By Juan Lucia
Filing for divorce can be a tough decision. However, if there is no way that you can adjust and live with your spouse happily and without regret, divorce is an eventuality. If you want to file for divorce in Washington, you need to know the laws and various steps in both contested and uncontested divorces. It is also as important to hire an experienced Tacoma divorce attorney. In this post, we are sharing more on the divorce laws in the state and why you need an attorney.
Unique divorce laws in Washington
- In many states, adultery is often considered to be a valid ground for divorce and deciding on aspects like alimony, child support, and child custody. However, adultery doesn’t matter in Washington, and this may not actually help your case to bring this as a factor for divorce.
- Washington is a “community property” state, which means that all debts and properties acquired during a marriage will be equitably divided between the spouses by the court. This is when a couple cannot come to an agreement.
- Pets are just treated as property during a contested divorce. If the couple doesn’t have a settlement agreement, the court will decide on pets, just like it would pass an order for everything else.
The fastest that you can get divorced in Washington State is 91 days, but on an average, most divorces take a year. Also, there is not much difference between legal separation and divorce in the state.
Why hire a divorce attorney?
First things first, divorce attorneys can help you with your rights. Most lawyers want clients to come to an agreement, so that a trial can be avoided. If you negotiate with your spouse, you may have some control on the agreement, but in case the matter ends up in trial, you don’t have much choice but to agree. Also, your divorce attorney can help you file the final drafts of paper, and as needed, they will work with your spouse’s lawyer to come to a settlement that’s mutually acceptable to both.
Having said that, hiring an attorney is entirely your personal call. However, to ease your divorce and have a better control of the whole process, it is wise to get an attorney on board. There are some really known law firms in Washington State that deal with divorces and family laws, and their lawyer can guide you at every step.
