| People approaching Washington divorces are often | | | | husbands pension." They might agree that in a |
| surprised by the deficiency of clear rules. People | | | | particular case $200.00 a week for child support |
| ask their lawyers, '' How much alimony do I have | | | | would be unlikely. Lawyers who have appeared |
| to pay?'' ''How much child support will I owe?'' How | | | | many times before the same judge may acquire |
| long I will have to pay?'' How much of my pension | | | | useful generalizations. Much of this may be true |
| does she get?" With very few exceptions, | | | | indeed, but the truth is that you cannot depend |
| Washington Divorce Online has found that the law | | | | on it. You may get a particular judge, or you may |
| itself cannot give you very precise answers to | | | | get that judge on a bad day, or your lawyer may |
| these questions. | | | | be wrong. Although most lawyers will sovereignly |
| Either you and your spouse will negotiate a | | | | foretell the outcome in court, few will guarantee |
| settlement between yourselves or a judge will | | | | you the conclusion. You need to treat such |
| determine the arrangements for you. In | | | | predictions with healthy skepticism. |
| Washington State divorce cases, there are now | | | | Judges understand that you can do a much |
| formal guidelines that the court must follow in | | | | better job of generating an agreement that |
| awarding child support. However, on most issues, | | | | works for you both, which is why they don't |
| judges are unfettered to implement their own | | | | meddle in a settlement agreement. Ultimately, the |
| discretion after hearing evidence, and this | | | | Washington divorce law governing your |
| discretion extends even to child support guidelines. | | | | settlement agreement is what you together |
| You take your chances when you and your | | | | believe to be fair and in the best interest of your |
| spouse go to trial. It can be a roll of the dice. | | | | family. |
| Most judges do their best to be fair and | | | | Every uncontested Washington divorce form or |
| professional, but, like the rest of us, judges are | | | | Washington divorce decree must deal with five |
| susceptible to their own prejudices and biases. If | | | | basic issues. These issues deal with: 1) alimony, 2) |
| you don't like the judge's decisions you will either | | | | property division, and, if there are children, 3) |
| learn to live with them or you can appeal to a | | | | custody, 4) visitation, and 5) child support. These |
| higher court, but few people ever utilize the | | | | five issues must be determined by the divorcing |
| appeal process. Appeals are difficult to win | | | | couple in order to obtain an uncontested divorce. |
| because the burden is on the person making the | | | | If you and your spouse agree on everything and |
| appeal to prove to the higher court that the trial | | | | put it in writing, you have an uncontested |
| judge misinterpreted the law or abused the | | | | Washington State divorce; there is literally no |
| discretion permitted the judge by law. Even if you | | | | contest. If there is any issue on which you |
| are one of the few who wins on appeal, all you | | | | disagree, you have a contested divorce. |
| get most of the time is a new trial. The only way | | | | Invariably, contested divorces center around one |
| to be sure that your Washington divorce meets | | | | of the five issues of divorce: property distribution, |
| your needs is for you and your spouse to | | | | alimony, custody, visitation, and child support. |
| negotiate the resolution yourselves. | | | | When a divorce is contested, it is usually because |
| When you negotiate your agreement, you | | | | the couple has not been able to agree on one or |
| negotiate a contract voluntarily. You sign it | | | | more of the above mentioned issues. |
| voluntarily. You cannot decide that neither of you | | | | When a Washington Divorce petition is filed, the |
| will support your children, and you cannot subject | | | | state has several concerns that must be satisfied |
| your children to danger or neglect. But, within | | | | before the divorce is proved up and approved. |
| very broad limits you are free to decide together, | | | | The state wants to know how the children will be |
| how you will resolve the issues at hand. | | | | supported, who will support them, and who is in |
| Settlement arrangements are negotiated in the | | | | charge of them. The state is the parent of last |
| shadow of the law. That means, you negotiate | | | | resort. If children are abandoned, the state must |
| with an eye on what you think would happen if | | | | provide for them. Because it wants this role |
| you were to go to trial and let the judge decide. | | | | minimized, the state, through its courts, requires |
| Experienced lawyers often think they can predict | | | | that provisions be made for children at the time |
| what would happen at trial. Washington State | | | | of the Washington State divorce. Thus the court |
| Divorce lawyers tend to develop a consensus or | | | | requires an agreement or a court order specifying |
| sense of industry standards about the results of | | | | the duties and rights of each parent with respect |
| trials. They may agree that the judges "always | | | | to raising and supporting the children. |
| give the wife half the house" or " a third of the | | | | |