Family Law Blog

Stay up-to-date with family law and divorce news, tips and guides written by the team at Best Law Firm

August 15, 2012 Cindy Best
In Arizona, how is spousal support paid?

Here in Arizona there are several options. It can be paid directly from one spouse to the other. Both parties should keep very accurate records of the payments. The court may order the payments to be made through the clearinghouse, administered by the state of Arizona. They keep track of payments for you. Failure to…

August 13, 2012 Cindy Best
How is spousal maintenance calculated here in Arizona?

In Arizona, there is no statutory formula for calculating spousal maintenance; however, there is an unofficial “guidelines” formula that is used by many attorneys and some judges. Arizona judges have broad discretion in determining whether or not to award spousal maintenance and in determining the amount and duration of spousal maintenance awarded. It is best…

August 11, 2012 Cindy Best
What is alimony?

Here in Arizona, spousal maintenance (formerly known as alimony) is a monthly payment from one spouse to another, which is designed to allow for the spouse who earns less income to establish a home and living environment on his/her own. Spousal maintenance is used for an easier transition to becoming a single person in certain…

August 8, 2012 Cindy Best
I am getting ready to file for divorce here in Arizona. Can I take all the money out of our Scottsdale joint savings account?

No, because although the temporary injunction is not in place, you are intending to file and it is not fair to take all the money out of any joint accounts you have in Arizona. You may take half of the money, and this should not cause any problems in case you have to explain this…

August 6, 2012 Cindy Best
What happens in Arizona when my husband will not get out of the house, and I just filed for divorce?

You will have to file a motion to ask the court for exclusive use of the home. This is discretionary with the judge, and will likely take a month or more to get a hearing; usually, this is part of a temporary orders hearing. If you both own the house, maybe you can negotiate this…

August 3, 2012 Cindy Best
During a divorce in Arizona, what if neither of us can afford the house in Scottsdale?

This is no different than if you were together. You have the same problems and issues as if you were together (divorce just makes it more difficult). The mortgage company expects both of you to pay. If there is a deficiency judgment because of a line of credit, the creditor will look to both of…

August 1, 2012 Cindy Best
What happens when spouses in Arizona own a business together?

During the divorce process here in Arizona, the court will usually attempt to keep the things the way they presently are when it comes to the day-to-day operations of a family business. A business valuation expert can assess the value of the business during the divorce matter. Arizona courts, with the input from the business…

July 30, 2012 Cindy Best
What if my spouse does not pay the community debts as ordered in the final decree? Can our creditors force me to pay?

Yes, Arizona Revised Statute 25-318 states that a creditor can collect a marital debt from either spouse, regardless of which spouse is ordered to pay the debt by the court. The innocent spouse then has the right to recover from the obligated spouse. If a party fails to comply with an order to pay debts,…

July 26, 2012 Cindy Best
What does a property settlement agreement do?

A Property Settlement Agreement lays out and explains how your property will be divided. If the court ultimately decides how your property will be divided, the property division will be explained in your decree, which is public record and can be read by anyone. If, however, you negotiate and draft a Property Settlement Agreement, you…

Family Law Success Stories

Best Law Firm has helped thousands of families during the past 18 years. We help families through negotiation, settlements, mediations and court litigation when necessary. The goal is to resolve issues with the least amount of money and stress and only use court litigation as a last resort. Every family we meet is important to us so we would like to share just a few of our success stories with you.

We represented an unmarried father and were able to reunite him with his 4 year old son after the mother secretly moved him to Florida. 

We represented a mother and were able to require the father to undergo therapy before he could have any parenting time with his three daughters who he had been physically and emotionally abusing.  We had a certified domestic violence expert testify in the case. 

We represented an unmarried mother and were able to reunite her with her 2 year old daughter after the father took the child in secret without permission or a court order. 

We represented a husband who had a large estate and the wife wanted assets greater than their prenuptial agreement allowed. 

We represented a wife in a long term marriage to obtain the spousal maintenance that she was due. 

We represented the husband whose wife violated their divorce decree's spousal maintenance agreement by living with her boyfriend. 

We represented an unmarried mother and were able to obtain a large child support order from the father who was a professional athlete and it was upheld on appeal. (Murphy) 

We represented an unmarried father and were able to fight abuse allegations filed against him and get a court order for 50-50 parenting time for his 2 children.

We represented an unmarried father and were able to defend him against false allegations and obtain a court order where he was named primary custodial parent of his 3 year old son.

We represented a mother who lived in Italy whose teenager was unlawfully kept in Arizona after summer visitation by the Father.  It was ordered for the child to return to his mom in Italy. 

We represented a father whose 2 children were taken to Kansas after their divorce was filed in Arizona and the court ordered them to be returned.

We represented a father who lived in Texas and fought for primary custody of his daughter who lived in Arizona. The daughter was able to move to Texas because of the mother's abuse and neglect. 

We represented a Canadian mother whose husband attempted to get a divorce in Arizona where he could keep the kids.  Mother had no long term visa and would have lost her children. Tali Collins was a "friend of the court" and was heard at a Canadian hearing on the same matter that had been filed in BC. 

We were the mediators for a mother who wanted to keep the community house (and equity) and the father who wanted to keep his community retirement. We were able to craft an agreement where she received more spousal maintenance up front which the husband agreed to pay to keep the community retirement he had earned. 

We represented two ER doctors and mediated their parenting agreement which was drafted to help each doctor have the maximum time with their son.  

We represented a father who was a doctor and obtained sole custody of his two daughters after the mother had a worsening mental illness.

We represented a father whose former wife attempted to enforce an out of state child support arrears calculation that was incorrect. We also won the case on appeal.  (Glover) 

We represented a mother and successfully protected against potential kidnapping by the father to a non Hague country, the UAE. The parenting time order put in safety measures and supervisors to protect the daughters. 

We represented a father from Japan to obtain a parenting time order for his young son.

We represented a father to severe the rights of the mother with their two daughters after the mother was imprisoned for criminal abuse against them. 

We represented a father and were able to negotiate a parenting plan with joint legal decision making and a 50-50 parenting plan for his son. 

We represented a divorced couple against the grandmother who wanted visitation time with their daughter against the parents' wishes. 

We represented a married couple and negotiated visitation with a former mother in law, grandmother to their son/step son. 

We represented grandparents and negotiated parenting time with a previously estranged father of their grandson. 

 

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7025 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 303
Scottsdale, Arizona 85253