Parker Law Blog

Children should not have to pay the price for their parents' decisions to end their marriages. That is why in Colorado and other jurisdictions throughout the nation courts order parents to pay child support. Child support is money that custodial parents may use to provide their children with basic needs as well as to cover costs for their entertainment, activities, and other expenses.

Both of a child's parents are expected to contribute to their child's financial well-being. If a child is under the sole physical control of one parent, then the non-custodial parent may be required to pay monthly support for the child's care. Though child support is a common topic that individuals must address when they choose to get divorced, there are several facts about it that some readers may forget about.

Martial property is subject to division during a Colorado divorce. While the separate property that individuals maintain will remain their individual assets once their marriages are over, martial property must be split amongst the spouses with each spouse taking their share of it into their new independent life. Many marital assets are easy to identify, such as homes that were purchased during the course of a marriage. Other assets may be more easily forgotten over time and left out of marital property assessments.

Martial property can include real property, such as marital homes and land, but it can also include vacation homes, commercial buildings, tracts of land, and investment properties. Martial property can include financial tools and assets like retirement accounts and cash, too. This is because many types of financial devices can be owned by both of the parties to a marriage.

Every child custody and family law case is based on different facts and will involve children who have different needs. The best interests of one Colorado child may vary greatly from those of another, and for that reason individual custody cases receive their own consideration and review. The information contained in this post is informational in nature and should not be used by readers as legal advice.

Child custody involves reflections on where a child will live as well as considerations related to who may make decisions about their care. These two aspects of child custody are divided into physical custody and legal custody. While it is often the case that two parents will share legal custody of their kids so that they can both have a say in how their children are raised, it is not unusual for only one parent to be granted physical custody.

Getting a divorce can be difficult for a Colorado resident, especially if they have concerns about how they will financially support themselves once their marriage is over. In some divorce cases, financially disadvantaged individuals may secure alimony or spousal maintenance from their exes to help them transition into their new single lives. Alimony can end based upon the terms of an agreement made amongst the parties or based on how a divorce court structures the parties' alimony order.

For example, a judge may order that one party to divorce pay the other a lump sum alimony award. In such a case the paying spouse's obligation to their ex would cease once that singe payment was made. However, if the parties' judge orders ongoing maintenance, then the end of the alimony obligation may not be as clear.