Divorce Lawyer Canon City

Fredrickson Johnson Belveal & Terry, LLC

Dissolution of Marriage

We understand that going through the dissolution of your marriage (“divorce”) can be emotionally and psychologically stressful.  It is our goal to reduce that stress by providing you with targeted, objective advice aimed at allowing you to resolve your family law issues fairly and in a timely manner. Some of the issues which are involved in the dissolution of marriage process are the following:

Colorado is a “No-Fault” State

Colorado is a “no-fault” state, which means that no specific grounds are necessary to obtain the dissolution of the marriage, and no blame put upon  either spouse for the failure of the marriage. The only requirement is that one of the parties believes that the marriage is irretrievably broken.

Dividing Assets

Generally, property acquired during marriage is considered marital property and is subject to equitable division between the spouses, regardless of in whose name the property is held. Marital property may include:the former marital residence, stocks or mutual funds, retirement plans, bank accounts, and tangible property. In a proper circumstance, certain property which you or your spouse brought into the marriage may not be considered marital property – including property acquired by gift or inheritance.

Debts Incurred

Generally, all debts incurred during the course of the marriage are considered to be marital debts, and the court will enter orders allocating the responsibility for the payment of those debts between the parties.

Filing a Petition

You may file for dissolution of your marriage in Colorado even if you were married in another state, provided that one of the parties has lived in Colorado for at least 90 days before the petition is filed.  If there are any jurisdictional issues associated with the circumstances of your case, we will discuss those issues fully at your initial consultation.

In addition to resolving issues of property and debt, the court will address issues of spousal support, parental responsibility, parenting time and child support, including medical support for your children.  The resolution of these issues will be based on your financial circumstances at the time of the entry of the decree and the best interests of your children.