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by Maryann Kelly on Fri, 03/02/2012 - 7:49am
I remember sitting in a doctors reception area before I was divorced and reading an article called the Secret Perk of Being Divorced. My marriage was hanging by a thread at the time and I was very sad about the idea of having a broken family. The author was recently divorced and wrote about the wonderful feeling of having a whole weekend to herself while the kids were with their dad. Ironically, she wrote he rarely made time for the kids when they were married, but was now spending every other weekend doing everything from making pancakes to baths at night.
Something clicked in me when I read that article, and I started to focus on the ways my life would improve if my marriage failed. One of the things I looked forward to the most was more quiet time to read and journal. I also looked forward to being able to talk on the phone with my friends, and have long conversations or simply silly conversations without him wanting me to get off the phone or have judgment about what we were talking about.
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by Warren Shiell on Tue, 02/28/2012 - 7:47am
Last weekend, I finally embarked on the monumental task of cleaning out the garage, one of the many pending "requests" from my beloved a.k.a my weekend shift manager. To be fair, it was a reasonable request and it was long overdue. After a couple of hours, while I was on a break, I came across the following article from the Wall Street Journal with the title, "Meet the Marriage Killer" by Elizabeth Bernstein." The piece was about how nagging by wives was as potent a cause of divorce as adultery. It defined nagging as the interaction in which one person repeatedly makes a request and the other person repeatedly ignores it and both become increasingly annoyed. Some people I know, might characterize this as the definition of marriage? At first blush, it sounded like something you might read in the Onion.
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by Warren Shiell on Tue, 02/14/2012 - 7:53am
Valentine's Day is upon us. Some of us will receive flowers, others jewelry and others may receive more expensive gifts such as a new car. Wouldn't that be nice? You would think that a gift is a gift but in California that is not always the case. As a divorce lawyer practicing in California, I hate to rain on your parade but if you receive a diamond necklace from your husband as a gift, the law may not treat it as a gift if you ever get divorced.
This is very common where a divorce turns nasty. Suddenly the gift giver and their lawyer decide that all the gifts of jewelry etc. during the marriage were not gifts at all but property of the marriage.
The reason for this is that in a community property state like California there is a presumption that all property acquired during marriage is community property and must be divided equally in the event of a divorce. Certain types of gift are an exception to this rule but the exception is narrowly defined.
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by First Wives World on Tue, 01/10/2012 - 8:00am
In the stress and confusion of separating households, it often becomes necessary to maintain boundaries around what’s yours and what’s his. And as one life becomes two, you may find that your phone is ringing with people who are still in the dark regarding your situation, with calls from your lawyer, or perhaps from your newfound friends here at First Wives World.
Enter a smart, new App called Line2, a mobile communications app that adds a second line to your existing Android or Apple device, and turns your iPad into a desktop phone, enabling you to have a completely private second line without needing a second phone.
You can use this line for logistics surrounding your divorce, or perhaps when you’re ready to start dating again and meet new people, drawing clear lines around your newly private space and setting up a new phone number that belongs to you and only to you; one that marks a fresh, new, independent start.
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by First Wives World on Fri, 01/28/2011 - 10:50am
MISSISSIPPI DIVORCE LAWS:
The Residency Requirement: One of the spouses must have been a resident of Mississippi for at least six months prior to filing, and not have secured residency solely for the purpose of procuring a divorce.
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by First Wives World on Sat, 01/22/2011 - 6:04am
KENTUCKY DIVORCE LAWS:
The Residency Requirement: The party filing the divorce must have lived in Kentucky for 180 days prior to filing.
Grounds: No fault: The irretrievable breakdown of marriage. The parties must have lived apart for 60 days before the decree, but that can be under the same roof, as long as there is no sexual contact.
Property division: Kentucky is an equitable-distribution, dual-classification state. That means property is classified as either separate or marital; separate property must go to the property owner, while marital property is divided between the parties “equitably.” Equitable means fairly, based on how the parties acquired and treated the property during the marriage; it does not mean equally (click the following for an overview and key tips on dividing up property through divorce).
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by First Wives World on Thu, 01/13/2011 - 10:38am
SOUTH DAKOTA DIVORCE LAWS:
The Residency Requirement:
The spouse filing the action must be a resident of South Dakota or a member of the Armed Forces stationed in South Dakota at the time of filing, and must remain a resident until the divorce is final.
Grounds: No Fault: Irreconcilable differences. Fault: Adultery; Extreme cruelty; Willful desertion; Willful neglect; Habitual intemperance; Conviction of felony; Irreconcilable differences.
Property Division: South Dakota is an equitable-distribution “hotchpot” state. This means the court can divide any and all property owned by the parties, however and whenever acquired, in an “equitable” manner, i.e., fairly as the circumstances dictate. Fault is not considered, unless it was relevant to the acquisition of the property during the marriage (click the following for an expert's overview and key tips on dividing up property and assets through divorce).
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by First Wives World on Sun, 01/09/2011 - 8:46am
NEBRASKA DIVORCE LAWS:
The Residency Requirement: One of the spouses must have been a resident for at least one year, or the marriage must have been performed in Nebraska and one of the spouses lived in Nebraska for the entire marriage.
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by Deborah Moskovitch on Thu, 12/30/2010 - 8:53am
A client in my private divorce consulting practice confessed to me recently "My husband just declared he was gay. I feel very alone, I'm so confused ... but I'm sure you have never heard this before." My response of course was this was by no means the first time I had a client tell me that her marriage was ending because her husband declared that he was gay.
In fact, as it turns out, conservative estimates indicate that roughly two million lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals in the United States have married someone of the opposite sex.
It's important to note that when these partners come out of the closet, one of three things happen:
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by First Wives World on Mon, 12/27/2010 - 10:01am
NORTH DAKOTA DIVORCE LAWS:
The Residency Requirement: The plaintiff must be a resident of the state for six months before commencing the action, or for six months before the divorce is made final.
Grounds: No-Fault: Irreconcilably differences. Fault: Adultery; Extreme cruelty, Willful desertion for one year; Willful neglect for one year; Abuse of alcohol and controlled substances for one year; Conviction of a felony.
A word of caution: North Dakota reserves the right to tell you if you can remarry after your divorce.
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