The house where you live with your spouse is probably one of your most valuable assets, if not the most valuable property that you share. You may have dedicated years of your life toward paying down the principal balance on the mortgage and also fixing up or...
Three Generations Of Legal Service To Indiana Families
Family Law
Does life expectancy impact divorce?
Over the decades, life expectancy has been slowly increasing. Though there are times when it declines, the general trend is that people are simply living longer and longer, especially in developed countries. Some have said that this can impact the way that people look...
What happens to retirement funds in divorce?
Planning for retirement takes decades, and spouses often make joint sacrifices so that they can live comfortably after they retire. Your retirement savings reflects how much money you estimated you would need to support yourself and your spouse while sharing a home....
Why divorcing couples with children increasingly turn to mediation
By the time one of you files for divorce, you and your ex are probably not relating to each other very well. Whether you have grown apart over multiple years or experienced a catastrophic rupture in your relationship because of violence or infidelity, divorce is a...
How do divorced parents account for children on taxes?
When parents get divorced, there are many things they need to discuss. One of the topics that should be addressed is how to handle your children on your taxes. When parents divorce, only one parent will be able to claim their child as a dependent on their taxes. For...
How does Indiana determine custody?
One of the more difficult aspects of a divorce is the prospect of having to share custody of the kids. One of the reasons why parents have difficulty coming to terms with this is because they have seen dramatizations of television and in the news in which parents have...
Why is it important to establish paternity?
Here in Indiana, a mother is automatically understood to be the legal parent of the child born to them. State law doesn't see a man's paternity similarly, though. There's a presumption of paternity when a dad is married to a child's mother at birth. State law doesn't...
2 ways divorce is different for those with Chinese heritage
Divorce is never an easy process, but it can be harder for people from certain backgrounds. Indiana is home to many people who either immigrated from China or are the descendants of Chinese immigrants. Historically, divorce has carried a significant stigma in China,...
Why women often fare worse, financially, in later-life divorce
Women are often in a difficult position when facing divorce. On one hand, they should feel free to leave a situation that doesn’t feel comfortable or welcoming any longer. On the other hand, women are still largely working in less profitable jobs, and may have stayed...
Gray divorces: Complex but not impossible
If you are 50 or older and have decided that you want to get a divorce, you are going to go through a gray divorce. A gray divorce is a divorce in which one or both individuals is over the age of 50. These are unique divorces, because you are in a position where you...