorce proceeding?

One of the things that we do in your case is we put orders into place so that there is predictability while your case is proceeding. Those are called temporary orders. Orders for child support, orders for spousal maintenance, who gets possession of the house, how the bills get paid, these things need to be done in an orderly way, and we like to have court orders so that we are able to enforce people’s obligations during the process. That would typically require a hearing of some kind, and at that hearing, you would have to testify. That does not necessarily mean that you’ll have to testify for a long time, or that you would have to testify in a trial.  It is possible to complete your divorce without having a trial. In fact, we prefer that our clients complete their divorces without having trial, because trial is the most unpredictable way to resolve your divorce. There are a number of different alternatives, all of which we will explore. One is mediation. Another is arbitration, which is essentially hiring a private judge to make the decisions in your case. We can also ask our judge to appoint someone – called a Family Law Master –  to essentially take the place of the judge, and have hearings, and make recommendations in terms of findings. So there are a lot of different ways to settle your case or resolve it without having to go to trial.

By: Mitchell Reichman

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 Begin a Divorce in Arizona | Phoenix Divorce Attorney

Joel Hoffman

 

Divorce in Phoenix

In a divorce without minor children, you will file a petition for dissolution of your marriage and request a division of community assets and debts, an affirmation of your sole and separate property, an award of spousal maintenance if applicable, and perhaps, reimbursement for your attorney’s fees and costs.

Minor Children

If your divorce involves minor children, then your petition will ask the court to additionally determine child custody, which is now called legal decision making, parenting time and child support. You file your petition with the superior court in the county where you reside and serve a copy on your spouse.

Divorce Case Length

The soonest you can get divorced in Arizona is (60) sixty days from the date your spouse is served. If your spouse does not file a response in the proper time frame, you can request that your spouse be defaulted and proceed to a default hearing before the court. If your spouse files a response, your case can be resolved by two options; agreement or trial.

If you reach an agreement, a consent decree can be prepared and signed by both parties and then submitted to the court for the judge’s signature and there is no need to appear in court for a trial. If you cannot reach an agreement, the court will set the unresolved issues for trial. If you want me to explain in detail the divorce process, please call me at Warner Angle, (602) 264-7101 to schedule a complimentary consultation. I look forward to meeting with you.

By: Attorney Joel Hoffman

Divorce in Phoenix

In a divorce without minor children, you will file a petition for dissolution of your marriage and request a division of community assets and debts, an affirmation of your sole and separate property, an award of spousal maintenance if applicable, and perhaps, reimbursement for your attorney’s fees and costs.

Minor Children

If your divorce involves minor children, then your petition will ask the court to additionally determine child custody, which is now called legal decision making, parenting time and child support. You file your petition with the superior court in the county where you reside and serve a copy on your spouse.

Divorce Case Length

The soonest you can get divorced in Arizona is (60) sixty days from the date your spouse is served. If your spouse does not file a response in the proper time frame, you can request that your spouse be defaulted and proceed to a default hearing before the court. If your spouse files a response, your case can be resolved by two options; agreement or trial.

If you reach an agreement, a consent decree can be prepared and signed by both parties and then submitted to the court for the judge’s signature and there is no need to appear in court for a trial. If you cannot reach an agreement, the court will set the unresolved issues for trial. If you want me to explain in detail the divorce process, please call me at Warner Angle, (602) 264-7101 to schedule a complimentary consultation. I look forward to meeting with you.

By: Attorney Joel Hoffman

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

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

Sole & Separate Home & Business Divorce Case | Arizona Family Law

Laurence B. Hirsch

 

Separate Business in Divorce Case

Hi. My name is Larry Hirsch, and I practice exclusively in the domestic relations group at Jaburg & Wilk. Arizona has a case called [?], and that case has allowed the spouse that doesn’t own the business to actually have an interest in the appreciation and value of that business during the course of the marriage. What we’re looking at is labor, toil, and efforts of the community. Best way to think about this is, if I have a sole and separate business and I’m actually doing something to help that business, my spouse may have a claim to my sole and separate property.

Separate Home in Divorce Case

This same situation can occur with separate property homes. So let’s say that you get married, and you have a house that’s worth $500,000. Your community earnings bought the new pool, the new landscaping, and put in the addition, and when you file for divorce that house is worth $1.5 million, so you’ve got $1,000,000 of appreciation during the marriage. Is it fair that the spouse who owned the house coming into the marriage receives all $1,000,000 of appreciation? The courts in Arizona don’t typically think so. So those are two situations where your sole and separate property is not necessarily 100% your sole and separate property. Always be wary that there may be what we call a community lien on your separate property.

