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Nolo's Essential Guide to Divorce

by Attorney Emily Doskow

Pages: 416 eBook: (PDF 2.29 MB) Download the electronic version of this product and start reading it instantly! No shipping fees. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader

Price:   $24.99

Summary

The most practical -- and legal -- companion through divorce ever published.

Like most people who are going through a separation or divorce, you're probably wondering "What's next?" at every turn.

So turn to Nolo's Essential Guide to Divorce for clear answers that can help make your divorce as simple and inexpensive as humanly possible. With compassion and understanding, Nolo's Essential Guide to Divorce will help you:

• understand the divorce process
• work with mediators or lawyers
• avoid expensive and painful court battles
• figure out alimony
• establish child custody and visitation
• determine child support
• divide money and property fairly
• draft a marital settlement agreement
• deal with divorce emergencies
• address post-divorce issues
• find helpful resources
• and much more

On every page, this book stresses the importance of minimizing conflict, explains complex legal problems concisely, and provides advice on how to protect your interests. Plus, easy-to-use charts make it easy to find the divorce laws of your state.

Plenty of books out there claim to cover divorce thoroughly, but only Nolo has the reputation of consistently delivering clear legal expertise and invaluable insights. Trust Nolo's Essential Guide to Divorce to help you through every step.

Press Reviews

Table of Contents

Introduction: Your Divorce Companion

1. Getting Oriented

Taking the High Road
Separation or Divorce?
Annulment
Family Court
Kinds of Divorces
Property, Custody, and Support
Getting Help from Experts

2. First Steps After You Decide to Divorce

Breaking the News
Where Will Everyone Live?
Gathering Financial Information
Managing Your Family's Money
Getting Legal and Other Professional Help Early
Taking Care of Yourself

3. When You Can Agree: Uncontested Divorce

Basics of the Uncontested Divorce
Summary Dissolution for Short-Term Marriages
Default Divorce
Preparing and Filing Legal Papers
How the Other Spouse Can Respond
Negotiating a Settlement and Preparing a Marital Settlement Agreement
Finalizing Your Uncontested Divorce

4. Working It Out: Divorce Mediation

Why Divorce Mediation Works
What Does Mediation Cost?
Is Mediation Right for You?
Suggesting Mediation to Your Spouse
Choosing a Mediator
Choosing and Working With a Lawyer
The Mediation Process
How to Make Your Mediation a Success
After the Mediation, the Paperwork
If Mediation Doesn't Work

5. When You Can't Agree: Contested Divorce and Trial

Finding the Right Lawyer
Paying the Lawyer
Is Fault a Factor?
Getting Started
Gathering Information for Trial: Disclosures, Discovery, and Digging Up Dirt
Settle, Settle, Settle!
The Pretrial Conference
Anatomy of a Divorce Trial
After the Trial

6. Custody Decisions and Parenting

Physical and Legal Custody
The High Road: Agreeing With Your Spouse on a Parenting Plan
Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce
Making Shared Parenting Work
Trying to Get Along With Your Ex
When It Comes to Divorce, Grownups Are Kids, Too

7. Custody Disputes

The Low Road: Fighting It Out in Court
How Courts Handle Custody Disputes
If the Custodial Spouse Interferes with Visitation
If One Parent Wants to Move Away
Drug and Alcohol Abuse

8. Child Support

Who Pays Support?
Temporary Support While the Divorce Is Pending
Working It Out Yourselves
How Courts Decide Support Amounts
Estimating Child Support in Your Family
How Support Is Paid Each Month
If You're the Recipient: Enforcing Child Support Orders
If You're the Paying Spouse
How Long Support Lasts
If Circumstances Change
Taxes and Your Children
Health Insurance

9. Yours, Mine, and Ours: Basics of Marital Property

Taking Inventory
What Property Gets Divided
Identifying Community Property
Getting Financial Information
Is Your Spouse Hiding Assets?

10. Yours, Mine, and Uncle Sam's: Dividing Property

You're in Control
How Judges Divide Property
What to Do With the House
Dividing Your Other Assets
What to Do With a Family Business
Dividing Debt
Tax Consequences of How You Divide Property
Retirement Benefits
Money Now and Later

11. Spousal Support and Health Insurance

Types of Spousal Support and How Long They Last
How Courts Set the Amount of Support
Negotiating Support With Your Spouse
Planning for Disability or Death of the Supporting Spouse
Changing the Amount of Spousal Support Later
Tax Planning When You Pay or Receive Support
Keeping Health Insurance in Force

12. Getting It in Writing: Preparing Your Marital Settlement Agreement

What It Is, What It Does
Creating the Agreement
Negotiations
Doing the Math
Consulting a Lawyer
Completing the Paperwork

13. Critical Care: When Things Really Go Wrong

Domestic Violence
Child Abuse
Kidnapping
Bankruptcy

14. After the Divorce

You're Not Done Yet: Ten Post-Divorce Tasks You Can't Ignore
The Kid Connection
Modifying Spousal Support
Your Right to Social Security
Dating and New Relationships
Hope Springs Eternal: Remarriage
Getting Help and Helping Yourself

15. Getting Help, Finding Information, and Looking Stuff Up

More Great Books
Getting Divorce Information and Forms
Negotiating Help
Financial Advice
Document Preparation Services
Legal Advice
Other Ways to Look Things Up

Appendix

Grounds for Divorce
Financial Inventory
Net Worth Summary
Monthly Income
Daily Expenses
Monthly Budget

Index

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