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On this page is information on
family law topics about which many
potential clients have questions.
Please call me if you have
additional questions.
Premarital Agreements & Domestic
Partnerships
Parental Responsibility
Child
Support
Maintenance
Adoption
Premarital Agreements & Domestic
Partnerships
I help couples planning to get
married to protect their assets
and property in the event of a
divorce or death. This is
accomplished by the drafting of a
premarital (also known as
prenuptial) agreement. I can also
review agreements drafted
either by the parties or the future
spouse’s lawyer, if one has been
retained.
If
parties are entering into a
same-sex domestic partnership,
there are no marital laws to
their legal rights in the event of
that the partnership ends or if
either partner dies.
I draft domestic partnership
agreements to provide couples
with the legal protection they would
otherwise lack.
Parental Responsibility
In Colorado, the term “Child
Custody” is now referred to as
“parental responsibility.” The
term parental responsibility covers
both the issues of parenting time
(visitation) and decision-making.
Colorado law directs the judge to
focus on the best interests of the
children in order to determine how
to allocate parental
responsibility. Judges rely on
both the specific facts of the case
as well as the law set forth in
Colorado Revised Statute Section
14-10-115.
The
question as to how to allocate
parental responsibility between the
parents can be the major source
of high conflict in a divorce case.
Sometimes parents have very
different views as to which of them
is best suited to act in the best
interests of their child or
children.
Parents can reach an agreement
as to a parenting plan or proceed to
trial and let the judge make the
decision. Depending on the
parties’ agreement or judge’s
decision, parents may share equally
in parenting time and
decision-making. Parental
responsibility can also be awarded
solely or primarily to one of the
parents. It all comes down to a
determination as to the best
interests of the child or children.
My philosophy is that parents must,
at all costs, avoid
engaging in destructive, retaliatory
behaviors when addressing parental
responsibility issues, as it is
ultimately damaging to their
children. It is frequently most
beneficial to the child if the
parents can reach agreements
rather than devoting their efforts
towards discrediting and disparaging
the other in order to get the judge
to align with one parent or the
other. If the case must proceed to
trial, the parents can still
minimize the trauma for their
children.
I guide the client through the
process, obtaining experts if
necessary. My dual goals are to
zealously advocate on my client’s
behalf while simultaneously keeping
focused on the well-being of the
children.
Child
support
Child support is calculated
according to a formula determined by
Colorado state law. Whether the
parent is to receive child support
or pay it, the applicable law is
Colorado Revised Statute Section
14-10-115. The law can be difficult
to understand and will typically
require the parties to provide
financial documents and other
relevant documents such as medical
and daycare expenses. I will
explain how child support is
determined and have the means to
calculate child support payments. I
also provide assistance to parents
who seek to modify (reduce or
increase) child support payments.
Both Colorado Revised Statute
Sections 14-10-122 and 14-10-115
set forth the legal guidelines for
modification of child support.
The term “maintenance” was formerly
known as “alimony.”
Factors which must be considered are
set forth in Colorado Revised
Statute Section 14-10-114.
There is no mathematical
formula for calculating maintenance.
Rather, maintenance is determined by
consideration of several factors
including but not limited to the
following: the length of the
marriage, income, earning capacity,
educational background, and
the parties’ joint and separate
property.
Each situation has its own unique
set of circumstances and I work
extensively with clients in order to
ensure that I possess all the
information I need from both my
client and the other party, so that
informed decisions can be made.
Adoption
If you or your family wishes to
adopt a child or children or if you
wish to adopt your grandchild or
stepchild, I will guide you through
the process. I handle stepparent
adoptions, grandparent adoptions,
and same-sex adoptions.
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