Serving the Yakima valley with professionalism, compassion & commitment
Serving the Yakima valley with professionalism, compassion & commitment
Family law matters are deeply personal. When a marriage ends, parents disagree about their children, or circumstances require an existing court order to be changed, the decisions made today can have lasting effects on your family, finances, and future.
At Apple Valley Law, PLLC, we help individuals and families navigate Washington's family law system with practical advice, careful preparation, and straightforward guidance. We understand that every family's circumstances are different. Our goal is to help you understand your legal rights and options, identify the issues that matter most, and develop a strategy tailored to your situation.
Washington family law encompasses a wide range of legal matters, including divorce and legal separation, parenting plans and residential schedules, child support, spousal maintenance, property and debt division, parentage, relocation, modification and enforcement of existing orders, and domestic violence protection orders.
Whether you are preparing to begin a family law case, responding to papers you have been served with, or dealing with a dispute after final orders have already been entered, understanding how Washington law applies to your circumstances is an important first step.
Below is an overview of some of the most common family law matters we assist clients with in Washington State.
Washington refers to divorce as a dissolution of marriage. A dissolution case may involve much more than simply ending the marriage. The court may also address property and debt division, spousal maintenance, parenting arrangements, and child support. Washington law authorizes courts in dissolution and legal-separation proceedings to address matters including maintenance, parenting plans, and division of property and liabilities.
Common issues include:
Washington generally uses the terms parenting plan and residential schedule rather than simply referring to "custody." A parenting plan can establish where children live, when they spend time with each parent, who makes important decisions, how holidays and vacations are handled, and how disagreements between parents will be resolved. Washington law directs courts to establish residential provisions designed to foster loving, stable, and nurturing relationships between children and their parents, subject to statutory restrictions intended to protect children from harm.
Parenting disputes may involve:
Family circumstances change. A parenting plan that worked several years ago may no longer fit a child's or parent's circumstances. Washington law permits modification of parenting plans under specified circumstances. Major modifications generally require particular statutory findings, including circumstances that have substantially changed since entry of the prior order, subject to statutory exceptions and different standards for certain types of adjustments.
Modification cases can arise because of:
Washington courts may establish child support as part of a divorce, parentage, or other family law proceeding. Washington's child-support system considers parental income and other factors under the Washington State Child Support Schedule.
Child support cases may involve:
Washington courts provide dedicated forms for child-support and parentage proceedings, including cases involving unmarried parents.
Parents do not have to be married for family law issues to arise. Parentage proceedings may be necessary to legally determine a child's parents and establish rights and obligations relating to parenting time and support. Washington's Uniform Parentage Act allows parentage proceedings to be combined, where appropriate, with matters involving parenting plans, child support, dissolution, and other related proceedings.
These cases may include:
Spousal maintenance, sometimes called alimony, may be an issue when one spouse seeks financial support from the other during or after a dissolution or legal separation.
Courts may consider the parties' financial circumstances and other statutory factors when deciding whether maintenance should be awarded, in what amount, and for how long. Maintenance may be temporary or continue after entry of the final decree.
Divorce often requires the court to divide property and liabilities between the spouses.
Issues may arise involving:
Washington courts have authority in dissolution proceedings to divide property and liabilities as part of the final resolution of the marriage.
Family law cases sometimes involve allegations of domestic violence, threats, stalking, harassment, or other safety concerns. Washington's protection-order law is primarily contained in Chapter 7.105 RCW, which addresses domestic violence protection orders as well as several other types of civil protection orders.
Protection-order proceedings may involve:
When a parent subject to a parenting plan wants to move with a child, the move may trigger Washington's relocation procedures.
Relocation cases can affect:
Because relocation cases can involve strict procedural requirements and deadlines, obtaining legal advice early can be especially important.
A court order is not optional. When a party fails to comply with a parenting plan, support order, or other family law order, the other party may have enforcement remedies available.
Common enforcement disputes include:
Washington law specifically provides procedures for modification and enforcement of parenting-plan and child-support orders.
Family law cases can take time to resolve. Temporary orders may be used to establish rules while the case is pending.
Depending on the case, temporary orders may address:
Washington court forms specifically provide for temporary family law orders and temporary parenting plans in appropriate proceedings.
Depending on the circumstances, family law may also include:
Annulment or declarations concerning the validity of a marriage.
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