Stewart Law Group

To initiate a divorce in Arizona, a spouse files a “Petition for Dissolution of Marriage” with the clerk of the Superior Court and pays the requisite filing fee. The other spouse must be served with a copy of the petition and summons. He or she has 20 days from the date of service to file a written response with the court (30 days if service is out-of-state). The other spouse may waive service by signing and having notarized an “Acceptance of Service.” The petition and response make up the initial family court pleadings.

I apologize but I do not have enough information to accurately answer your question. If you’re referring to a fraud in your family court matter, then you may be able to file a motion with the court to set aside an agreement or ruling by the judge. Please call our office at (480) 491-0109 and provide more details and perhaps we can schedule you for a consultation with our office.

No. Since you have joint decision making unilateral action like this is not permitted. I recommend contacting both schools and getting copies of all the documents signed by mom. You may want to show them a copy of your current court order.

If your divorce was dismissed for lack of prosecution you can either file to reinstate the original case or you can file a new case immediately. Depending upon the impact of the dismissal, you will need to decide which process would be better.

Unfortunately, we do not practice bankruptcy and I would encourage you to either call our office for a referral or conduct additional online research. We apologize for the inconvenience but we practice divorce, child custody, estate planning, probate, DUI and criminal defense. Best of luck.

Yes, if sole legal custody is appropriate. In Arizona, there is no legal presumption favoring one parent over the other. Meaning that the Court starts with the presumption that parents should have joint custody. However, if you believe joint custody is not appropriate, you can request sole custody.

No, your child does not have the right to decide which parent shall have custody. However, the child’s wishes may be considered by the court at any stage in the proceedings. More often than not, though, the judge will rely on the opinion of a mental health professional for guidance on what is in the child’s best interests.

Divorce can profoundly affect a child’s emotional development, so preparing the child for divorce is an important parenting issue. The child’s emotional well-being during and after the dissolution depends greatly on how the parents handle their divorce. To help ease the children’s transition into the new family relationship, visit our site to read our helpful parenting suggestions for couples who are contemplating divorce.