Justia Lawyer Rating
Top One
Avvo Rating 10.0 Top Attorney
Lead Counsel Rating
The National Trial Lawyers
The Avvo Clients' Choice Awards
Expertise - Seattle
The National Advocates
10 Best American Institute of Family Law Attorneys 2016
Client Champion badge
Expertise - Tacoma
Expertise - Olympia
Client Champion Platinum 2021
Expertise
Best of the Best Attorneys 2023 - Divorce Law Firm
Expertise Best Bankruptcy Attorneys in Everett 2021
Top 10 Family Law
Best of the Best Attorneys 2023 - Family Law Firm
Best of South Sound
American Association of Attorney Advocates - Divorce
American Association of Attorney Advocates - Family Law
2024 Judicial Edition
mylegalwin 2023 Distinguished Attorney
mylegalwin 2024 Distinguished Attorney
mylegalwin 2023 Featured Attorney
mylegalwin 2024 Featured Attorney

Lakewood Family Law

Our Lakewood Divorce Attorneys can Help You Take the Next Step Toward a New Life

The decision to get a divorce is a tough one. The uncertainty may be the worst part of the whole ordeal because you're facing a series of questions for which there simply aren't any answers. Will you lose custody of your kids? Will you have to pay your spouse alimony every month? What about child support?

Before making the final decision to get a Lakewood divorce you need to be sure that you understand how your situation applies to Washington family law. This is not always easy because the law can be vague and applying to your situation may be confusing. When you have to face tough choices, our Lakewood divorce lawyers can help you get a more stable footing by providing you with reliable information regarding the law.

The choices you make throughout your divorce will affect you and your children for many years. There are a multitude of potentially contentious divorce issues that will have to be negotiated with your spouse, and these could include child custody, alimony, and child support, among others. There may even be times when negotiations stall and coming to an agreement seems impossible, but it is the role of our Lakewood divorce attorneys to keep you on track so that decisions are made that benefit you and your children.

Our Lakewood divorce lawyers vow to protect your legal rights at all times, which is important when you're trying to protect your own personal interests. We also offer our clients a kind approach to the divorce process, making sure that your emotional health is considered at all times.

If you're considering a divorce, now is the time to act.

Lakewood, Washington, the Pierce County Family Court, and You

Lakewood is a relatively new city in Washington, as it was incorporated in 1996. At one time it was referred to as the Lakes District, because there are several relatively large lakes within the city limits. Obviously, Lakewood is appropriately named. The city is situated in Pierce County and has a population approaching 60,000, making it a mid-sized city by Washington standards. For more information about Lakewood, check out their topical and informative municipal website. , which has all sorts of information about the many opportunities in the area.

If you enjoy water sports, Lakewood has something just for you. American Lake Park is a popular local destination with a boat ramp and playground. You can swim and drive your boat around in the lake, but there's no fishing so leave your gear at home and save it for a trip to Puget Sound. If you just aren't into nature, you may love going to the Lakewood Playhouse for a show, or you can take the family to the Grand Prix Raceway for some fast-paced thrills on the track.

If you spend too many days fishing on Puget Sound, it can put a strain on your marriage. There are countless reasons why marriages fail, and when they do it's necessary to petition the Pierce County Family Court . This division of the Pierce County Superior Court also handles every sort of family matter, including adoption, modifications of support, and questions involving paternity. Before taking any action relative to a family law matter or divorce, you should take some time to discuss your situation with an experienced Lakewood attorney. We offer a free consultation, so get answers today without any obligation.

Common Family Law Issues That Our Lakewood Divorce Lawyers Routinely Handle

Whether you're getting a divorce or dealing with a complex family law issue, it's likely you have questions about the law. Few people are familiar with the divorce process, and many people are completely unaware of their legal rights in regards to family law matters. Our Lakewood family law lawyers handle every sort of case, and they can provide you with legal information specific to your situation. However, if you would like to review some basic information, consider the following:

Child custody issues often involve divorcing couples, but sometimes the issue is unrelated to divorce. For men and women getting divorced, child custody issues are some of the most challenging. The prospect of losing daily contact with your children can be emotionally devastating, so some parents will wage war with one another in an effort to gain primary custody of their kids. Not only can this be difficult for their children, it could cause negotiations to break down. If that happens, a judge will make the final decisions, and that's an end result that should be avoided whenever possible.

