family law – Page 4 – woodnicklaw.com

So DCS has invited you to a Team Decision-Making Meeting (TDM): Now what?

By Deandra Arena and Isabel Ranney In the grand scheme of nearly indecipherable acronyms in child welfare investigations, one particular abbreviation stands out as being part of nearly every case but nonetheless being misunderstood by most parents. The “TDM,” or “team decision-making meeting,” is an important step in the resolution of child welfare investigations that […]

How the Medical “Code of Silence” Affects Child Abuse Litigation

By Gregg Woodnick and Isabel Ranney Despite being the fifth-largest city in the United States, Phoenix only has seven board-certified pediatric orthopedic surgeons, five of whom work at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Because of their specialty, it is safe to presume that the surgeons all know each other from their professional community and any conferences they […]

The Not-So Basics of Third-Party Visitation

By Markus Risinger and Isabel Ranney A person’s right to parent their children is a fundamental right under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. The only way to completely dissolve a parent’s fundamental right to parent in Arizona is through severance. Visitation, however, permits a third party to be awarded time with the children if […]

Revisiting Dentists and Divorce

By: Leslie Satterlee, Ben Himmelstein & Larry Mathis The chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused legal professionals to revisit some of what we thought were constants in the divorce world, one of those being that medical professionals had “guaranteed” income. For many professionals, their practices came to a halt in the midst of the […]

Do You Handle High Net Worth Divorces?

By: Leslie A. Satterlee & Gregg R. Woodnick You would be surprised how often I hear this question. I hear it during formal consultations in our office and often in passing sitting at the bleachers while making small talk with parents on one of my kids’ sports teams. I used to just say “yes” or […]

Arizona Department of Child Safety: Visitation With Your Child is Non-Essential?

Arizona Department of Child Safety’s (DCS) director, Mike Faust, has issued a handful statements on the COVID-19 pandemic. As recently as April 10, 2020, DCS was not allowing in-person visitation to occur between a parent and their child in DCS custody.

The Misnomer of Web-Valuators: Utilizing Experts to Resolve Vehicle Value Disputes in Divorce

There is roughly one vehicle for every two Americans. The ubiquity of vehicles makes it difficult to imagine a divorce that doesn’t involve a vehicle. Regardless of whether the vehicle is a Honda Odyssey minivan or a vintage Packard that is part of an extensive car collection, utilizing a sound valuation methodology is crucial to both promote settlement and, if necessary, present compelling facts to the court.

Forgetting Something? The Forgotten Assets of Divorce

Most people going through a divorce know that they will need to divide their assets and debts accumulated during their marriage. Most people likely also understand that this can include the house they are living in, the bank account they use to pay their bills, the pots and pans in the kitchen, and that joint credit card. But, it is important to know that the community may include many other nuanced and not-so-obvious assets and debts.

Divorce 101: Acronyms and Terms Decoded

Family court can often seem like you are entering a world with a different language. Many new legalese terms and acronyms are used in the field of family law. Here are some frequently used acronyms decoded:

The Huxtable Divorce: Pop Culture Series

Everyone remembers Cliff and Claire Huxtable and their kids living a chaotic yet loving life. TV has the ability to show humor and conflict and wrap it all up in a bow in less than 30 minutes. But what if the Huxtable marriage fell apart like nearly half of all marriages in America?