Archived Posts - June 2010
Talking to Your Kids About Divorce
Although the discussion about divorce should be tailored to a child's age, maturity, and temperament, be sure to convey one basic message: What happened is between mom and dad and does not have anything to do with the kids. Most kids will feel they are to blame even after parents have said that they are not. So it's vital for parents to keep providing this reassurance. Whatever your child's immediate reaction, it's important to provide answers and reassurance about how life will change and what will stay the same. Be ready with answers to these questions, even before they're asked: …
Preserving Children's Rights
Rich Harris of The Harris Law Firm and Representative Debbie Benefield, D-Arvada worked to help pass Bill 1097. The bill was designed to protect the children of unmarried parents, allowing them the same rights as those of divorced parents. The bill fixes an anomaly in the Colorado family law statutes. Read more at: http://www.harrisfamilylaw.com/process.cfm?task=admin.editPage&pageId=313
Sandra Bullock's Divorce Finalized
After months of tabloid fodder and a very public split, the divorce between Sandra Bullock and Jesse James is now final. The couple have been in the headlines since tabloid reports of James' infidelity broke in March. James, 41, admitted to cheating on Bullock, 45, and later said he took "a pretty amazing life and marriage" and "threw it away." The two separated shortly after Bullock won the best actress Academy Award in March for her portrayal of Lee Anne Touhy, the tough-minded Memphis socialite who takes in a homeless Michael Oher in "The Blind Side." Then i …
Preventing Parental Child Abductions
Family law attorney Rich Harris, President of The Harris Law Firm says that "Although the tragedy associated with parental child abductions in Colorado is not common, the statistics still indicate that parents need to know how to protect themselves and their children. Prevention is worth a pound of cure in these cases, and when parents and children learn together how kidnappings occur, they can reduce the chances of it happening to them." Retain originals of your child’s birth certificate and passport. Maintain current photograp …
Maintenance and the Underemployed Spouse
In cases where a spouse is not working, or is only working part time, the court may impute a higher income to an underemployed spouse for the purposes of establishing a maintenance award. Imputing income assumes that a party is capable of earning a specific amount. The courts’ decision to impute income depends upon a variety of factors that include the expectations regarding employment that were established during the marriage, whether a spouse has made an effort to obtain a more lucrative position, and the current availability of suitable employment. The issue of imputed inc …
If You are Having Marital Problems, Call Your Therapist Before You Call Your Divorce Lawyer
Begin with a Marriage Counselor The attorneys at The Harris Law firm believe that when your marriage is in trouble, calling your marriage counselor should be your first phone call, and calling your divorce lawyer should be your last phone call . When a potential client calls The Harris Law , we ask about your situation and the reasons for divorce. When there's even a hint of ambivalence from the caller , we encourage that person to see a marriage counselor with their spouse before they meet with a divorce attor …
Divorce Recovery can be More Costly than Divorce Itself
According to recent statistics from the National Center for Health, the U.S. divorce rate is currently estimated at 47.9 percent. Based on legal expenses, child support, and travel for parental visits to non-custodial parents, the financial impact of divorce is estimated at $11.1 billion dollars annually. Another $75.1 billion per year is estimated for post-divorce therapy, individual and family counseling, life coaching, and other mental health related therapies. While the circumstances associated with divorce are unique for every couple,&nb …
Using the Colorado Child Support Registry
Family Support Registry The Family Support Registry (FSR) is Colorado's centralized collection and disbursement unit for processing child support and maintenance payments. The FSR is responsible for activities associated with payment processing, such as: Address changes Payment inquiries Payment records Advantages of Using the Family Support Registry Provides an accurate and easily accessible legal record of all payments received on your account Easily accessible payment records State-of-the-art technology to ensure fast, efficient, and …
Colorado's Family Law Team
The Harris Law Firm, "Colorado's Family Law Team", now has 16 family law attorneys and two locations to serve our clients, Denver and Fort Collins
Rich Harris Urges Parents to Put Children First in Divorce Cases
Rich Harris commented this week on Tom Martino’s radio show on 630 KHOW on the impact of divorce on children.? Decades of studies show that the magnitude of the harm on children is commensurate with the level of conflict during the divorce.? Harris urged couples to be careful to keep their kids long-term interests at heart, and to be sure to work with attorneys who have settlement of cases as their central focus.
Saving Your Marriage- Getting the Support You Need!
Sarah James, LCSW, CAC 11 9220 Teddy Lane, Ste 1400 Lone Tree, CO 80124 Phone: 303-241-0421 www.thecoloradocounselor.com
The State of American Marriages
For many baby boomers with seemingly stable long-term marriages, the notion of separating or divorcing after surviving so many years together remains almost unthinkable. Yet those couples who do separate or divorce in the latter stages of life are doing so because the factors that once kept them together -- raising children, accumulating assets, planning for the future -- have become less important than the question of how they want to spend their time or whether they want to spend it with the same partner, says Dr. Terri Orbuch, also known as "The Love Doctor(R)." Do the Gores' mar …
Tips for Suviving Your Divorce
Tips for Surviving Your Divorce Keep to a routine. If you work, all the better. (Don't worry about being less productive than usual.) If you don't work, even if you have nowhere you have to go and nothing that must be done, make up a sequence of activities for that day and do each one of them. It helps to keep busy. Exercise. Jog, power walk, do yoga, walk your dog, spin, ride your bike, lift weights, or do anything that gets you moving. Physical activity counteracts the lethargy of depression, releases endorphins, and interrupts the downward spiral of depression. Breathe. In …
Reasons for "Late in Life Divorces"
After 40 years of marriage, those close to Al and Tipper Gore say that the couple simply grew apart. And experts say that late-marriage splits are more common than we think. "We tend to mistakenly believe that once people reach a certain point in marriage, they just stop splitting up," says Betsey Stevenson, an economist at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School who studies family trends. "But that's simply not true. In fact, Stevenson says, while marriages are more likely to fail in the first 10 years, once you get past that, "the percentage of those divorci …
Father's Rights
The 16 family law attorneys at The Harris Law Firm focus exclusively on Colorado domestic law. Cases includes those associated with divorce, legal separation, the allocation of parental responsibility, post-decree modifications of parenting time and child support, step-parent adoptions, and orders of protection. The Harris Law Firm also specializes in Colorado Father's Rights and represents men going through difficult divorce, child custody and child support matters. By being advocates of father's rights, we have found that the rulings of Colorado Courts are less gen …
Helping Your Kids Adjust to Divorce
When you and your spouse are going through a divorce, there are many ways in which you can be of assistance to your children. But most importantly, your positive attitude, ongoing patience, reassurance, and consistent willingness to listen to your children's concerns can minimize your kids anxiety as they learn to navigate the many changes they will experience during the divorce process. By providing consistency in their lives, you will be reminding them that they can count on you for stability, structure, and care. And by maintaining a positive working …
Congratulations to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office
Stephen Vertucci, an associate attorney with The Harris Law Firm, is a member of the vocational services committee of the Fort Collins Breakfast Rotary Club. As the chairperson for the Rotary Emergency Services Award, this committee awards members of local fire departments, sheriff’s deputies and police officers who demonstrate outstanding public service in an emergency situation. Today, the bi-annual Rotary Emergency Services Award was presented to Larimer County Sheriff Alderden on behalf of four Larimer County Sheriff’s deputies and sergeant’s who …
