Latest Guides
Our most recent family law guides, sorted by publication date.
How to Get Full Custody of a Child
Learn how to get full custody of a child, including what full custody means legally, when courts award it, evidence needed, and realistic expectations for your case.
How to Modify a Custody Order
Learn how to modify a custody order, including what qualifies as a substantial change in circumstances, the court process, timeline, and strategies for a successful modification.
How to Create a Parenting Plan
A parenting plan outlines custody schedules, decision-making, holidays, and communication rules. Learn what courts require and how to build an effective plan.
Relocating with Your Child After Divorce
Understand the legal requirements for relocation custody moves after divorce, including notice rules, court approval, and how judges decide relocation cases.
Types of Child Custody Explained
Types of child custody include legal, physical, joint, and sole custody. Learn how each type works, how they combine, and what courts consider in your state.
At What Age Can a Child Choose Custody?
Learn at what age a child can choose custody. Covers state-by-state rules, what 'choose' actually means legally, how courts weigh preferences, and maturity factors.
Postnuptial Agreements Guide
Everything you need to know about postnuptial agreements — what they cover, how they differ from prenups, enforceability, cost, and common misconceptions.
Prenuptial Agreements: What You Need to Know
Everything you need to know about prenuptial agreements, including what prenups cover, enforceability requirements, costs, common misconceptions, and how to start the conversation.
Collaborative Divorce: How It Works
Learn how collaborative divorce works, including the process, cost, professionals involved, advantages, disadvantages, and who it is best suited for.
Contested vs. Uncontested Divorce
Contested vs uncontested divorce: compare costs, timelines, and processes. Uncontested averages $1,500-$5,000 while contested runs $15,000-$50,000+.
Divorce and Taxes: What You Need to Know
Understand how divorce and taxes intersect, including filing status changes, alimony rules post-2018, property transfers, claiming dependents, and retirement accounts.
The Complete Divorce Checklist
A comprehensive divorce checklist covering everything you need before, during, and after filing, from financial documents and legal steps to post-divorce account updates.
Divorce and Health Insurance
Understand how divorce affects health insurance. Covers losing spousal coverage, COBRA options and costs, marketplace plans, children's coverage, and military rules.
Divorce Mediation vs. Litigation
Divorce mediation vs litigation: compare costs, timelines, and outcomes. Mediation averages $5,000-$10,000 while litigation runs $15,000-$50,000 or more.
Divorce Papers Explained
Understand all the divorce papers you will encounter, from the initial petition and financial disclosures to the final decree. Learn what each document contains and how to file.
Divorce with Children: What to Know
A practical guide to divorce with children covering custody, child support, parenting plans, minimizing emotional impact, and co-parenting strategies for every age group.
How Long Does a Divorce Take?
How long does divorce take? Uncontested divorces average 2-6 months, contested cases 6-18 months, and trials 1-3 years. Learn what affects your timeline.
How Much Does a Divorce Cost?
Find out how much divorce costs in 2026, including filing fees, attorney fees, mediation, and hidden expenses. Get cost breakdowns by divorce type.
Legal Separation vs. Divorce
Understand the key differences between legal separation vs divorce, including legal implications, property rights, and when separation makes more sense than divorce.
How to File for Divorce
Learn how to file for divorce step by step, including required documents, filing fees, serving papers, and whether you need an attorney.
How to Choose a Divorce Lawyer
Learn how to choose a divorce lawyer with confidence. Covers what to look for, questions to ask, fee structures, red flags, and when you actually need one.
No-Fault Divorce Explained
Learn what no-fault divorce means, how it works in all 50 states, and why most couples choose it over fault-based grounds. Covers filing steps and key advantages.
Uncontested Divorce: Complete Guide
Uncontested divorce is faster and cheaper than contested divorce, averaging $1,500-$5,000 and 2-6 months. Learn the process, requirements, and state rules.
Community Property vs. Equitable Distribution
Understand the difference between community property and equitable distribution in divorce, which states use each system, and how they affect asset division.
Dividing Retirement Accounts in Divorce
Learn how retirement accounts are divided in divorce, including 401(k)s, IRAs, pensions, the QDRO process, tax implications, and common mistakes to avoid.
Hidden Assets in Divorce
Learn how to find hidden assets in divorce, common hiding methods, red flags to watch for, the discovery process, and legal consequences of concealing assets.
Property Division in Divorce
Understand how property division in divorce works, including community property vs. equitable distribution, marital vs. separate assets, and how courts split everything.
Who Gets the House in a Divorce?
Find out who gets the house in a divorce, including factors courts consider, buyout options, mortgage issues, equity division, and how children affect the decision.
Child Support and 50/50 Custody
Learn how child support works with 50/50 custody. Covers whether equal parenting time eliminates support, income disparity calculations, and state approaches.
Child Support Enforcement
Learn how child support enforcement works when payments stop, including wage garnishment, license suspension, contempt of court, and other legal remedies.
How Alimony Works
Learn how alimony is calculated, including the types of spousal support, factors courts consider, duration, tax implications, and state variations.
How to File for Child Support
Step-by-step guide on how to file for child support, including where to file, required documents, establishing paternity, timelines, and enforcement.
How Is Child Support Calculated?
Understand how child support is calculated, including the income shares model, percentage of income model, factors that affect amounts, and state variations.
How to Modify Child Support
Learn how to modify child support, including grounds for modification, the legal process, how courts decide, and state-specific requirements for changes.
Temporary vs. Permanent Alimony
Understand the differences between temporary and permanent alimony, including duration, modification rules, and factors courts consider for each type.
How Domestic Violence Affects Custody in California
Learn how domestic violence affects custody decisions in California, including the FC 3044 presumption against abusers, DVROs, batterer intervention programs, supervised visitation, and the best interest standard under FC 3011.