On behalf of Gillespie, Shields & Durrant posted in Divorce on Tuesday, June 18, 2013
While we would all appreciate if every divorce could be handled amicably and outside of court, that just isn't a reality. This is especially true when there is a power imbalance between the two spouses. As a matter of fact, CNBC recently featured an interesting article on going through a divorce with a bully.
Unfortunately, the article stated that divorce can be more like a game to a controlling spouse who is on a power trip. That means the spouse may prioritize winning no matter what the costs may be -- financial or otherwise. For these reasons, it's important for the non-dominating spouse to be just as prepared to go to battle.
On behalf of Gillespie, Shields & Durrant posted in Divorce on Friday, June 14, 2013
Another high-profile and high-asset divorce has been reported, this time between multi-billionaire Rupert Murdoch and his wife of 14 years, Wendi. Murdoch reportedly filed for divorce on Thursday, stating that the “relationship between husband and wife has broken down irretrievably.”
The announcement came as a surprise to many, including people who were close to the couple. Their friends told reporters that the couple appeared to lead separate lives for the past few years -- with Rupert focusing on his $73 billion media conglomerate, News Corporation, and Wendi diving into movie producing -- but they weren't expecting a divorce.
On behalf of Gillespie, Shields & Durrant posted in Child Custody on Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Years ago, child custody cases looked much different in Arizona and the rest of the country. Women were almost always awarded primary custody of the children while men were often given parenting time of every other weekend.
However, along with a push for more fathers' rights has come demands for equal or shared custody arrangements. While one might think that the effort is being led primarily by men, quite the opposite is true.
On behalf of Gillespie, Shields & Durrant posted in Child Custody on Friday, June 7, 2013
Last week, former Phoenix suns point guard Steve Nash told an Arizona family court judge that he plans on moving back to the state after he finishes he career in the NBA. Nash and his ex-wife, Alejandra, are currently in a heated battle over whether Alejandra should move with their three children to Southern California, where Nash is currently living while he plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.
A two-day "relocation trial" was held last week on the matter as Alejandra needs permission from the court in order to move the kids out of the state. Alejandra told the judge that she wants to move to California with the children so that they can be closer to their father. She has also admitted that the move may allow her to apply for a child support order in California. When the couple divorced in late 2011, an Arizona judge denied child support to Alejandra.
On behalf of Gillespie, Shields & Durrant posted in Divorce on Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Recently, Bloomberg featured an interesting article on a new profession known as forensic accounting. Forensic accountants are now being used in some high-asset divorce cases in order to make sure both spouses get a fair share of the marital property.
Arizona is a community property state, which means that all income and assets brought in during the marriage by either party is considered marital property to be split 50-50 upon divorce (so long as there is no valid prenuptial agreement). Even in cases involving a business that was built during the marriage but managed by only one spouse, the other spouse is often still entitled to half.
On behalf of Gillespie, Shields & Durrant posted in Divorce on Wednesday, May 29, 2013
About two months ago, we reported that Harold Hamm, the chief executive of the booming oil company Continental Resources, and his wife had filed for divorce. Well, it turns out that the divorce proceedings were less eventful than we had anticipated, and we may never know if the former couple's divorce settlement will go down in the record books.
It was announced earlier this month, with little media coverage, that the billionaire and his wife were able to reach an out-of-court settlement on their divorce. Additionally, a hearing that was set for May 20 to determine the date the couple separated was cancelled.
On behalf of Gillespie, Shields & Durrant posted in Child Custody on Friday, May 24, 2013
Co-parenting after a divorce can be downright difficult. Typically when a couple parts ways, they no longer have to see or speak to one another. But that is not the case when there are children involved. Parents -- no matter how much they may dislike each other -- will be forever linked by their children.
The good news is that there are many resources available today that provide advice on how to co-parent effectively. In one recent article, a mother who has recently split from the father of her children outlines several effective co-parenting strategies that she has learned.
On behalf of Gillespie, Shields & Durrant posted in Prenuptial Agreements on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Chairman Brian France wasn't the only person of NASCAR fame to make the news recently for family law matters. Late last month, it was reported that the divorce of Danica Patrick is now official. Patrick split from her husband of seven years, Paul Hospenthal. The divorce was reportedly entered by the Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County on April 17.
However, Patrick's divorce appears to have been much less dramatic than NASCAR's Brian France, who married and divorced the same women twice, only to eventually sue her for violating the confidentiality terms of their divorce settlement. Patrick and Hospenthal, who is 17 years her senior, are said to have reached an amicable out-of-court settlement.
On behalf of Gillespie, Shields & Durrant posted in Child Custody on Friday, May 17, 2013
Summer camp is a popular option for young people in Arizona. However, after a divorce has taken place, parents may have a hard time deciding on which camp a child should attend. While one parent may be pushing for an expensive sleep-away camp in another state, the other might want the child to attend a cheaper day-camp that is closer to home.
To help parents in this situation work out their disagreement without having to rely on their divorce attorneys, the Huffington Post recently featured an article with a step-by-step guide to do-it-yourself mediation. In addition to the summer camp dispute, the steps can be applied to most co-parenting disagreements that arise.
On behalf of Gillespie, Shields & Durrant posted in Child Custody on Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The child custody arrangement between Charlie Sheen and ex Denise Richards isn't typical, but few cases involving celebrities are. Recently, it was reported that Richards, who has two daughters with Sheen, has also agreed to take temporary custody of Sheen's twin boys from another relationship while their mother goes to rehab for drug and alcohol abuse.
Apparently, Richards was awarded temporary guardianship of the twins while their mother, Brooke Mueller, attends treatment at the Betty Ford Center. What's perhaps even more surprising, though, is that Richards reportedly has refused additional child support from Sheen, insisting that she has enough to provide for the children.
