When going through difficult and trying times such as considering a possible Divorce, many questions and concerns come to mind. One of the most common questions our potential clients ask is, “Do I need an attorney?” Arizona law allows for applicants in civil cases to represent themselves. However, a divorce is often very stressful and…
Often people ask, “Why should I pay a lawyer?” when legal document prepares in Arizona can often prepare documents that people would normally go to a lawyer to prepare instead. Arizona is rather lax in allowing non-lawyers prepare what are essentially “legal documents.” These individuals typically prepare wills, trusts, powers of attorney, divorce and bankruptcy…
In Arizona, there are many self-service forms available for certain areas of law. There are also certified legal document preparers who can draft certain legal forms. These services tend to have lower up-front costs than attorneys. Unfortunately, however, a person can end up paying more in the long run by failing to hire an attorney…
Orders and stipulations regarding parenting time and legal decision making typically always are open to modification. The court recognizes that circumstances change as children grow older and time passes, and that a plan agreed upon by parents when a child is five may no longer be appropriate when the child is thirteen. In order to…
During a divorce it is not uncommon to see one party requesting that his or her legal fees be paid by his or her spouse. However, whether or not the court will grant this request is dependent on the facts involved in the case. In making this determination, the court will often take into consideration…
The new year marked a number of sweeping changes to Arizona child custody laws as Senate Bill 1127 (2012) went into effect on January 1st, 2013. However, while some of these changes may seem to be major at first glance, the landscape of child custody may not have been as altered by the new laws…
Each of the 49 states in the U.S. possess their own specific statutes that address the matter of visitation rights for grandparents. In Arizona, reasonable visitation rights may be granted to grandparents if two circumstances are met. The first thing that must be proved to the court to establish visitation rights for grandparents is that…
Arizona law defines a premarital agreement (or what is commonly referred to as a “pre-nup”) as an agreement between two prospective spouses made in contemplation of marriage. Once the marriage of the parties becomes official, the premarital agreement goes into effect.
Arizona law does not use the term “alimony,” and instead uses the term “spousal maintenance” when referring to support payments made by one spouse to another. Spousal maintenance can be awarded as part of the terms of a divorce decree, during the time between filing for divorce and the court entering a final decision, or…
With more unmarried couples living together every day, the rights of individual partners in an unmarried relationship are giving rise to more prominent legal issues. Arizona law does not grant common law marriage rights. (Though, in some cases, common law marriages formed in another state may be recognized in Arizona.) Community Property is a legal…
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