Marriage is more than an emotional bond, it’s also a legal contract. Ending that legal contract has consequences which sometimes include orders for spousal support, maintenance, or alimony — all terms used to describe one spouse’s order to pay a monthly monetary amount to the other party during a separation or after a divorce. Colorado law explains the idea behind alimony as necessary to level the playing field in cases where the economic relationship in a marriage can’t be fairly…

Family court in Colorado always focuses on the best interests of the child, including ensuring that responsible parties contribute to the financial support and well-being of their children. The courts look unfavorably upon those who become delinquent or fail to make their required child support payments. The balance of owed child support does not disappear and may, in fact, accrue interest if it remains unpaid. Whether you are a child support payer or the payee, it’s important to understand the…

A car accident is a shocking and often traumatic experience. Though we know they happen, we never fully imagine them happening to us and no one is ever really ready for an accident. Nonetheless, accidents happen to an average of over 17,000 people per day in the United States. These accidents cause a great deal of damage including property damage, physical injuries, emotional trauma, and sometimes death. Every year, over 100,000 people experience a car accident in Colorado alone. If…

Many of today’s couples put off marriage or determine not to make their union legal for a variety of economic and social reasons. Approximately 23.2 percent of Colorado births occur to unmarried mothers. When unwed couples have children and then decide to separate, or when two people conceive a child outside of a committed relationship, questions arise about the way Colorado custody law works for unmarried parents. While like most states, Colorado acknowledges automatic rights for an unmarried mother, determining…

Divorce and the division of one home into two separate households can be difficult for young children; however, preschool and elementary-aged children have little say in decisions regarding their own lives and are typically compliant when parents enforce the court-ordered custody and visitation agreements. It’s a relatively simple matter to exchange small children, even in the most challenging cases when children react to the disruption with crying or temper tantrums. But when children become teenagers, parents can no longer carry…