top of page

Divorce and Family Law Services

Divorce can uproot households, making it one of the most traumatic experiences for you and your minor children. The battles over child custody, support, spousal support, and property division can be exhausting. With over 25 years of legal document preparation expertise and practical knowledge of the Arizona court system, I have helped thousands of people in difficult family law cases achieve their goals.

​

I have hands-on experience assisting Arizona attorneys in hundreds of family court hearings and trials. I understand the stress you are going through and the crippling expense of starting over. My goal is to help you represent yourself effectively, offering insights from both inside and outside the court process. I will help you anticipate stressful and costly problems before they arise.

​

Services Offered:

  • Legal document preparation

  • Guidance on self-representation

  • Anticipating and mitigating potential issues​

​

Consultation: Call now to schedule your family law consultation. I will come to your home, office, hospital, or another convenient location in the greater Phoenix and San Tan Valley area. Not having an attorney does not mean you don't have rights.

​

Fees: While my fees are always reasonable, each family law case has its own unique circumstances. Please call or email for a fee quote tailored to your specific situation.

Divorce, Legal Separation or Annulment

GETTING A DIVORCE, LEGAL SEPARATION, OR ANNULMENT IN ARIZONA? HERE ARE SOME FAST FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

​

  • Time Frames: Uncontested Divorces, Legal Separations, and Annulments are usually finalized in less than 90 days.

  • Grounds for Divorce: Unless you entered into a Covenant Marriage, the grounds for divorce are "the marriage is irretrievably broken." Adultery, Abandonment, or abuse are not grounds for divorce.

  • Residency Requirements for the Parties : At least one party must be domiciled in the State of Arizona for at least 90 days prior to filing a divorce.

  • Residency for Children: Minor children should have resided in the State of Arizona for at least 6 months prior to filing the divorce.

  • Members of the Armed Forces: If your home of record is Arizona you may file for divorce even if you are stationed outside of Arizona.

  • Arizona is a Community Property State: With very few exceptions all assets and liabilities acquired during the marriage are joint assets and liabilities subject to division, regardless of whose name they are in.

  • Child Support: Child support is usually based on the combined gross income of the parents. If a parent is unemployed but not legally disabled, minimum wage will usually be attributed to them when calculating child support. Other factors such as the cost of health insurance, daycare, adjustments for parenting time of the non-custodial parent, and certain extraordinary expenses will be considered to arrive at the final calculation, based on Arizona Court Guidelines for Child Support, and will not be deviated from unless the Court finds there is a good cause for a deviation.

  • Spousal Support: Spousal support may be awarded in marriages of long duration (fourteen years or more). A spouse requesting spousal support will likely have to show they lack sufficient property to provide for their own reasonable needs, cannot be self-sufficient through appropriate employment or is the custodian of a child whose age or condition is such that the custodian should not be required to seek employment outside the home or lacks earning ability in the labor market adequate to be self-sufficient.

A Covenant Marriage

WHAT IF...I'M IN A COVENANT MARRIAGE, CAN I GET A DIVORCE?

​

Before you married you took pre-marital counseling and signed a document stating, in effect, that a covenant marriage is for life. If you are now experience marital difficulties, you must take all reasonable efforts to preserve your marriage before seeking a divorce, including marital counseling. If one of the spouses then desires a divorce, they must undergo more counseling, and be able to prove the other spouse has either committed at least 1 of 8 including:

If one of the spouses then desires a divorce, they must undergo more counseling, and be able to prove the other spouse has either committed at least 1 of 8 including:

​

  • Adultery

  • Commission of a felony

  • Substance abuse

  • Physically or sexually abusing the spouse or a child

  • Abandonment for at least a year

  • The spouses have been living apart continuously for at least 2 years

  • The spouses already have been granted a legal separation, and they have been living separate and apart without getting back together for at least one year from the date of the legal separation.

  • The spouses both agree to a divorce.

WHAT IF WE'RE IN TOTAL AGREEMENT AND JUST WANT TO GET IT OVER WITH AND MOVE ON WITH OUR LIVES?​
 

No problem. A Consent Decree can be filed sixty (60) days after the divorce papers were served on the other party. Both parties sign the Consent Decree showing the Court they have amicably settled their differences and now wish to move on. If the judge is satisfied your Consent Decree meets legal requirements the divorce will be granted without a hearing. Of course, there is much more to know, and you may have questions. For more information call me today.

Divorce

Dealing with custodial rights, child support, spousal support, division of community property, even where you will live can take a heavy toll mentally, emotionally, and even physically. No wonder it is so hard to stay focused in such an out-of-focused situation.

I will prepare and file your paperwork, provide the general legal information to keep you ahead of the curve, and save you thousands on attorney fees.

bottom of page