Family Law Blog

Stepparent Adoption Done Right

By admin on September 30, 2009

Stepparent adoption is a process through which a child’s biological parent surrenders his or her rights to the new spouse of the other biological parent. Once such an adoption occurs, the relinquishing biological parent surrenders all rights and responsibilities for the child, including visitation rights and child support payments. According to Colorado statute 25-2-113.5, “adoption is based upon the legal termination of parental rights and responsibilities of birth parents and the creation of the legal relationship of parent and child between an adoptee and his adoptive parents.”

Laws can vary from state to state in regard to the necessary steps that need to be taken to become an adoptive parent, so it is good idea to consult with qualified legal counsel prior to starting the adoption process. In most cases, consent of some kind needs to be given by the parent that is relinquishing parental rights, and parties involved will need to appear before a judge. The person petitioning to become the stepparent may have to submit to background checks or other forms of screening. In any event, all the necessary paperwork must be filed in order to make the adoption process official.

Some helpful steps to remember during the adoption process may help prevent error from arising. Becoming aware of adoption laws in your area, preferably with an experienced family law attorney by your side, contacting the court, filing the necessary paperwork, and attending all court dates are effective ways of making your adoption experience that much simpler. First and foremost, remember that the well-being of your child should always be placed at the forefront of all decisions that are going to affect him or her.

The experienced Denver family law attorneys at Kaplan Law, LLC are well-versed in a wide range of family law matters and are here to help answer all your adoption questions. If you are a stepparent and are looking to become the legal guardian of your spouse’s child, please don’t hesitate to contact Denver’s family law attorneys at Kaplan Law, LLC. Call us today at 1-877-527-5206 for more information.

Source Article: http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_step.cfm

Colorado Divorce FAQs

By admin on September 23, 2009

A recent article on divorcenet.com contained some commonly asked questions about Colorado divorce. Many states view divorce differently and have different rules as to what may warrant a divorce. The State of Colorado follows a “no fault” divorce law, which means that either the husband or wife can request dissolution of marriage merely because the marriage is broken and they do not feel that the marriage can be repaired.

The FAQs that are listed in the article cover everything from how long you have to live in Colorado in order to get a divorce (generally speaking, 90 days), to the options for serving a spouse who lives in a different state (local sheriff’s department, mail, publication). The questions also cover the area of ‘no fault divorces’. Colorado is a no fault divorce state, which essentially means that the divorce courts do not take into account any “blame” when it comes to determining the end of a marriage. The assumption is that both the husband and wife contributed to the end of the union.

Colorado Family Law can be exceedingly complex. The laws governing the dissolution of marriage and the final division of assets and parenting time are best examined by a qualified Colorado divorce, spousal support, and child custody attorney. The attorneys at the Kaplan law group have devoted their practice to that of Denver Family Law. Our attorneys can help represent your interests when it comes to the questions regarding the property, alimony/maintenance, child support, custody, and parenting time involved in Colorado family law matters.

Let Kaplan Law be your source for legal advice and representation. The family law attorneys and Denver divorce lawyers will work your case with the experience and resources it takes to attain a favorable ruling. Call today to speak with a Colorado divorce lawyer or Denver family law attorney.

Source report:http://www.divorcenet.com/states/colorado/cofaq06

Couples Divorce Less As They Get Older

By admin on September 16, 2009

According to divorcestatistics.org, half of all marriages that occur in the United States this year will result in divorce, or at least it is estimated that they will. Divorce rates are not exact by any means, but it can be very reasonably speculated that divorce rates nationwide range anywhere from 40% to 50%, and that parties involved will undoubtedly have to endure unwanted stress and probably guilt in the process.

A greater percentage of men and women between the ages of 20 and 24-years-old get divorced each year than any other age group in the United States. An astounding 36.6% of women and 38.8% of men divorced belong to the aforementioned age group. As age increases, the rate of divorce among age groups steadily declines, leading some to question whether or not people are marrying, not necessarily at too young of an age, but before they are fully ready to accept the rigors that come along with marriage. One stance could assume that younger couples are not as emotionally attached as older couples are, and are therefore more susceptible to accepting divorce as means of correcting a seemingly failed endeavor in marriage.