If your ex and their lawyer refuse to treat you fairly, your Lakewood divorce attorney will not back down. However, most of the time we urge clients to maintain control over their emotions and be willing to compromise in a fair way. Seldom does anyone get everything they want out of divorce, so your lawyer will offer you wise counsel based on years of real-world experience. The best Lakewood child custody lawyers will tell you that an attorney won't always tell you what you want to hear, but they will tell you what you need to hear.

Child support issues often come up during a divorce, but unmarried couples with children must also deal with this issue. Sometimes a paternity test is necessary to prove (or disprove) that a man is the father of the child, which may be the only way to legally force them to pay child support. The Pierce County Family Court uses schedules to determine the rate of support, so your Lakewood child support lawyer can provide you with idea of what the monthly payments may be.

Spousal support is often awarded to one divorcing partner. Much depends on the financial nature of the marriage and how long it lasted, but we usually have a pretty good idea of what the rate of alimony will be after gathering the facts. If you were married for a number of years, it's possible that alimony payments will last the rest of your life, unless the recipient remarries. Contact one of our Lakewood spousal support lawyers to get more information about this sensitive topic.

Divorce for men sometimes results in questions concerning fairness. Specifically, will the court treat a father the same as they do a mother in regards to child custody and child support issues. It's likely that men worry about this issue because of what they've seen on TV, or because they knew someone who felt as though they were treated unfairly. While women were shown preferential treatment in the past, this is no longer the norm. Make sure your legal rights are protected by talking to one of our Lakewood divorce for men lawyers about your situation.

Restraining orders and protection orders are used to protect victims of abuse. These tools are the most effective way to prevent an abusive partner from threatening the emotional or physical safety of you or your kids. Best of all, they are almost always obeyed because there are severe penalties for ignoring the order. If you would like to petition the Pierce County Family Court for either of these options, talk to one of our Lakewood protection order attorneys about your legal options. Your consultation is completely confidential.

Modifications of support are available to anyone paying or receiving child support or alimony, although the former is much more common. To qualify for a support modification, there must be some significant change in a person's life, such as losing their job or a severe illness. If you would like to find out how to pursue this option, contact one of our Lakewood support modification lawyers and get the facts.

If You Have Family Law Issues That Need to be Addressed Our Lakewood Divorce Attorneys can Help

Besides divorce, separated couples sometimes have family law issues arise that require the help of a professional litigator in Lakewood. Some of the more common Lakewood family law issues our lawyers handle are modifications of support, changes in visitation, and questions of paternity.

When any divorce or family law issue comes up, it’s good to know that you have a team of experienced and qualified WA State attorneys working on your behalf. Our Lakewood divorce lawyers want to earn your trust so that when tough questions arise you can be confident you are making sound choices.

Your goals become our goals when we work through divorce negotiations with your spouse, and if they are not open to fair-minded discussions then we will seek more aggressive alternatives. Whether it is during negotiation, litigation, or mediation, our Lakewood divorce professionals are prepared to protect your interests at all times.

You can contact our office in Lakewood today for a free divorce case evaluation. This is a confidential consultation where you will be free to ask questions and get solid legal information that you can use to make decisions about your Lakewood divorce.

If your retain one of our Pierce County divorce attorneys they will provide you with the personal care and attention you deserve, maintain communication, and do everything the law allows to help you reach your goals.

Schedule your free divorce consultation today, and let us show you how valuable compassionate representation can be.

Client Reviews
★★★★★
Laurie has worked on my very challenging and contentious divorce and I could not have asked for a better family law attorney. She was able to handle all of the twists and turns of my case with ease. I highly recommend Laurie to anyone looking for an excellent, ethical and hard working counselor. Chandler
★★★★★
Laurie is an incredible divorce lawyer! She did an amazing job with my divorce, and it was a real dog fight the whole way. She is a true fighter. And you can tell that she really cares about her family law clients and the results that she achieves for them. John
★★★★★
My lawyer guided me through a very challenging time in my life when I was going through my divorce. She worked hard and explained every step of the way what was going on so I could understand the process. I was very happy with her work. Barbel