Divorce & Legal Separation

Approximately 50% of first marriages end up in divorce. As unfortunate as that statistic is, this means that every second person has their life disrupted for a period of four months up to a year while their divorce is pending. Further, for couples with children, dissolution of marriage does not eliminate the necessity to communicate with their ex-spouse, often resulting in additional conflicts and court hearings over the years. One of the most effective ways to maintain some measure of sanity during a divorce is hiring a competent family law attorney to handle preparation for court hearings, explain the legal procedure and provide means to resolve future issues without court intervention.

Our office will evaluate complexity of your case, inform you of the issues involved or potential matters of concern, explain consequences of any possible legal decision that you can make during your divorce procedure, draft necessary paperwork for you (volume of legal paperwork should not be underestimated), competently represent you at court hearings, suggest better alternatives to court hearings, if such alternatives are available for your case, and do everything else. We will diligently work on your case so that you do not have to and can use the time to concentrate on more important things such as planning for your life after the divorce.

Having gone through a messy divorce herself, Julia Khorun has intimate knowledge of the toll a divorce takes on someone. One of our main objectives is to minimize the impact of the legal process on your important personal relationships, so that at the end you not only achieve your immediate legal goals but also maintain healthy relationships with your children and other family members. She takes a rational approach to every issue, taking into consideration a necessity to save your money, time, aggravation, and maintain your important relationships. Please contact us for a free half-hour consulation and initial case assessment.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How long does it take to get a divorce?

If divorce is uncontested, then it will take at least 90 days from start to finish because under the state law a 90-days cooling off period is required.

If there are questions of how to divide the money, real property and other assents or how to resolve issues with children and child support and the parents cannot agree on those questions, then the divorce might take as long as a year or more. Sometimes the final resolution is achieved in trial.

2. How much does it cost?

Unfortunately there is no definite amount of how much a divorce might cost. At the least it will cost you a $280.00 filing fee with the superior court for an uncontested dissolution of marriage and a couple of missed days at work for court appearances.

3. Will our property be split 50/50?

Courts in Washington State divide property in a “fair and equitable” manner, which means that they take into consideration all facts of your case. For example, child support, earning capacities of each person, and others.

4. How is child support calculated?

In Washington State the Legislature created a Child Support Schedule and Economic Table that is used for calculation of the child support. That table is based on the number and ages of the children and total net incomes of the parties. At the same time, when determining child support, the court also takes into consideration other factors to make it fair and reasonable.

Child Support Schedule can be found here. It is a good example of the information the court considers when determining the amount of child support.

You can find the Economic Table here. The 2009 law can be found here.

Additional information on child support can be located here.

5. Should I hire a divorce attorney?

If you and your partner agree on how to divide the property, child support and parenting plan, then you might consider not hiring an attorney. In such cases, it is a good idea to work with Family Law Facilitators that could be found in most counties.

In all other more complex situations, it is best to hire an attorney to represent your interests.

6. My spouse hired an attorney, can that attorney represent both of us?

No, an attorney cannot represent you and your spouse in the same divorce case. Most likely you and your spouse have different goals. As an attorney is not supposed to make a determination on your case, s/he cannot represent both of you at the same time.

Moreover, under Rules of Professional Responsibility an attorney should not represent clients with opposing or conflicting interests. If s/he does so, s/he could be disbarred or his/her license might be suspended or revoked.