If you have recently gone through a divorce or are currently going through one, the summer may seem like a daunting proposition. A season typically filled with leisure, relaxation and fun in the sun may now bring up feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. This is especially true if there are children involved. As parents, you will certainly want to make the transition as easy as possible for your children, and this can be more complicated in summer when school is out and many embark on annual family vacations. Read more.
Indian High Court Grants Divorce in Unconsummated Marriage
In India, divorce law holds that couples seeking a divorce must spend a minimum of one year living separately before a divorce can be granted, but a recent case has highlighted a particularly interesting exception to this rule.
Although they had not been living apart for one year, Indian couple Deepak and Aswathy challenged the Alappuzha family court’s denial of their divorce. The couple was married on May 13, 2011 and had lived separately since June 30, 2011 – which was not a year from the date of their divorce filing, May 16, 2012. Yet, they ascertained that their marriage had suffered irreconcilable differences. Read more.
Case Law Updates from Family Mediation Quarterly, April 2014
Case Law Updates by Attorney Jonathan Fields from Family Mediation Quarterly, April 2014, including:
- Temporary Alimony Doesn’t Count.
Divorce at Any Age
We recently took a look at some unique divorce stories, and one of the couples featured was the record holder for the oldest to divorce — a 99-year-old man in Italy, who divorced his wife after learning of an affair she had 70 years before.
While many would think, what is the point of going through a divorce after all that time, when you have very nearly made it to 100 years old? Most likely, the divorce was not a means for him to start over, but to be at peace. And that’s a sentiment felt by many who divorce, whether age 29 or 99. Read more.
Bitcoins and Divorce: Declaring your Digital Currency
Bitcoin has become a buzzword recently, more well-known to some than others, but unless you live under a rock that does not get WiFi, you have surely at the very least heard the term tossed around. For those less informed on the emerging value system, Bitcoin is a digital currency used as a peer-to-peer payment system. Developed in 2009, bitcoins can be exchanged for goods, services and other currencies. While bitcoins have been under fire for their use in illegal activities (e.g. the recently exposed online black market Silk Road), they have legitimate uses as well, making the debate over this new cryptocurrency a hot-button topic. Read more.
Learn more about Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency and Divorce:
“Bitcoin Bitterness Starts to Make Messy Divorces Even Worse,” Hannah George, Bloomberg News (2018) (Jonathan Fields quoted)
Cryptocurrency and Divorce: A Primer
IRS Notice 2014-21: Virtual Currency Guidance
Divorce Wisdom: When Not to Listen to the Advice of Others
If you are going through a divorce, you are no stranger to the advice of loved ones who mean well, but ultimately may not know what is best for you and your unique situation.
Your family and friends, after all, only want the best for you. They are on your side one hundred percent, which although reassuring, may make their opinions slightly bias. In the initial pain of divorce, having an aggressive cheerleader in your corner may be comforting. They may be the ones in your ear telling you to take extreme measures – kick him out, take him to court, get full custody, etc. These are often words meant as encouragement to get you through a difficult time, but in most scenarios they are excessive means which will only cause further conflict down the road, especially where there are children involved. Read more.
Approaching Divorce in the New Year
A recent news story out of the UK suggests that tensions running high during holiday arguments lead to rising divorce rates comes January. Across the pond and here in the US, January is often dubbed “Divorce Month” due to the high number of people who seek out divorce attorneys in the first month of the New Year. This moniker is backed up with published statistics from eDivorcePapers.com and is a very real trend. Read more.
What to Look for in a Divorce Attorney and What to Avoid
Divorce is a trying time for everyone who goes through it, but each divorce is also different. Whether the couple has been married for a lengthy span, if there are children involved, if the parting is amicable or the separation is wrought with hostility and resentment. With so many unique concerns to consider, there is not a “one size fits all” approach to divorce. Read more.
Dating after Divorce
Beginning to date after a divorce can be tough. After all, you have been through a lot in your previous relationship, to put it mildly, and you may find it difficult to jump back into the dating pool. Dating someone who is also going through a divorce can pose further challenges. While dating someone who is in a similar situation can be beneficial and rewarding because they know what you are going through more so than anyone else, the situation may require a slower pace and a more carefully navigated path. Read more.
Sharing Friends after Divorce
While divorce often poses unique issues to each couple navigating the complicated, emotionally wrought path, there are often overlapping issues that are widely experienced by those facing the end of a marriage. Splitting assets, property and material goods can be difficult, tedious and time-consuming. Navigating custody decisions, parental responsibilities and family life can be heartbreaking. But one aspect of a split that is not often discussed in court is how a couple will split mutual friends. Shared friendships are messy during any split or break-up, regardless how amicably it is resolved.
Yet, in contemporary marriages, friends are often shared. Often times married couples begin as friends, and therefore their mutual friends are exactly that – truly and unequivocally mutual. In these situations, how does one prepare themselves and their friends for the uncharted territory that is to come? Friends often feel the need to choose, or try to maintain friendships with both only to have the choice ultimately made for them. After all, social gatherings attended by both parties can be uncomfortable for all involved, not limited to the couple alone. Read more.