All biological parents have the right to petition for custody of their child or children whether they have ever been married to the other parent, or not. Additionally, all parents…
Can a step-parent get visitation or custody of a child who is neither his/her natural nor adopted child in Utah? The short answer is that it’s legally possible, but just…
What Do I Really Need to Prove to Modify a Child Custody Award Order in Utah? a Summary of Zavala v. Zavala Zavala v. Zavala, 2016 UT App 6 Opinion…
Want to know what’s a burning topic of interest among the sheeple divorce lawyers out there these days? How are pets handled in divorce. Please. This is a real snippet…
Utah is (at least trying) to make child custody litigation less expensive and time-consuming with a relatively new rule (as of February 2014, when this blog posting was originally published):…
By Scott Carter, CMHC Typically, when people think of narcissism, they think of people who are full of themselves and even people that love themselves more than anyone else. The…
Potential divorce and family law clients want to know my “win/loss record.” Frankly, until just now, I’ve never thought to keep track of this information. Why? Not because I am…
If, when you think your divorce means you have it worse than anyone in the world, consider this: The point is not to suggest that you can feel better because others may…
A number of factors can and will determine how property and responsibility for debts is divided in divorce. After a few years of marriage, most couples have acquired or mixed…
Divorce can be, and for most people, usually is to one degree or another overwhelming, complicated, and expensive. Many people choose to hire an attorney to represent them in divorce…
Some might say that Utah is backwards, a little too old fashioned for these modern times. “After all,” some think, “as long as sexual intercourse occurs between two consenting adults,…
“The fairest rules are those to which everyone would agree if they did not know how much power they would have.” — John Rawls You being fair and honest in…
Note: I am not anti-mediation and I never have been. I am anti-mandatory mediation. And I object to flawed and fraudulent arguments in favor of mediation. Appeals to authority (“courts…
At the outset, know this: I am not anti-mediation. I am a trained mediator. I earnestly participate in mediation conferences with my divorce clients. Notwithstanding, the mediation profession at large…
There is much to know regarding mediation and family law, not all of it pleasant. Now that mediation is entrenched in the practice of law (particularly in family law), everyone…
Revenge Porn Is a Crime in Utah What is revenge porn, you ask? A form of non-consensual pornography—not that the acts depicted were non-consensual, but that their distribution after the fact was. If, for…
How does divorce affect you when you own a business? In Utah, marital property is divided by the courts equitably. Equitably means fairly, though not necessarily “equally.” If you started…
As would be expected, family law actions are the perfect breeding ground for “he said she said” scenarios. Anyone who has been in a relationship that has ended poorly knows…
There are many points of contention in a divorce action, from child custody to asset and debt distribution. After child custody, one of the most contentious issues in a divorce…