Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Alimony In Alabama Is An Inexact Science
Alimony orders are not supposed to be a punishment, but that is how they feel for both parties. If the court orders you to pay alimony, you might think, “I tried everything to save my marriage, but my wife’s mind was made up that she wanted a divorce, so not only did she keep… Read More »
Which Financial Transactions Are Off-Limits While Your Divorce Case Is Pending?
Divorce can be an escape from a marriage plagued by conflicts about money. Unfortunately, things sometimes get worse before they get better. In the simpler cases, you can resolve the problem through a few frank discussions with your divorce lawyer, followed by mediation sessions where your lawyer negotiates with your spouse’s lawyer, since it… Read More »
Does The Duration Of Your Marriage Affect Equitable Distribution?
If you go to a consultation with a divorce lawyer after receiving a surprising divorce petition from your spouse and anxiously asking the lawyer whether your ex will keep half of your marital property, it is hardly comforting if the lawyer says, “it depends,” but it is the truth. Alabama is an equitable distribution… Read More »
And Now Some Optimism About Your Finances After Divorce
Here is an exercise in Southern charm for you. Try to find something nice to say about how divorce has affected your finances. Remember that joke about the Southern Belle who bragged that her Daddy sent her to charm school so she could say, “That’s nice” instead of a string of expletives? If you… Read More »
Restoring Your Parenting Time After A Long Absence
Alabama’s laws on parenting time, which state that the children’s best interests are the main concern in parenting plan decisions, imply that children thrive on routine and stability. When judges set parenting plans, which they only do when the parents cannot reach an agreement during mediation, they choose a schedule that disrupts the children’s… Read More »
Does Health Insurance Coverage Count As Alimony?
One of the marriage trends the younger generation is embracing is the prenuptial agreement. It used to be that people only signed prenups if they were wealthy or if one or both parties had children from a previous marriage. These days, an increasing number of couples realize that prenups are an effective way to… Read More »
Does The Court Order Alimony If Both Spouses Are Broke?
The Alabama courts may award alimony when this is necessary to enable both spouses to continue to live at the same standard as they lived during the marriage. Often, it takes the form of rehabilitative alimony, which lasts five years or less, and the purpose of which is to enable the recipient spouse to… Read More »
How Much Of A Problem Is It If You Do Not Follow The Parenting Plan To The Letter?
On the one hand, a parenting plan can be a relief. During your marriage, you tried everything to get your ex to stop flaking on your plans, but nothing worked. A court-ordered parenting plan could be just what you need to stop the constant lateness and last-minute changes of plans. Your anger is not… Read More »
Why It Is Worthwhile To Finalize Your Divorce In Mediation
When you summon the courage to file for divorce, you might go into it with the mindset that you are ready to fight to win. You imagine the judge awarding you possession of the marital home and paying your ex a lump sum for the refinance, so that you never half to think about… Read More »
How To Avoid Oversharing Your Divorce
One of the best things about living in Alabama is that everyone seems to have the gift of gab. If you strike up a conversation with the person in front of you in line at the supermarket every time you go shopping, by the end of a month you will have found out which… Read More »