Denver Family Law Blog

As women have made strides in equal rights and in the workplace, their role in divorce courts is evolving too. More and more women are being order to pay alimony or child support after a divorce, according to new research.

A generation ago, it's hard to imagine many women being ordered to pay an ex-husband spousal support. These days, according to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, over half of attorneys who handle divorce cases say they have witnessed an increase in the number of mothers paying child support.

Going through a divorce can be a difficult process. It's important for people experiencing a big change like divorce to rely on family and friends for support. Women, in particular, often find comfort in talking to their friends about it.

There are actually many things you can do to help a friend who is divorcing a spouse. Here are a few tips for those in that situation.

Going through a divorce can be complicated enough. When young children are added to the equation, there can be an extra layer of challenges in child custody situations. And when those children have special needs, that's even more true.

Special needs children often require specialized care that requires extra time and money. Only a handful of states have laws that allow courts to order parents to provide continued support for people with special needs after they turn 18 or 21. However, people with special needs often need expensive care, including medical expenses, vocational training and therapy, well beyond that age.

Divorce can prove costly for both parties involved, but there are steps you can take in order to minimize the expenses associated with ending a marriage. The Huffington Post highlights a few in a recent informative article.

An important tip to keep in mind is to avoid maxing out your credit cards. People who have recently been through a divorce sometimes struggle to keep up with their monthly bills like mortgages or car payments and end up putting these expenses on a credit card. While that can be a temporary solution, it is important to be able to pay off the amount on the credit card each month. Hefty monthly fees, late payments, or defaulting on payments cannot only take an emotional toll on you, but it also can also put a dent in your credit history.

How would you feel if you discovered that your ex-spouse, whom you are in the process of divorcing, planted a tiny camera in a coat button? Or if they used a recording device inside of a pen? Would you feel violated?

Most people would probably say "yes." And with evolving technology, it's apparently happening more and more for people going through a divorce.

The process of divorce can be complicated as it is. What happens when someone has to see their ex-spouse on a daily basis because they work together? Or, more than that, they own a business together? It's more common than you might think.

According to a U.S. Census survey of business owners in 2007, nearly 4 million American companies are owned and operated by a husband and wife team. If you stick to the theory that one in two marriages will end in divorce, you can envision some awkward work situations.

This may not seem too surprising, but data shows that more and more children are born to parents who are not married. There's no easy explanation for the increase, but one likely scenario is that people simply could not afford to start a marriage in the midst of the recession.

In a study that involved face-to-face interviews with 12,279 women and 10,403 men between the ages of 15 to 44, it was found that the number of first births for unmarried women living with a male partner went from 12 percent in 2002 to 22 percent by 2010. For men, the number went from 18 percent to 25 percent.

Every couple getting married hopes for a long and happy life together. But in some instances, it is simply not meant to be. With about half of all marriages ending in divorce, some commentators say that couples about to tie the knot should at least be aware of what divorce entails, and perhaps be prudent in taking certain steps in case it does happen down the road.

New spouses should know, for instance, about their new partner's debts, spending habits, and credit card accounts. In the event of a divorce, they may be liable for those debts, so it is best not to be surprised. If there are assets important to one spouse before the marriage, it may be a good idea to keep them as separate property rather than co-mingling them with other marital assets.