Planning To Separate From Your Spouse Or Terminate Your Marriage?

The decision to end a marriage is never easy and can be one of the most scary and stressful periods in a person’s life.  We strive to make the process as stress-free as possible on our clients by taking the time to provide personalized and compassionate care and services while walking our clients through all the different aspects of the case.

If you are preparing to separate from your partner there are multiple different options available to you in Ohio.  We like to meet with our prospective clients as early in the process as possible in order to begin creating a plan to prepare for what might be to come.  Early planning with counsel can often times result in a far less contentious split and also in a savings of thousands of dollars in litigation fees.  Some of the different legal options to consider include:

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• ANNULMENT: If you are seeking to terminate your marriage under specific legal grounds as set forth in R.C. 3105.31 which demonstrate that the marriage was never legally binding you might be able to have the marriage annulled. If the marriage is annulled it is viewed as having never taken place.

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• DISSOLUTION:  Dissolution is an amicable process where the parties agree to settle all aspects of their marriage prior to ever filing litigation.  It is an extremely cost effective alternative to a contentious divorce and allows the parties to complete the process much faster.  Parties can enter into a dissolution regardless of whether or not they have children, assets, debts or otherwise.  All that is required is an agreement.  Once an agreement is reached a dissolution is filed in a court with jurisdiction to hear the case and the agreement of the parties is legally adopted.
   

• DIVORCE:  Sometimes parties disagree over some or many issues when separating and there is no alternative but to file for divorce.  A divorce can be necessary where one party seeks to terminate the marriage and the other does not or when disputes arise over issues such as: child custody and parenting time, spousal support, child support, distribution of property, assets, debts and the value or property or businesses.  These issues require litigation before a court and might later be resolved by agreement of the parties or through a trial where the court makes the ultimate decision regarding some or all aspects of the termination of marriage.  As the process of filing for divorce can be lengthy and contentious it is not uncommon for the parties to litigate issues regarding temporary support while the case is pending.  Divorce cases can be extremely complex and contentious and it is important that you hire an experienced lawyer who is well versed in both settlement negotiations and litigating a matter through trial.  At the Law Offices of Jaye Schlachet and Eric Levy you are getting trial counsel who are well practiced in appearing before a court and litigating our clients’ interests.

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• LEGAL SEPARATION: In some cases parties elect to live separate and apart while remaining legally married.  In these cases they may wish to explore a legal separation where they can address many of the same aspects of dividing the marital estate as well as custody and support as they would in a divorce or dissolution.
   

Whether you are considering the possibility of separating from your spouse or an action has already been filed it is important to work with legal counsel who can guide you through the difficult process.  Contact the Law Offices of Jaye Schlachet and Eric Levy today to start discussing how to best plan for begin the process.  We have the negotiation and litigation experience necessary to help you achieve your goals and will work with you to help and develop a strategy that meets your economic needs.

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Post-Decree

Unfortunately, many times after parties have been legally separated with their divorce finalized or their marriage dissolved issues arise which require court intervention.  These issues can include:
 

• Failure of a party to pay spousal support

• Failure of a party to pay child support

• Failure of a party to comply with the terms of a prior court order

• Modification of spousal support (if the court retains jurisdiction)

• Modification of child support

• Modification of child custody or parenting time

These and other post-decree issues can be extremely contentious.  We have the skills and experience necessary to prosecute or defend against motions to show cause (or contempt proceedings) and to litigate modifications to prior orders or agreements.  It is essential to contact a lawyer early upon determining that there is a post-decree issue that might need to be addressed in order to explore all options available to you.  Contact us to schedule a meeting to discuss your unique case today.

Domestic Violence

Issues regarding domestic violence are extremely serious and must be addressed promptly with the utmost sensitivity and care.  There may become a time where it becomes necessary to seek protection for yourself or a child from a family or household member or someone might have sought a protection order against you.  In either case it is important to have your interests represented by legal counsel that understands how to obtain and defend against domestic violence protection orders.  If you believe there is an issue involving domestic violence call us immediately.  We are available 24/7 for these extremely serious situations.

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