What is Family Law?

Family Law includes marriages, domestic partnerships, paternity actions, third-party custody, guardianships of children and living-together relationships.

What areas of Family law do you practice?

• Child Custody and child support
• Marriage Dissolution
• Paternity Actions
• Complex property settlement agreements, including tax consequences and division of pensions by Qualified Domestic Relations Orders
• Legal separations
• Non-parental custody
• Stepparent adoptions
• Guardianship
• Domestic partnership and living-together property litigation and agreements
• Dissolution of Intimate, Committed (Meretricious) Relationships

Is your issue missing from the list? Call us at 360-435-5707 for additional services.

Is Washington a No-Fault state?

Yes, Washington is a no-fault state. This means that you do not need to have a specific reason that you are filing for divorce. However, you may still need an attorney to assist you in dividing your assets and in other aspects of marriage dissolution.

Our office has been involved in dissolutions of marriage, domestic partnerships, and intimate committed relationships.

What are prenups and postnups?

Prenups and postnups legal agreements that help clarify ownership and assets if a married couple divorces, separates, or if one spouse passes away. Prenuptial agreements are contracts signed before marriage. Postnuptial agreements are contracts signed after marriage, and are often updated.

Our attorneys provide legal service and advice on domestic matters for married and unmarried couples and individuals. We have extensive experience with pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements and the coordination between domestic matters and estate planning. We have prepared and been involved in litigation of complex property settlement agreements, including tax consequences.

Call us for a consultation at 360-435-5707.

Can you help me get custody if I’m not a parent?

Our office has been involved in stepparent adoptions, non-parental custody actions, and guardianships.

Call us at 360-435-5707 to learn more about how we can help your family.

What is a Stepparent adoption?

Stepparent is a common form of adoption, where the parental rights of one parent are terminated so that a spouse or domestic partner can become a child’s legal parent.

Can you help me with a Paternity Suit?

For individuals with children, our office has acted as an attorney in paternity actions/parentage actions.

Can you help me if I am being stalked?

Our office has prepared and litigated anti-harassment and protection orders. See our Domestic Violence FAQ for more information or call us at 360-435-5707 for more information.

What is a Defacto Parent?

A Defacto Parent is a non-biological or official adoptive parent, who acted as a parent to a child. This may be the case if you are in a same-sex partnership or marriage, are a step parent.

In Washington State these are the qualifications for a Defacto Parent:

• You lived with the child as a regular member of the child’s household for a significant period;
• You engaged in consistent caretaking of the child and undertook full and permanent responsibilities of a parent of the child without expectation of financial compensation;
• You held the child out as your child;
• You established a bonded and dependent relationship with the child which is parental in nature;
• Another parent of the child fostered or supported the bonded and dependent relationship;
• Continuing the relationship between you and the child is in the best interest of the child.