Wisconsin is one of several states that does not require the claim of wrongdoing to petition the Court for a divorce. Come your final divorce hearing, the court need only establish that both you and your partner agree that the marriage is “irretrievably broken.” At the onset of filing, the Courts do not view the […]
The divorce process can be a contested litigation battle, but that does not need to be the case. To help you (and your ex-partner) maintain reasonable expectations for each other throughout the divorce, here are some potentially beneficial pointers for what is to come: Do not make frivolous purchases after the divorce is filed. Most […]
If the Court decides that it is going to impute a party with income, it will next need to decide what income to use. If a party is not working enough hours, imputing income is somewhat simple. The Court will likely use the existing hourly rate and multiply it by the number of hours the […]
We recently discussed what it means for the Court to impute you with income. We explained that without a good reason, if you are unemployed, or under employed, the Court can assess you with a higher income than you actually have when doing its support calculations. If you are at risk of being imputed with […]
During child support and maintenance determinations, the Court will assess parties’ incomes. Not only will the Court look at the numbers, but in some cases, the circumstances surrounding one’s employment will be relevant. If historically you have made a lot of money, and intentionally decrease your income to avoid paying support, you are likely going […]
Why Joint Appraisals, Evaluations or Occupational Examinations may benefit you? Upon the filing for a divorce, there are various assets with unknown values to be had between the two of you. As lawyers, we are only licensed to advise you through your divorce in consideration of the benefits and risks of your position for […]
Whether it be the family cat, dog, farm animal or some other fur baby, in the face of a divorce, it is currently impossible to duplicate and divide one animal to have an “equal” division of property. In the eyes of the courts, they are essentially deemed in the same respect as any other miscellaneous […]
Maintenance, which you may know as spousal support or alimony, is governed by Wisconsin Statute 767.56. Though maintenance awards are determined by a number of statutory factors, judges have quite a lot of discretion in determining whether to award maintenance at all, and if so, how much. The first factor is the length of marriage. […]
There are a couple notable differences between the two, though procedurally, the process of obtaining each is almost identical. Most notably, couples who get a legal separation, rather than a divorce, are not divorced! Still, through the legal separation process, assets and debts will be divided, and an order regarding ongoing finances will be made. […]
Do you have an upcoming initial hearing in your family law case? If so, you are likely tasked with completing either a Financial Disclosure Statement (“FDS”) or an Income and Expense Form (“I/E Form”). The purpose of these court forms is to provide a snapshot of your financial circumstances. By listing your monthly income, expenses, […]
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