Lawrence Law Office

Our firm has put together a blog that can help you study your options and choose the best one for you: https://www.ohio-family-law.com/2021/03/how-do-i-hire-an-ohio-attorney-to-handle-my-divorce/

Ohio now speaks of “parental rights and responsibilities” instead of custody, but they are basically the same thing. When two parents live together, they share in the raising of their children. After divorce or separation, however, their rights and responsibilities need to be divided somehow.

Unfortunately, the final divorce decree does not always mean the end of court intervention in the life of ex-spouses and their children. Issues may arise that cannot be resolved by the parties and they must go back to court to get a resolution. Whatever your post-divorce needs are, an experienced divorce attorney working on your behalf will make the process less stressful.

If only one spouse owns the business, we will determine whether there is a buy-sell agreement. This agreement will dictate what to do if one of the partner’s interest is in danger because of bankruptcy or divorce. Contact us for more information.

Ohio courts consider many factors, including: Where? — Where does the parent want to relocate? How far is it from the other parent? Why? — Why does the parent want to relocate? New job? Job transfer? Military deployment? Remarriage? How? — How will a parenting time schedule be structured? Will the non-relocating parent still have regular visitation?

Yes, in many cases it is possible to keep your home and work out a 5-year plan to get back on strong financial footing. Chapter 13 bankruptcy is designed for those who have assets they wish to keep such as a home, car, or other important property.

-Protecting children from previous marriages in terms of inheritance rights and other issues -Clarifying if there are specific assets that should remain separate property, including investment accounts, personal property or other items that should be excluded from property division if a divorce occurs -Preserving business stability for a company you own or have an interest in if a marriage should end -If one person has considerable debt, the other person can articulate terms that will prevent his or her assets from being used to satisfy those debts

Yes! Contact our offices, and visit our website under "Blog" to find more tips and details about high end asset divorces.

If you are successful in requesting the court to find a non-paying ex-spouse in contempt of court, the most common outcome is that support payments will resume. The court may impose additional fines. Give us a call to learn more.

If you decide to dissolve your marriage, one of our Ohio family lawyers can represent you and draft the separation agreement and any related documents to legally terminate the marriage.

Retirement benefits may be paid as a single lump sum, monthly pension or some other form. If your spouse dies before you are paid, you may lose benefits if the QDRO doesn’t provide some type of survivor protection. We’re the Ohio Family Law firm that can let you know if the QDRO should provide survivor death benefits.

This depends on the business, in particular how closely the business is tied to your identity. If no one knows who you are, then they probably don’t know that you are getting divorced.

Retirement benefits come from a variety of employer-provided plans, included 403b plans, 401k plans, pension plans and deferred compensation plans.

Often, one person owns a sole proprietorship and the other spouse has nothing to do with the business. The sole owner might be surprised to find that the business is considered marital property even though he or she is the only one who does work. The end result will be determined by the judge. Contact us to receive more guidance.

Ohio general consumer sales tax charged at 5.75% is an important detail to consider when you are getting a divorce, because some property distributions are taxable by the state. When you file for divorce can also affect your personal taxes. If you file before December 31st, you may have tax advantages.

With a dissolution, the spouses will file a joint petition. However, given that Ohio handles dissolution and divorce differently, it is critical to have an Ohio family lawyer on your side who understands the intricacies of the state’s law and can advise you appropriately.

In cases with disputes, we always start with negotiation, mediation and collaboration as an alternative to litigation. The litigation process is both costly in terms of time and money and is hard on every member of the family. When necessary we’re not afraid to go to court and aggressively advocate on your behalf.

Tax issues in divorce cases include more than just one-time taxation. Ongoing taxation is tied closely to spousal support, child support and the division of property as well. Contact us to discuss your case.

We handle business law and estate planning. Give us a call to discuss more about your specific need.

You can do this by changing beneficiary designations. Probably the last person you want to take this property is your ex-spouse, so you need to update your designations on these policies. You also need to think carefully about who you name.

-Child custody -Child support -Spousal maintenance -Division of marital property -Division of marital debts If you can reach an agreement, you draft an agreement, sign it, and submit it to the judge for approval.

Retirement assets can be marital property which must be divided “equitably” during a divorce. Equitable division is not necessarily 50/50. Instead, they must be divided fairly, though in many cases that will mean a 50/50 split.

It's a way to establish paternity. However, this affidavit is only valid if both parties are in agreement about paternity and willing to sign it.

Sometimes. Ohio law allows grandparents to petition for visitation in limited circumstances, such as when the child’s parents are unmarried or the parents have filed for divorce or legal separation. A court does not automatically grant visitation.

