Divorce

The Best Interests Of You And Your Children Come First

Few things are more emotionally draining or unpleasant than divorce. With an understanding that every divorce is different, I provide my clients individualized and compassionate representation. At Estes Law Firm, PLLC, I focus on the best interests of my clients and their children and I help my clients make the tough decisions that come with ending a marriage.

A Dedicated Advocate At Your Side

Whether your divorce settles or goes to court, I pride myself on being a lawyer who will remain at your side. I focus on resolving the specific issues you face that include:

• Property and debt division: Because Arizona is a community property state, both real and personal property and debt acquired during the marriage are presumed to belong equally to both spouses. With few exceptions, it does not matter whether one spouse made more money or spent more money. Upon divorce, real estate, money, vehicles, investments accounts, profit sharing, pensions, retirement plans and debts generally are equally divided between the divorcing spouses. Exceptions exist to these general rules and give rise to most of the property/debt division arguments in divorce cases.

• Legal decision-making: In Arizona, the concept of child custody has been divided into two distinct, but related concepts. 

• Legal Decision-Making:  Legal decision-making refers to the major parenting decisions regarding issues like education, religion, and non-emergency medical care. Joint legal decision-making requires both parents to work together to make parenting decisions regarding their children. Sole legal decision-making allows one parent to make parenting decisions regarding the children without consulting the other parent.

• Parenting time: Generally, continuing frequent and meaningful contact with both parents is in a child’s best interest. Accordingly, an equal parenting time arrangement is preferred. However, in other cases, one parent will be the primary residential parent, and the other parent will have reasonable parenting time.

• Child support: Various factors are considered when determining the monthly child support one parent should pay to the other. Those include:

  • Combined income of both parents

  • Support paid for other children

  • Spousal maintenance paid or received

  • Child care and health care insurance cost

  • Ages of the children

  • Parenting time awarded to each parent