Many small businesses are jointly owned by married couples. Often, they will operate as business partners, each focusing on one area of the business’s growth and day-to-day operations. They both have an ownership share and they both contribute to the business’s...
You’ve spent years building a life with your partner, even though you never legally married. You lived together, shared a home, combined your finances and made plans for the future. Now you’re separating and you wonder whether you have any rights to the property you...
Dividing property during a divorce can raise questions about money or assets you expect to receive later. You may wonder whether a future inheritance could affect how a court divides property. In Washington, courts focus on what you own now, not what you might receive...
There are many types of resources that spouses must address when they divorce. Couples who bought a home together have real property to discuss. They may also have financial resources, ranging from pensions and retirement savings accounts to investment holdings....
When you go through a divorce, one question that often comes up is what happens to gifts exchanged between spouses. You may have given or received valuable items during your marriage and want to know if those gifts remain yours. In Washington, the answer depends on...
When you go through a divorce in Washington state, most of your property gets divided evenly. But if you inherited something, you may wonder whether your spouse has a right to it. The answer depends on how you handled the inheritance during your marriage. Separate...
Dividing retirement accounts can be one of the most complex issues in a divorce. A key tool in this process is a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO). If you're wondering what a QDRO is and how it impacts property division, this article will provide you with a...
Dividing debt in a divorce creates challenges similar to dividing assets. If you or your spouse have student loans, you may wonder whether both of you must repay the debt. Washington follows community property laws, which means the timing of the loan matters....
Dividing assets in a divorce creates challenges, especially when dealing with intellectual property (IP). Unlike physical property, IP includes patents, trademarks, copyrights, and business ideas, which may continue generating income long after the divorce....
Washington is a community property state, so most assets and debts gained during the marriage belong to both spouses. Still, this does not guarantee a simple 50/50 split. Instead, courts strive for what they consider a “fair division of property,” which may not turn...
