Recent News

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised numerous questions concerning Parenting Plans and whether parents must abide by court-ordered residential schedules during this time. The short answer is yes; although there may be limited exceptions. The following are common questions heard by our Family Law Group. Responses follow the guidelines related to parenting plans issued by Snohomish… Read More

The Government will soon be issuing COVID-19 stimulus checks to individuals and married couples who qualify based on income.  Individuals making less than $75,000 per year will receive $1,200 and married couples with combined income of less than $150,000 per year will receive $2,400.  If the taxpayer has children, the government will issue an additional… Read More

Families face unprecedented challenges in response to COVID-19, and these challenges may impact residential time children spend with a parent and/or the ability of a parent to pay support obligations.  The Family Law Group at Beresford Booth is available to assist and provide advice, guidance and representation to parents as to their rights and options… Read More

If you are in a divorce process, you have to think outside the box when you consider division of your estate—your estate may be more than just homes, cars, investments, and retirement accounts. Think about the activities, vacations, and other benefits you’ve enjoyed together, and you may find there are additional items up for discussion.… Read More

In a marriage dissolution, individuals frequently ask what assets and debts are subject to the Court’s orders in a divorce.  All separate and community property is subject to division and distribution in a divorce.  As such, it is important to understand what is a spouse’s separate property versus what is the marital community property.  Courts… Read More

What is a Committed Intimate Relationship? In Washington State, common-law marriage—legal recognition of marriage without having formally registered their relationship—is not lawful.  However, Washington courts have adopted a definition for a long-term, unmarried relationship known as a committed intimidate relationship (“CIR”). The existence of a CIR creates a presumption that all property acquired during the… Read More

Individuals entering divorce proceedings often hold many questions about the process. When counseling people through divorce we consistently encounter one question: how will the marital assets be divided by the Court? Factors Affecting Asset Division RCW 26.09.080 provides us with an answer in that “the court shall…make such disposition of the property and the liabilities… Read More

Great excitement and uncertainty surround the evolving cryptocurrency market (“crypto”).   As crypto grows in popularity as an investment or form of currency exchanged in lieu of cash, so grow the issues crypto presents in divorce and legal separation cases.  Given the unknowns that the crypto industry brings, involvement of these assets in our cases can… Read More

Last month, I wrote an article discussing how The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act affected spousal support.  The article briefly outlines how the tax status of alimony changed to tax-neutral. Therefore, under the new tax law, alimony is no longer a tax-deductible expenditure, nor can it be considered income for recipients. This alteration not only… Read More