Lacey Family Law

Are you considering a divorce, but concerned about what the process entails, or perhaps even wondering how issues involving alimony and child custody are handled? If so, then you are obviously worried about how a divorce will affect your future and your child's future. While no attorney can ever tell you how a divorce will ultimately be resolved, our Lacey divorce lawyers can help you come to a better understanding of how Washington family law applies to your situation.

Make no mistake about it, divorce is a difficult thing to go through for everyone. Kids may suffer more than parents if they are unable to agree on topics involving custody and support. If you ultimately decide to move forward with a divorce, there are a lot of decisions that you'll be forced to make.

Obviously, the decision to file for a divorce is one of the toughest you will ever make, so you want to be fully prepared and have a working knowledge of all pertinent Washington family law. With so much at stake, you need to be certain that you are making the best possible decisions for your family.

Our professional Lacey divorce attorneys offer sound legal guidance based on more than 5 decades of combined family law experience. Some of the decisions you may be required to make could involve property division, alimony, child custody, and division of high value assets, among others.

Our Lacey divorce lawyers can also help with other important family law issues that arise during a divorce or outside of the divorce process. Some of these other issues may include:

• Annulments of marriage
• Legal separation of Lacey couples
• Debt and property division
• Same sex marriage issues
• Questions of paternity

Lacey is a suburb of Olympia and is located in Thurston County. This quaint city boasts of population of around 43,000, and was originally called Woodland. The name Lacey came from a local Justice of the Peace named O.C. Lacey. It was named well before the start of he 20^th Century, but the city wasn't incorporated until 1966. Lacey had humble farming beginnings, but today it has a big movie theater and the first Cabela's sporting goods store ever opened in the Puget Sound region. For more information about local government, check out the City of Lacey Washington website, which is full of detailed local information.

If you have a few hours to spend with your family in Lacey, be sure to check out the Rainier Vista Community Park, which is equipped with fun sports fields, a skate park, and playgrounds that will wear your kids out. If you enjoy the outdoors, Long Lake Park has a wonderful lake is perfect for a dip. There are also picnic tables, volleyball courts, and many well-maintained trails.

All of the hiking and swimming in the world can't save a broken marriage. When there is no other choice than to seek a divorce, Lacey residents must become familiar with the Thurston County Family Court . This division of the Thurston County Superior Court also handles other family law matters dealing with adoption, child custody, paternity, and many others. You probably have little knowledge of how the courts work, but your Lacey family law lawyer will be more than happy to provide you with details.

No matter what family law matter you're addressing, it's important to understand how the law views your situation. There is a lot of misinformation on the internet, and advice from friends and family is often incorrect. The best way to get a handle on your family law or divorce questions is to talk with one of our lawyers. They can give you detailed information regarding your specific case. The next best thing is to review the following information about some of the more common divorce issues we encounter.

Child Custody – If you have children, they are probably the most important part of your life. A divorce may mean a significant change to the relationship you have with your kids. If you no longer see them every day or have the final say in regards to certain aspects of their upbringing, how will you react? This is often why child custody negotiations become emotionally charged. Each parent may believe that they are the more suitable parent to obtain primary custody, which can lead to animosity and anger.

Avoiding conflict during divorce negotiations can be difficult, but our Lacey family law lawyers believe that it's almost always in your best interests. If you can't create your own parenting plan, a judge is going to do it for you. Sometimes a client's spouse and their attorney prove unreasonable, and in these cases we will not back down from a fight. But most of the time we urge clients to avoid conflict and seek a fair resolution, even if it's not always easy. Our Lacey child custody lawyers may not always tell you what you want to hear, but they will tell you what you need to hear when tough choices are required.

Child Support – If children are involved in the divorce, it's possible that one parent will have to pay child support. Often these payments are made to the parent with primary custody. The amount of support depends on a variety of factors, and it's written out in the parenting plan. If the responsible parent fails to make these payments, they could face punishments like having their driver's license suspended. Our Lacey child support lawyers also handle cases where paternity must be established.

Spousal Support – In marriages where one person is the primary breadwinner, the other person may not have any means to support themselves after a divorce. Judges often award alimony in these situations. Few people enjoy making monthly alimony payments to their ex, but sometimes there's simply no way around it. The amount of support and the duration of payments will depend largely on the financial nature of the marriage and how long it lasted. Our Lacey spousal support lawyers can help you figure out whether alimony may be part of your divorce negotiations.

Divorce for men – Some of our male clients are worried about being treated fairly by the court, especially in regards to child custody issues. A lot of this stems from what they may have seen on TV and the movies, but in the past courts did show favoritism to mothers. This has changed over the years, but regardless of your gender you should always make sure your legal rights are protected. Our Lacey divorce for men lawyers will aggressively defend your legal rights as a father every step of the way.

Restraining Orders and Protection Orders – These legal tools are designed to protect someone from an abusive partner or parent. Sometimes abuse has been going on for years, and sometimes a partner becomes abusive when the word “divorce” is mentioned. Whatever the situation, nobody deserves to be abused, which is why these options exist. These orders are almost always obeyed because there are penalties for violating them. If you need help with this issue, contact one of our Lacey restraining order lawyers for a confidential consultation and get the help you desperately need.

Support Modifications – After a divorce, sometimes a person gets sick, loses their job, or has some other significant change in lifestyle that severely impacts their finances. In these situations, it's possible to petition the court for a support modification. Usually modifications are made to child support payments, but alimony modifications are sometimes possible. To get the facts, contact one of our Lacey support modification attorneys.

When you retain a divorce attorney from our law office, you are essentially hiring a team of dedicated professionals who will protect your legal rights and compassionately help you transition into a new life. A divorce can be an emotionally draining experience, so part of our responsibility is helping you through this difficult and potentially devastating time.

Some people in Lacey make the mistake of thinking they can get by without professional representation. They go to great effort in an attempt to find online divorce resources so that they can save money. What they don’t realize is that they will likely spend more in the long run, especially in emotional currency, when they make mistakes that adversely affect their future.

When difficult choices arise it reaps dividends to have experienced Thurston County family law lawyers protecting your interests and ensuring your legal rights are protected.

You don’t have to go through a divorce alone because you can contact us today for a free consultation and get the answers you need to take the next step. If you retain one of our Lacey family law professionals they will be at your side throughout the divorce process, always assisting you with caring counsel that you can trust.