| Questions About Your Divorce? Contact Us. |
(206) 624-9605 - Seattle
(425) 455-4646 - Bellevue
(253) 852-8989 - South King County
What about my property?
How will it be divided?
Seattle Divorce Attorney
Laura M. Groves
Serving all of King County County
Experienced Washington State family law legal representation.
WA Family Law Lawyer Laura M. Groves
Experienced. Aggressive. Affordable.
Washington State Divorce Law and Property Division
Under Washington State Law all property acquired both before and during a divorce or separation must be disclosed and presented to the Court. The Court then makes a “fair and equitable distribution” of the property. This part of a divorce can cause a great deal of stress and discord between the parties.
Some property is considered community property and some is considered to be separate property. When dividing the party’s property the Court considers nature of the property, i,e. whether the property is separate property or community property.
There can be different interpretations of what the value of certain property is, as well as, who should get the property. It is important to have an accurate value of all property, including businesses, investments, real property and antiques so that a fair and equitable distribution of that property can be made.
Washington State Divorce Law and Community Property
All property acquired during a marriage is presumed to be community property. In other word, jointly owned with equal entitlement to the property for each party. There are exceptions to this rule such as property acquired prior to marriage; property acquired through inheritance; and some property acquired through settlement of a civil law suit. Community property does include income earned during a marriage, houses and cars purchased during a marriage, as well as investments made during a marriage.
Unfortunately, property that appears to be community property is not always as easily classified as such. Determination community property versus separate property is not always as easy as it may seem. For example, property purchased during a marriage, but purchased with funds received from an inheritance, may be considered to be separate property.
It is important to carefully trace funds in circumstances where the determination of separate versus community property is in question. Our attorneys have experience in dealing with these very complex issues and can help even in the most difficult of case.
(206) 624-9605 - Seattle
(425) 455-4646 - Bellevue
(253) 852-8989 - South King County