If you run a business with your spouse, you need to move quickly. We can protect business assets and your company’s reputation, but the more time we have to act, the better. Please give us a call to discuss more your case.

A prenuptial agreement can help couples with all types of issues, including: -Protecting children from previous marriages in terms of inheritance rights and other issues -Clarifying if there are specific assets that should remain separate property, including investment accounts, personal property or other items that should be excluded from property division if a divorce occurs -Preserving business stability for a company you own or have an interest in if a marriage should end -If one person has considerable debt, the other person can articulate terms that will prevent his or her assets from being used to satisfy those debts

Sometimes, but it’s not easy. In order to invalidate the agreement, one individual would need to prove that they were not in sound mind when they signed the agreement or they did so under duress or coercion. In addition, if the agreement was fraudulent for some reason, it would not be enforceable. If the agreement was not properly prepared or filed, its provisions may be unenforceable.

Our adoption attorneys have more than two decades of experience handling step parent adoption cases along with all of the steps involved.

A prenuptial agreement can help couples with all types of issues, including: -Protecting children from previous marriages in terms of inheritance rights and other issues -Clarifying if there are specific assets that should remain separate property, including investment accounts, personal property or other items that should be excluded from property division if a divorce occurs -Preserving business stability for a company you own or have an interest in if a marriage should end -If one person has considerable debt, the other person can articulate terms that will prevent their assets from being used to satisfy those debts

States take two different approaches to dividing property in a divorce. There are equitable distribution states (like Ohio) and community property states. In a community property state, couples split property 50/50 automatically. In an equitable distribution state, property is divided “fairly.” While the court will assume that an equitable distribution is a 50/50 split, there may be a number of reasons why the court will favor one spouse over the other when dividing property.

Mediation is a form of alternative dispute resolution that emphasizes collaborative negotiation and mutually agreeable solutions.

Any custody or visitation dispute will be resolved by determining what type of arrangement is best for the child’s health, safety, well-being, and social development. State law instructs family courts to evaluate and assess a wide array of specific factors, including: -The relationship between each parent and the child; -The parenting ability of each parent; -The willingness to cooperate with the other parent and the court system; -The stability in the parent’s life, or lack thereof; -Any history of domestic violence, child neglect, substance abuse, or misconduct; and -If mature enough, the child’s preferences.

Many people think family law is just for divorce. And though divorce is a big part of family law, there is much more than that. Family law services can include: -Adoption -Paternity -Prenuptial agreements -Divorce -Child custody -Modification and enforcement -Spousal support

A child cannot have three parents, so the biological parent you are trying to replace must consent to the adoption. If he or she doesn’t, then a court must find that the parent has not been supporting the child or maintaining a relationship for the adoption to go forward. However, consent is usually the easier route for most people.

Yes, we know from experience that tax issues in divorce cases are complex and an area of dispute that requires an attorney’s advice to resolve. Our attorneys help clients deal with touchy tax issues that surface during a divorce negotiation, litigation and when post-divorce modifications are needed.

A medical practice could qualify as a marital asset, depending on when it was started and how large it grew during marriage. In some divorces, a portion of the practice’s value will be considered marital, while some other portion is considered the physician’s separate property. Physicians can usually exit a marriage with their separate property, but all marital property is subject to equitable distribution. At our firm, we work with clients to attempt to retain control of their practice. In some cases, you can take the entire practice with you but your spouse gets an offsetting amount of other marital assets.

A prenuptial agreement is fundamentally a contract that is signed by both parties prior to a marriage. Prenuptial agreements can contain any number of stipulations. These include: -What constitutes separate/personal property; -And what (if any) amount of debt one spouse inherits from another. Again, the idea of a prenuptial agreement is to protect your already acquired assets from being commingled as marital assets.

Divorce is a public process. Anyone, including journalists or people off the street, can riffle through divorce records and find out a host of information, such as your net worth, investments, and side businesses. We can devise strategies for keeping the most contested issues out of the public eye, possibly by using mediation or arbitration, which are private. We can seal sensitive financial or business information so that your competitors do not gain an advantage because you are going through a divorce. Trade secrets and customer lists are vulnerable, especially when your spouse’s expert witnesses gain access.

You can seek dissolution if you agree on the key issues in a divorce: Division of marital property Allocation of marital debt Parental rights and responsibilities (custody) Child support Alimony If you do not we recommended filing for divorce instead of a dissolution.