Interestingly enough, children also play a factor in whether or not a couple divorces, with the likelihood of ending a marriage greater among childless couples than it is among those couples with children. That is, 66% of couples do not have children together, while the remaining percentage does, leading some to believe that having children may help ease the stresses associated with loneliness and general weariness. Regardless, stress can often times be great enough that circumstances, no matter how helpful, will unfortunately lead to calling an end to the marriage vows.

The lawyers at Kaplan Law, LLC are knowledgeable in all types of divorce cases, and have experience handling divorce litigation in the state of Colorado. If you are going through divorce proceedings and need an attorney that will always have your best interests in mind, please call us today at 1-877-527-5206. At Kaplan Law, LLC, our divorce lawyers in Denver understand how difficult divorce can be on a person’s well-being, and work towards making divorce proceedings as easy and equitable as possible.

Source Article:http://www.divorcestatistics.org/

Lack of Time, Money, and Intimacy, Equals a Divorce

By admin on September 9, 2009

According to divorcereform.org, divorce is caused by a number of commonly cited factors. Poor communication between a couple, arguments ensuing over financial difficulties, and a general lack of commitment towards the marriage are all factors that weight heavily on couples and often spur the need to bring a marriage to its end. In addition, other detrimental factors such as infidelity, verbal and/or physical abuse, a belief in failed expectations, or an addiction to any number of vices, such as alcohol, drugs, or gambling, can all lead to the dissolution of marriage. A study by Creighton University’s Center for Marriage and Family proposes that the three biggest obstacles faced by married couples, especially younger couples, are time spent together and learning how to balance that time, intimate relations and interaction with one another, and financial strains caused by preexisting debt that was created before marriage and has become a major concern of the couple now as opposed to solely the individual who created it.

Needless to say, it is vital that marriage is given every opportunity to succeed. However, some marriages inevitably fail, and are more than likely the product of botched communication and a lack of knowing what the other person was truly like. It is essential that when marriages fail, and have no other option but to fail, mind you, that each party retain the services of an experienced divorce attorney that can help fairly dissolve the marriage agreement. In Colorado, where divorce rates have held true at figures between 4.2 and 4.8 cases per 1,000 residents over the last 10 years, it is imperative that a skilled Colorado family law attorney is consulted before tension and anger take hold of the dissolution and cause nothing but extended argument and headache amongst all parties involved.

The experienced Denver divorce lawyers at Kaplan Law, LLC are experienced and knowledgeable in all types of divorce cases. If you are going through a divorce and are looking for an attorney that will always have your best interests in mind, please call Kaplan Law, LLC today at 1-877-527-5206 for more information. At Kaplan Law, LLC, our lawyers understand how difficult divorce can be a person’s well-being, and work towards making divorce proceedings both as stress-free and equitable as possible.

Source Article:http://www.divorcereform.org/cau.html

Colorado Divorce Rate Steady and Staggering

By admin on September 2, 2009

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, there are on average 96 marriages each day in Colorado, but an astounding 56 divorces as well. Though the Colorado divorce rate dropped from 4.4 per 1,000 people to 4.3 per 1,000 people from 2004 to 2005, divorce is still a problem in our society that affects one out of every two couples.

Since 1950, it is estimated that there has been more than 1.5 million marriages in the state of Colorado. More than half of those marriages, about 773,000 marriages in fact, ended in divorce. That averages out to a divorce rate of about 51.5%. Looking specifically at the year 2000, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported 36,104 marriages, and a total of 20,063 dissolutions of marriage, which statistically works out to a divorce rate of about 55.6%. Divorce, unfortunately, has been steady over the years.

The Rocky Mountain Family Council speculates that divorce rates in Colorado are so high because a great percentage of Colorado residents are not natives. Having packed up and moved only themselves to the state of Colorado, these new residents have little family ties, and no active, nearby support structure. With those factors in mind, it may be reasoned that divorce is more likely to occur. In any event, divorce is a difficult situation for any person to handle, and requires the assistance of a skilled Colorado divorce attorney to ensure that division of assets is deemed equitable for both parties.

The lawyers at Kaplan Law, LLC are knowledgeable in all types of divorce cases, and have experience handling divorce litigation in the state of Colorado. If you are going through a divorce and are looking for an attorney that will always have your best interests in mind, please call us today at 1-877-527-5206. At Kaplan Law, LLC, our lawyers understand how difficult divorce can be on a person’s well-being, and work towards making divorce proceedings as stress-free as possible.

Source Article:http://www.rmfc.org/Radio/ColoradoDivorce.html