Choosing a law firm to represent you and your case is one of the most important decisions you can make. We understand that your case is important to you and choosing the right firm and attorneys to represent you could make the difference for your case.
Our firm specializes in:
- Family mediation
- Divorce
- Dissolutions
- Child Custody
- Child Support
- Spousal Support
- Relocation
- Post-decree matters
- Guardian Ad Litem
- Business Valuations
- Pre-nuptial agreements
- Collaborative divorces
- High net worth divorces
and more.
Andrea Hicks has been practicing for more than 20 years and is located in Mason, OH.
Traditionally, the only way to get a divorce was to prove that your spouse had done something that was officially recognized as a justification for divorce. In other words, your spouse had to be at fault in breaking up the marriage.
The most common reasons were adultery, spouse abuse, being sentenced to prison for a felony, and insanity. This made it difficult to get a divorce, and a lot of time, effort, and money was spent proving that the other party was at fault. All states and the District of Columbia have passed no-fault divorce laws to allow a divorce simply because at least one of the parties no longer wishes to be married.
If you don’t know the whereabouts of your spouse, you may still get a divorce. You will need to take certain steps to attempt to locate your spouse, and to notify him or her that you have filed for divorce.
Typically, attempting to locate your spouse will involve things like checking the telephone listing where you live and where your spouse is last known to have lived, asking friends and relatives if they know where your spouse might be, checking with the post office where he or she last lived to see if there is a forwarding address, checking property records to see if he or she owns property, checking with state records for driver’s license or vehicle registrations, and checking with the last known employer or landlord.
If you still can’t locate your spouse, there is a procedure called service by publication, in which you obtain the court’s permission to publish a notice of the divorce in a newspaper.
Once this is done, you may proceed with the divorce or legal separation.
No. Your consultation is confidential. Anything you discuss with your attorney, or any other member of our firm, is held in the strictest of confidence.
A family mediator, such as myself, will help people resolve disagreements about marriage, separation, divorce, parenting, child support, property division, alimony, distribution of inherited property, family business succession, and other family matters.
When the parties agree to resolve their differences outside of court. Mediation early on can save the parties thousands of dollars and minimize long-term distress.