Fort Collins Family Law Blog

Getting an international divorce in Colorado

On behalf of Lunt & Associates, LLC on Thursday, July 5, 2018.

It is becoming increasingly common for marriages to either take place outside of the United States or end when spouses are living in different countries. If you want to file for a divorce in Colorado but your spouse is currently living outside of the United States, you might be confused as to how you move forward with your divorce filing.

Such divorce filings do have the potential to become complicated, because American family law needs to interact with international law and potentially the law of the country in which your other spouse is living. Therefore, it's a good idea that you take the time to learn about how the law applies to you before taking action in filing for your international divorce.

Child support payments don't have to be mystifying

On behalf of Lunt & Associates, LLC on Wednesday, June 27, 2018.

Child support payments are often a confusing aspect of child custody situations. These payments are made from one parent to the other, but are meant to support the children. In actuality, the payments are made to the kids but they need an adult to manage their financial interests.

It is up to the recipient parent to determine how the support money is used. The paying parent usually won't have a say in how it is spent unless the child's needs are going unmet. Here are some important things to know about child support payments:

Why is gray divorce on the rise?

On behalf of Lunt & Associates, LLC on Wednesday, June 6, 2018.

Gray divorce is more common than ever. Since the 1990s, reports from the Pew Research Center show that the rate of divorce has doubled for those who are at least 50 years old.

Are you shocked? Many people feel that way. They assume that getting to 50 years old, which often means decades of marriage, also means that divorce is no longer on the radar. The statistics show otherwise, as more and more retirees and other older couples decide to call things off.

Reasons for requesting a custody modification in Colorado

On behalf of Lunt & Associates, LLC on Sunday, May 6, 2018.

When you have a child and you are sharing custody with the other parent, change is unavoidable. Custody plans are in place to protect your child and give them the best upbringing possible. Therefore, when situations change, it means that the child custody plan may need to change, too.

As a parent who is considering requesting a child custody modification, you may wonder if the effort is necessary, or whether you even have a valid reason for requesting a modification. If you believe that a change in the current child custody plan will benefit your child because of certain changes that have occurred, then it is likely that your reasoning will be valued by the courts. The following are some of the most common reasons why child custody agreements are modified.

What will the Colorado courts do with your home during a divorce?

On behalf of Lunt & Associates, LLC on Wednesday, May 2, 2018.

There are many nerve-wracking uncertainties in any pending divorce. Unless you have a legally valid prenuptial agreement on record or you agree on all terms about the divorce, it's hard to predict any details about the outcome of your divorce. In fact, the inability to predict the outcome can often leave people struggling through an unhappy or dysfunctional marriage instead of seeking divorce.

One common concern focuses on the biggest asset many couples obtain during the course of their marriage. The family home often represents the biggest purchase and one of the largest monthly expenses for your family. The equity in your home may very well be the most sizeable asset from your marriage. It is a common source of complication during a high asset divorce.

Is uncontested divorce a good fit for your needs?

On behalf of Lunt & Associates, LLC posted in blog on Thursday, April 5, 2018.

When a couple realizes that their marriage is over, they may look for the quickest, easiest way to achieve divorce and go their separate ways. In many cases, this is far more complicated than the couple may realize, especially if they choose to file for divorce representing themselves.

Filing for divorce pro se, or representing oneself in court, is growing in popularity, especially among couples who seek an uncontested or summary divorce. Uncontested or summary divorce streamlines the process for couples who meet state specific standards that determine that who may file.

Stepparent adoptions: What if the other parent doesn't agree?

On behalf of Lunt & Associates, LLC posted in blog on Friday, March 9, 2018.

It's a beautiful experience to fall in love with your stepchild. In fact, many stepparents are so attached to their stepchildren that they would like to adopt them and become the children's official parent.

In order for this to happen, however, the other biological parent will usually need to agree to the process. In some cases, if the other parent sees the stepparent's love for the child, the stepparent might gain the approval he or she seeks. But what happens if the other parent protests the adoption?

High asset divorces can become complicated quickly

On behalf of Lunt & Associates, LLC posted in blog on Sunday, March 4, 2018.

If you and your spouse acquired a lot of assets during your marriage, that could mean your divorce may end up complex and drawn out for a long time. If you don't have a prenuptial agreement on record and can't compromise on terms for an uncontested divorce, the courts will need to handle all of the biggest decisions. Their goal will be a just division of assets. That can lead to a long and contentious divorce process.

Child custody and support are often issues that cause a lot of frustration during divorce. Asset division is another common source of disagreements. It's not rare for spouses with considerable or complex assets to disagree about how to split those possessions up when they divorce. While no one can predict the exact outcome of a divorce case, you can inform yourself about risk factors and likely results.

Be on the lookout for hidden assets in your pending divorce

On behalf of Lunt & Associates, LLC posted in blog on Thursday, February 8, 2018.

There are a lot of considerations when you believe divorce is likely for your marriage. For example, you need to consider how the divorce could impact your children, if you have any. If you and your spouse signed a prenuptial agreement, review the contract before you decide to file. You're also going to want to make copies of critical financial documents for your own records. However, it's important to realize that your spouse may also be taking steps to prepare for divorce.

Most of the time, these preparations involve arranging a new place to live or consulting with an attorney. Some people, however, will do things that are both unethical and illegal. Incurring large amounts of new debt, wasting marital assets or attempting to hide assets prior to divorce are all possible, especially in a high asset divorce. The greater the overall value of your marital assets, the more motivation your spouse may have to hide some of them.

Is co-parenting right for your child custody case?

On behalf of Lunt & Associates, LLC posted in blog on Wednesday, January 10, 2018.

Your children have probably become accustomed to having both parents at home rearing them. When you find out that a divorce is in the cards, you and your ex will need to work together to come up with a child custody agreement that puts your children first. There are many ways that you can set this up, so you need to think carefully about each one before you make a decision.

The days of children only seeing one parent for a few days a month are long gone. Many child custody cases now include parenting time that is split fairly evenly between parents. The co-parenting model of child custody helps to make this happen, but it isn't necessarily the best option for all divorces. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you agree to this parenting style.