In an ideal world, child custody should never be a battle at all. It should be two people working together to figure out how they can both stay involved with their children and share the responsibility of raising them. Of course, this is not an ideal world, and things...
The O'Neil Law Firm, P.C.
Money, gender roles and divorce
We know well that money plays a role in divorce. Many studies have looked at financial stress in marriages and how it can lead to the end of those marriages. This gives rise to the idea that a high asset divorce would never have to do with money. After all, the...
Is lump sum alimony a good idea?
Your spouse has to pay you alimony after the divorce. You assumed that meant monthly payments. It can, but your spouse is asking to pay you a lump sum instead and be done with it. Is that a good idea? Should you take all of the money up front or ask for it to be...
What is the average income in Connecticut?
When dividing property during divorce, your household income becomes very important. To start with, you must fully understand what assets you control in order to divide them fairly. On top of that, you need to budget for your post-divorce life, and that starts with an...
For some spouses, divorce is a part of long-term care planning
Imagine you and your spouse are in your 50s. You've saved up a nest-egg to pay for your retirement years. However, your spouse develops Alzheimer's disease, which means that you and your spouse are going to endure massive medical bills. Those bills could result in the...
What is the ‘bird’s nest’ co-parenting plan?
Imagine an eagle's nest. You have two adult birds and some eaglets chirping away in the nest. Mother eagle and father eagle go out hunting for food, and they share in their duties. Sometimes, father eagle comes home with a fish and carefully feeds it to the babies....
Don’t be tempted to defend yourself when asking for a divorce
You've mulled over this decision for the last five years, and you've finally come to the choice. You're going to get a divorce, whether your spouse likes it or not. In fact, at this point, it really wasn't a choice but a need. You can't live in this relationship...
Alimony and divorce: Who can qualify for these payments?
Everyone who stands a chance to receive alimony is eager to get it, and everyone who stands to pay alimony is not eager to fulfill this financial responsibility. The thing is, these helpful payments are an important part of keeping marriages fair in our society. After...
Why should I assert my virtual visitation rights?
In the days of Humphrey Bogart and Fred Astaire, if a parent didn't have physical child custody, periodic visits were possible, but aside from old-fashioned phone conversations, the parent didn't get to interact with his or her child more than that. These days are...
Parenting provisions to establish your disciplinary policy
To avoid conflict and make sure they're on the same page in terms of co-parenting issues, many divorcing parents will include a variety of "parenting provisions" in their child custody arrangements. These provisions are statements that the parents agree to within...