By: Stephen J. Plog A traditional marriage is not the only type of legal union recognized by the courts in Colorado. There are two other possibilities: a civil union and a common law marriage. Learning the similarities and differences between these two types of unions may be important for legal reasons if
By: Janette Jordan In the State of Colorado, when you have a pending family law case before the court, such as a divorce filing, allocation of parental responsibilities filing, post-decree modifications, etc., courts typically require that the parties attempt alternative dispute resolution (ADR). In fact, C.R.S. 13-22-301, et seq. states that courts
By: Jessica A. Bryant As technology advances, it also impacts the way parties to a Denver family law case may try to present evidence to the court. However, these advancements are not always for the better. One major development is the creation of cell phone apps that purport to allow you to
By: Janette Jordan According to the Colorado Judicial Branch 2016 Annual Statistical Report, starting at page 32, there were 34,966 family law court filings in 2016. In speaking with court clerks, some will say that up to 70 percent of those are done by people without attorneys. We’ve written on the subject
By: Jessica A. Bryant The goal of this series of blog posts is to help people who have not been through a family law court hearing anticipate what questions they may face from the judge, opposing counsel, or the opposing party during that hearing. Part 1 of this series focused on what
By: Sarah T. McCain When your case entails contested litigation and moves towards a court hearing, you and the other party will ultimately need to present your evidence and arguments to the judge. The end result of your hearing will be the entry of orders regarding the various issues. Hearings scheduled
By: Jessica A. Bryant Whether an initial divorce case, initial custody case, or a request to modify a prior custody or support order, you will generally receive an order from the court requiring you to attend a mediation session before the final hearing. Mediation orders vary from county to county (for example, some
By: Jessica A. Bryant It is not uncommon for individuals to seek financial assistance when going through a divorce, custody, or modification case. Oftentimes, individuals seek financial assistance to cover attorney fees, the cost of retaining experts, or assistance with other financial items related to their cases. In other instances, people seek
By: Jessica A. Bryant When starting an initial Colorado family law case, the two first steps are filing the initial case documents (Petition and Summons) and getting the other party served. Pursuant to the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 4, serving divorce papers generally comes in two forms: either the other party signs
By: Curtis Wiberg As your family law case progresses to trial, the risks of letting a judge decide the course of your life and/or your children’s lives becomes a huge factor to consider if you are in a contentious divorce or post-divorce proceeding. No matter how strong you may perceive your position
