Family and Parenting
How Do Parents Get Their Children Back in a Washington State Dependency Case?
June 14, 2019
A “dependency” case is a juvenile court case where someone, almost always the state through Child Protective Services (CPS), petitions the court for removal of the child from the parents and asks that the court make a finding that the child is “dependent” under Washington State law. A dependent c...
The Intersection of Family Law Parenting Plans and Dependency (CPS) Cases
May 22, 2019
A parenting plan is the order the family law court enters, most typically in cases of divorce and legal separation, to govern which parent the child will live with and when. But what happens to a parenting plan when a child is removed from the home by CPS and dependency case is established? T...
Family Treatment Court – An Innovative, Collaborative Alternative to Standard Dependency Court
May 3, 2019
Family Treatment Court (FTC) in King County is a voluntary, intensive alternative to regular dependency court for parents for whom substance use is central to their dependency case, and who can benefit from a more intensive, less adversarial court process. County dependency drug courts vary widel...
Financial Considerations for Getting Remarried Later in Life
May 3, 2019
As the baby boomer generation has moved into retirement age, many are choosing to make big life moves. Baby boomers are increasingly staying in the work force, pursuing new ventures, as well as getting divorced and remarried. These are often not their first marriages, which means that they may have a web of previous obligations and financial entanglements to sort out. Here is a non-exhaustive list of some key financial points to keep in mind to make this big transition as stress-free as possible:
Discussing Divorce with Your Children – Do this Right!
February 27, 2019
Although going through a divorce is going to be difficult on every member of your family, it's very common for your children to take the news the hardest and to need the most time to come to grips with the reality of what is happening. While there is likely nothing that you can do to make thi...
Who is Living in the House; Who is paying for soccer camp? – Temporary Orders and How they Help
February 13, 2019
Once the divorce process is over, you and your ex will have a plan on how to handle each and every aspect of your divorce agreement. In the meantime, what are you supposed to do about things such as the kids' residential schedule, paying the family bills and child support? “Winging it” is almost...
Bridging the Gap Between Your Children and Your New Partner
January 18, 2019
Parents and their children have different challenges to face when a divorce happens and adapting to life with your new partner can be one of the hardest to face as a child. Your child has likely long-entertained the idea that you and your ex will get back together and realize that this was all ...
Co-Parenting
January 16, 2019
Ideally, divorced parents would find it in themselves to be able to parent their children in a civil manner that puts their kids before themselves. This, as we all know, is not always the case and joint parenting efforts can turn ugly quickly. When this unfortunate truth becomes your reality, the...
No Court 4 Families 2025
August 29, 2018
https://www.divorceforce.com/article/does-family-court-destroy-family-by-karen-bonnell The article outlines the initiative led by Karen Bonnell, author of The Co-Parents Handbook and the soon to be released, The Step Family Handbook. Karen so succinctly states, "The adversarial, litigation proc...
Paternity Leave for Zuckerberg
January 5, 2018
Experts understand that children do best when both parents work together to raise their children. Companies are increasingly allowing more generous paternity benefits as they recognize the need for fathers to be involved parents too. As stars like Zuckerberg publicly take paternity leave, they be...