Recent News

What Does My Monthly Child Support Payment Cover?

Washington State Family Law Lawyer Anne B. Bennette | 10/2/2023
In the State of Washington, a Child Support Order identifies a ‘standard transfer payment’ from the obligor to the obligee.  This amount is based on each party’s income and the number of children to be supported.  The standard transfer payment is included on the child support worksheet and calculated by taking the combined net income… Read More

What are the Practical Effects of the New Uniform Family Law Arbitration Act?

Washington State Divorce & Family Law Lawyer Mackenzie O. Bretz | 9/5/2023
This year, Governor Jay Inslee signed into law HB 1088, which adopted the Uniform Family Law Arbitration Act (UFLAA), a statutory scheme for the arbitration of family law disputes. The new arbitration laws allow for greater flexibility and efficiency in family law cases. And, since all awards are confirmed by the Court, there is a… Read More

Am I a De Facto Parent?

The Lawyers at Beresford Booth | 8/31/2023
Parentage appears in numerous forms. Biological parentage and legal adoption tend to be more commonplace; however, an often-overlooked form is that of “de facto parentage.” Conceptually, a de facto parentage legally recognizes the relationship between a child and a person who has acted as a parent, even if they are not the biological or adoptive… Read More

How will A.I. Affect my Family Law Case?

Washington State Divorce & Family Law Lawyer Mackenzie O. Bretz | 8/21/2023
The buzz continues around how A.I. will affect the law and lawyers in general. However, Family Law may feel some very specific effects of A.I. What is A.I.? A.I. stands for Artificial Intelligence. Typically, this means programs use machine learning to perform human-like tasks. The programs will take information from complied data to detect patterns,… Read More

Parenting Plans – What is a Minor Modification?

Washington State Family Law Lawyer Anne B. Bennette | 6/29/2023
When the Court enters a Final Parenting Plan, it is expected that it will remain in place until the child (or children) are no longer dependent.  For that reason, it is important to have a comprehensive Final Parenting Plan addressing the residential schedule, holidays, and other provisions as the children age no matter how young… Read More