Evansville Indiana Family Law Blog

Is it better to stay together for the children?

On behalf of Bob Zoss Law Office, LLC on Thursday, August 8, 2019.

Every marriage goes through highs and lows, and you may have recognized those phases in your relationship. However, if recent years have brought fewer and fewer good times to balance out the bad, you may be feeling overwhelmed with unhappiness. In fact, you may even be entertaining the idea of ending the marriage and starting fresh with a new life.

The one thing stopping you is the children. For many parents whose marriages are essentially over, the real struggle is determining if it is better for the children if they stay together or break apart. This is an age-old question and one that involves examining the unique elements of your family. While there is no cookie-cutter answer, there are some factors to consider when weighing your options.

Questions and answers about divorce mediation

On behalf of Bob Zoss Law Office, LLC on Sunday, June 16, 2019.

Divorce is never what you’d hoped for in a marriage. When it happens, it can feel like far too much for one person, but many couples who use divorce mediation find it helps make it all seem possible.

Mediation is a common way of finding mutually acceptable terms for divorce. Indiana’s courts officially recognize, and sometimes even order, mediation and may even select the mediator.

What if you are unable to make child support payments?

On behalf of Bob Zoss Law Office, LLC on Monday, February 11, 2019.

It can happily very quickly. After years of making your child support payments on time and in full, circumstances can arise that put you in financial trouble and risk keeping up with current payments.

Child support payments should be taken extremely seriously, and you can face serious consequences by missing payments. Just because you are not able to pay your full amount does not mean you should not pay anything. It can be a stressful time to want to maintain your payment requirement but unable to do so. You may fear that you will immediately be labeled a deadbeat parent, however, there are ways to help yourself in this situation.

Child custody: Know your rights before the divorce

On behalf of Bob Zoss Law Office, LLC on Monday, November 12, 2018.

Child custody in an Indiana divorce follows the Uniform Child Custody Act. When you are facing a divorce, this helps give you, your spouse and the judge some structure when determining child custody issues.

The overall term “custody” refers to where the child lives, who has primary physical custody and the parenting schedule that comes out of this decision, and who has legal custody and gets to make decisions about the child’s health and welfare.

Steps to take when modifying child support in Indiana

On behalf of Bob Zoss Law Office, LLC on Thursday, August 16, 2018.

You lost your job, and your financial situation greatly changes. You prove unable to pay your designated child support, and you hope to modify the support amount through Indiana court.

Filing to modify your child support payments involves following specific steps to ensure your agreement’s legality. The court accepts modifications even if you and your ex-spouse do not agree on the change’s terms. It is essential to remember that the court keeps the safety and financial security of your child as its overarching priority, so that your child may still receive accurate and sustaining support payments. Know that if your circumstances change, Indiana court will work with you to determine the best terms of a modification.

4 ways to maintain your sanity during a divorce

On behalf of Bob Zoss Law Office, LLC on Monday, May 21, 2018.

Divorces are terribly painful at the best of times. If you are going through one, it can seem like a never-ending rotation of meetings, court hearings, paperwork and attorney visits. This is a difficult time that many people go through, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, and a new future ahead if you just fight toward it.

Getting to that point can be difficult. With a few tried and true methods, however, you can reach the other side with your sanity intact and a successful divorce behind you.

Dividing marital property in an Indiana divorce

On behalf of Bob Zoss Law Office, LLC posted in blog on Friday, March 2, 2018.

Going through a divorce presents couples with a unique set of challenges. After building a life together—starting a family, accumulating wealth and property—items that were once shared now require what can be a complicated division process.

A divorce settlement is rarely simple, and in Indiana dividing marital property can get hairy due to state laws—or more accurately, an absence thereof. For couples who are entering a divorce in the Hoosier State, understanding how the courts will attempt to divide property could be a good initial step.

Protect your finances during divorce

On behalf of Bob Zoss Law Office, LLC posted in blog on Friday, December 29, 2017.

Divorce can be stressful for many reasons, but the financial changes it creates may be especially frightening. Splitting assets may leave you with much less flexibility in your budget after the divorce is final. You might also worry that your spouse will start to rack up debt in the meantime to retaliate against you.

To protect yourself from messy financial disputes and to prepare for your new life, you can take action in the early stages of divorce. Although it might take some time and energy, completing a few key steps can save you from debt in the long run.

How To Co-Parent With Your Ex Peacefully And Positively

On behalf of Bob Zoss Law Office, LLC posted in blog on Thursday, August 31, 2017.

Loud arguments, hostile exchanges and – perhaps worse – silent tension. When a marriage isn’t working anymore, the impact on everyone in the house, including children, can be extremely stressful. So, is it really best to stay together for the kids?

What you remember about your childhood friends’ struggle through a parents’ divorce can impact your level of anxiety about an impending divorce. Even more so, your own experience when your mom and dad split up can make you feel as if you are hurting your kids if you end the marriage. Then there are the studies that show clear data on the negative effects on children, making you feel even guiltier than you thought possible. For example, one study found that divorce can make a child more susceptible to becoming sick from viruses such as the common cold. In the study, children whose parents had a contentious relationship post-separation were more than three times as likely to catch a cold as the children whose parents remained together.

Mediation: An Easier Approach To Divorce

On behalf of Bob Zoss Law Office, LLC posted in blog on Thursday, June 15, 2017.

The U.S. divorce rate is the lowest it’s been in nearly four decades, according to Time Magazine. As noted in an article published late last year, roughly 17 out of every 1,000 married couples sought divorce in 2015 (the last year for which statistics are available) – a drop of more than 25 percent from the peak divorce rate, reached in 1980, when 23 couples per 1,000 sought divorce.

A range of factors has contributed to this advance. Chief among them is the fact that couples are waiting longer to get married. Cohabitation has been de-stigmatized, and many couples choose to live together before marrying, and thus develop a sense of whether their relationships are viable. Likewise, by waiting longer, individuals are likely to develop financial independence prior to marriage, which can help prevent monetary concerns from threatening the relationship.