There are three separate agents who can bring a paternity lawsuit forward. Those are: the father, the mother, or the Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA). In cases where either the mother or the child is receiving assistance from the state, the CSEA may push forward to establish the paternity of the child in order to ensure that the child and the mother have the resources they need. In order to do this, the courts must establish the child’s paternity.

The first step in the process is appraising the real estate. Real estate typically lends itself rather well to the appraisal process. The value of the real estate is only considered up to the date of separation. The spouse who has primary control of the real estate would still own their interest and the other spouse would be entitled to either their stake in the venture or the value of the real estate at the time of separation. In addition, the amount of equity is considered against the outstanding balance of the loan. In other words, what ends up getting appraised is the equity. So, the equity is what is considered marital property.

In the context of divorce proceedings, contempt one spouse or the other: Fails to make child support payments; Fails to make spousal support payments; Disregards court-ordered distribution of marital property; Ignores a visitation schedule order without cause. In order to prove contempt, your lawyer must show that the other party was aware of the court order, had the capacity to fulfill the demand, and then chose not to. This presupposes that they did not have a justifiable excuse.

We would need more information, and after reviewing your case we would be more equipped to answer. However, usually mediation costs less and you can have more control. The moment you walk into a court you relinquish all control over the ultimate outcome of any legal issue. A stranger will impose a solution that you must live with, and the associated costs (and time involved) are usually steep. We invite you to contact us today.

Yes we can help with custody modifications. We will vigorously represent your interests before a family law judge to have a change granted. We will show whether there has or has not been a substantial change in circumstances that prove the need for a change.

Stepparent adoption is designed to provide stepparents with legal custody of their stepchildren. If the stepchild’s biological parent is alive, we can help you seek out this parent and help him or her take the appropriate action needed to consent to terminate parental rights so that the adoption process can move forward.

Paternity is an important concept that often comes up when discussing legal matters that involve children. For example, before you can pursue custody or visitation rights as a father in the state of Ohio, you must first establish paternity. Likewise, a mother cannot ask for child support from a child’s father until paternity has been verified legally.

It is dealt the same way as a normal divorce. Just because more money and assets are involved, child custody cases are handled the same way as the judge will determine it off what is in the best interest of the child or children.

No it is not. Spouses by law are needing to fully disclose all assets acquired during your marriage. Hiding assets can result in the judge making an unequal award of marital belongings and hiding assets can affect what you receive in the end.

Just like anything else, it will get divided in the divorce. You'll also want to review your insurance policy to name a new beneficiary as your ex-spouse is most likely listed as the current beneficiary.

First, I would tell them to contact a trusted divorce lawyer to help them sort our their tax situation so you are filing the proper paperwork so your taxes are correct without any worry. If you're not wanting to go that route, then you need to determine what tax status you are and he deductions you're able to claim. Are you filing separate? If so, you lose out on tax credits such as children, education benefits, and earned income. Use a tax professional to help you sort out all the paperwork and help prepare your taxes if you and your spouse are not wanting to meet.

Yes, there certainly are. Your ex can ask the court for you to comply with the divorce decree and if that happens you may have to modify your decree or lose some assets. You could also face contempt charges or even jail time.

Extremely beneficial. A prenuptial agreement can help with any confusion dealing with any assets deemed martial or separate, whether or not property with be divided up equally, and last but not least, whether a spouse can or can not receive spousal support.

A person can receive spousal support based on what the judge orders. A person can either receive support that ends at a specific date or they can get indefinite support which lasts until either spouse dies. The indefinite support is rare to get.

It can affect it in a way where one party might have put much more money away in a retirement account compared to the other spouse but a retirement account can be seen as marital property which would then be divided equitable which would most likely mean a 50/50 split of that retirement.

You should be able to come to a decision with your ex-spouse on where they will attend school. If the both of you are unable to come to a decision, then you'll have to go through meditation with a 3rd party or you might find yourself back in court where the judge will then decide what school would be best suited for your children.

The divorce process from start to finish should take only a few months but that will only happen if one of the divorcing parties doesn't content the divorce and allow it to drag on any further than it needs to.

All assets that the couple owns, either individually or jointly

Stocks and bonds are analyzed just like any other piece of property. First, you need to determine whether it is marital property or separate property.

It depends on what you mean by “protected.” You certainly can’t insulate investments from equitable distribution during divorce.

All marital property is divided equitably in divorce, including high-value assets. If there is property you want to hang onto, you should discuss it with your Ohio high net worth divorce attorney.

Your estate might contain marital and separate property, so you need to sit down and assign your assets one of these labels.