Divorce is increasing, not decreasing according to study

On behalf of Regina Edwards of Edwards & Associates, Family Law Attorneys posted in High Asset Divorce on Friday, March 27, 2014. 

A new study sheds some light on the U.S. divorce rate, and what has really been going on over the past few decades. It was thought that the divorce rate was decreasing since the 1970s, but the new study paints a very different picture. According to the new research, "the age-standardized refined divorce rate increased substantially after 1990 and is now at an all-time high."

It's a startling revelation in some ways, but in others it may not mean too much. Divorce is actually a simple "device," if you want to think about it in those terms. It allows people who are married but realize that their marriage is no longer tenable to solve their problem.

That is the crux of the matter: divorce is a solution to a problem, not a problem that is in need of solving. People who are unhappy in their marriages and recognize that it is time to change are going to file for divorce regardless of the divorce rate. There will never be a magical number that the divorce rate needs to hit for people to stop divorcing. That world will never exist.

So in the real world where divorce happens all the time and it shouldn't be considered a problem, it is best for unhappy couples to consult an experienced family law attorney to help them get organized and prepared for their split. In some ways, this is more important for fathers who could be confronted with some complex child custody matters in their divorce.

Source: Huffington Post, "Is the US Divorce Rate Going Up Rather Than Going Down?," Robert Hughes Jr., March 6, 2014

Tags: divorce

Life circumstances can alter how prenuptial agreement is enforced

On behalf of Regina Edwards of Edwards & Associates, Family Law Attorneys posted in High Asset Divorce on Tuesday, March 18, 2014. 

Take a moment and consider this scenario: say you've been married for many years, but your spouse had a prior marriage. Both of you waived your rights to alimony and signed a prenuptial agreement. Your spouse had multiple kids in the first marriage, and they come to live with you. To make everything work, you quit your job to help take care of them. Everything is going well for many years -- and then your marriage hits a snag.

What are you supposed to do in this scenario? Without a right to alimony or spousal support, and with no job or working experience in years, you could be in a dire financial situation. If you and your spouse were to divorce, would the prenuptial agreement still stand? Or would parts of it be nullified given the drastically different life circumstances that apply now?

It is impossible to give a definite answer to any of these questions without specific details about the people and assets involved. Prenuptial agreements are critical documents, but they are also tricky. The person enforcing the prenup has a significant evidentiary threshold to cover, as does the other party involved. The above scenario may be imaginary in this context, but it is also very real for many couples across the country. Just look at our source article as an example.

Ultimately, it is important to realize that every marriage or divorce is unique -- and that the parties involved need to consult and experienced family law attorney to help them navigate the specifics of their case.

Source: Boston Herald, "Woman worries about terms of prenup," Gerald Nissenbaum, March 16, 2014

Tags: divorce