Recent News

On December 8, 2022, the House passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which protects same-sex and interracial marriages at the federal level.  Following the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this year to overturn Roe v. Wade, many interracial couples were concerned that Loving v. Virginia could similarly be overturned.   Same-sex couples were concerned that the rights… Read More

It may seem obvious, but many people do not realize that parenting is a fundamental right under the United States and Washington State Constitutions. One area that the fundamental right to parent can play out is in protection order hearings that involve children. If a parent applies for a protective order preventing the other parent… Read More

September 8th, 2022 Susan O’Toole discusses updates on Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPO). Read More

A Child Support Order entered in another state is referred to as a “Foreign Support Order.”  In Washington, enforcement of such foreign orders must be done in accordance with the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (codified in RCW 26.21).  Enforcement is a remedy asking the Court to compel a party to abide by the terms… Read More

Recently, the Washington State Court of Appeals released an opinion on whether a parent has a constitutional due process right to parent a child born as a result of their sexual assault. In this post, I will elaborate upon the case and the court’s holding. In the Matter of the Parentage of: R.V. – The… Read More

Major provisions of RCW 7.105, Washington’s new protection order statute, became effective July 1, 2022. The statute combines all current types of restraining orders under one statute, with the intent of increasing the accessibility, efficiency, and effectiveness of protection orders. Under the statute, domestic violence protection orders (DVPO), sexual assault protection orders (SAPO), stalking protection… Read More

June 16th, 2022 Attorney Lisa H. Do talks about how to calculate child support. Read More

For the past couple of years, both King County [LFLR 23] and Thurston County [LSPR 94.03F] have had some form of IFLTs, or Informal Family Law Trials. Washington State is currently deciding whether to follow suit via Proposed GR 40, which is currently open for comment. Below is a summary of the proposed rule, and… Read More

May 19th, 2022 Attorney Susan O’Toole and her guests, attorney Soloman Kim, Judge Helen Halpert (Ret.), and Judge Michael Downes (Ret.), discuss mediation in high conflict cases. Read More