By: Laurence B. Hirsch

Separate Business in Divorce Case

Hi. My name is Larry Hirsch, and I practice exclusively in the domestic relations group at Jaburg & Wilk. Arizona has a case called [?], and that case has allowed the spouse that doesn’t own the business to actually have an interest in the appreciation and value of that business during the course of the marriage. What we’re looking at is labor, toil, and efforts of the community. Best way to think about this is, if I have a sole and separate business and I’m actually doing something to help that business, my spouse may have a claim to my sole and separate property.

Separate Home in Divorce Case

This same situation can occur with separate property homes. So let’s say that you get married, and you have a house that’s worth $500,000. Your community earnings bought the new pool, the new landscaping, and put in the addition, and when you file for divorce that house is worth $1.5 million, so you’ve got $1,000,000 of appreciation during the marriage. Is it fair that the spouse who owned the house coming into the marriage receives all $1,000,000 of appreciation? The courts in Arizona don’t typically think so. So those are two situations where your sole and separate property is not necessarily 100% your sole and separate property. Always be wary that there may be what we call a community lien on your separate property.

By: Laurence B. Hirsch

What Should I Expect During the First Meeting With My Divorce Attorney | Arizona

Mitchell Reichman

 

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

How can I make the most of my first meeting?

The way a client can make the most of their first meeting with me is to be organized and to bring me basic general information. So I want a simple statement of their assets and their liabilities. I’d like to see the most recent three years of tax returns. And I recommend the client bring notes. At least bullet points of the topics the client would like to cover in that first meeting.

Should I bring all of my records to the first meeting?

I don’t ask them to bring a lot of documents to the first meeting. We’re going to follow up and gather a lot of documents during the process. Certainly I would not want the to bring a box of records to the meeting. It would be very inefficient, very expensive for the client for me to be thumbing through a box of records in that first meeting.

What information are you looking for initially?

We’re looking for broad strokes of information. We want to identify in that first meeting what the assets are and what the liabilities are. To find out about their children. To know about income and expenses. To see if someone is going to be needing spousal maintenance for example. So just broadly identify the topics we’re going to need to address. We’re going to gather a lot of details along the way, but that wouldn’t be a useful way to spend our time the first meeting.

By: Mitchell Reichman

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

How can I make the most of my first meeting?

The way a client can make the most of their first meeting with me is to be organized and to bring me basic general information. So I want a simple statement of their assets and their liabilities. I’d like to see the most recent three years of tax returns. And I recommend the client bring notes. At least bullet points of the topics the client would like to cover in that first meeting.

Should I bring all of my records to the first meeting?

I don’t ask them to bring a lot of documents to the first meeting. We’re going to follow up and gather a lot of documents during the process. Certainly I would not want the to bring a box of records to the meeting. It would be very inefficient, very expensive for the client for me to be thumbing through a box of records in that first meeting.

What information are you looking for initially?

We’re looking for broad strokes of information. We want to identify in that first meeting what the assets are and what the liabilities are. To find out about their children. To know about income and expenses. To see if someone is going to be needing spousal maintenance for example. So just broadly identify the topics we’re going to need to address. We’re going to gather a lot of details along the way, but that wouldn’t be a useful way to spend our time the first meeting.

By: Mitchell Reichman

Alimony, Support & Custody During Divorce | Scottsdale Divorce Laws

C.D. Owens

 

Setting Court Hearings

Everybody of course insists upon having prompt and immediate decisions on child support, custody, spousal maintenance and all of the things that are necessary to maintain stability in the family during the pendency of a divorce and the court’s set hearings promptly and as quickly as possible often within a matter of two or three weeks, where ordinarily to get a hearing in a court would take two or three months.

But, everybody recognizes that the wife or mother may be home with kids with no employment of her own and depending on the father for support and so the court sets early dates, gets people in and covers all bases right up front and people are always interested in those factors. We try to be available to answer their questions up front.

By: CD Owens

Setting Court Hearings

Everybody of course insists upon having prompt and immediate decisions on child support, custody, spousal maintenance and all of the things that are necessary to maintain stability in the family during the pendency of a divorce and the court’s set hearings promptly and as quickly as possible often within a matter of two or three weeks, where ordinarily to get a hearing in a court would take two or three months.

But, everybody recognizes that the wife or mother may be home with kids with no employment of her own and depending on the father for support and so the court sets early dates, gets people in and covers all bases right up front and people are always interested in those factors. We try to be available to answer their questions up front.

By: CD Owens

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