Seattle Divorce Terms Attorney

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Knowing the Terms of a Marriage Ending

When two people walk down the aisle or exchange vows in another setting, most likely expect to be together for many years. That said the reality of the situation is that is oftentimes not the case.

If your marriage is nearing its breaking point, working with the right Seattle family law attorney is imperative.

He or she can assist you to make sure your rights are not trampled. From making sure you have access to alimony (if qualified) to child support (if you have children under 18), you don’t want your pending breakup to penalize you financially for years to come.

With that in mind, how educated are you when it comes to a marriage ending in the first place?

More importantly, will you find the right family law attorney in Seattle with which to work with?

Let a Seattle Family Law Attorney Guide You

So that you are better equipped to deal with your official breakup, it is best to educate yourself as much as possible with key terms in play.

Among them:

• Abandonment – This is where one of the two individuals has been absent from the marriage for a continuous time frame of a year or more. Unlike being away for military service or other legitimate reasons, abandonment revolves around being gone minus the other party’s consent.
• Adultery – This is when one (sometimes both individuals) in a marriage takes part in a sexual act of one form or another with someone else when legally married.
• Annulment – This court declaration notes that the marriage never had legal validity. Following such a decree, both individuals are able to remarry.
• Default judgment – This judgment is acquired against the defendant when he or she does not respond to either a summons or verified complaint; or a summons with divorce notice, within the time constraints permitted by the law.
• Discovery – This involves at a party’s request for required disclosure litigant information. This oftentimes involves money matters in the pending breakup.
• Family court – This is where many breakup cases end up being heard.
• Marital property – This is any property (furniture, vehicles, vacation home etc. that either the plaintiff or defendant acquired from when the couple married to when one or both filed papers to dissolve the marriage.
• Separation – This is action taken by one of the parties involved to leave the residence on an ongoing basis before a breakup unfolds.

While there are more terms to boot, knowing some of the basic ones will better guide you through your pending divorce.

Having the right family law attorney will make things smoother too.