Month: July 2018

July 2018

Important Post-Divorce Actions

July 31, 2018 / Divorce Made Simple

To ensure a smooth transition into your post-divorce new normal, your Koenig│Dunne team has identified the following important actions for you to take: Informational filing. If support (child support and/or alimony) has been ordered in your case, Nebraska law requires you to provide the clerk of the court with your address, telephone number, social security number, employer, and certain information related to employer-provided health insurance. If any of this information changes after your divorce is final, you must provide the updated information to the clerk in your county. Property actions. If you and your former spouse owned a home and

Game Show Enthusiast

July 27, 2018 / NEXT: An Empowerment Series

“You’d be perfect,” he said. “It’s a panel. I have two men and I need a businesswoman. Plus you’d get some publicity. Are you free Tuesday?” “Sure!” I say enthusiastically. My ego had just agreed to be a contestant in the inaugural taping of a TV game show before a live audience. While I have images of the Price is Right on the black and white television of my childhood, I have never been a big fan of TV game shows. Not Jeopardy. Not Wheel of Fortune. I don’t even know what they fight about on Family Feud. It’s not

The Discovery Process

July 24, 2018 / Divorce Made Simple

After the initial documents of a divorce have been filed, the “discovery” phase begins. Discovery refers to the legal process of exchanging information and documents between spouses that are needed to either come to a settlement agreement or prepare for trial. This process often requires spouses to gather a number of financial documents and to answer questions relevant to their divorce. Here is an overview of the discovery process: Sending Discovery Requests In order to legally require your spouse to provide you with information or documents, you must send formal discovery requests. These typically come in two different varieties. The

Vacation

July 20, 2018 / NEXT: An Empowerment Series

Vacation is a treasured luxury. The sights of the scenery, the tastes of the food, and the step back in time are awe-inspiring. I pack lightly. Sturdy walking shoes. A wrap for chilly evenings. A simple black dress for dinner that rolls up but doesn’t wrinkle. Ready for the wonder that awaits. Our first day we had a car. We meandered along rolling hills covered in morning light. Though midsummer, many of the fields were already turning golden. The lush blankets of color reached to the horizon where they met the sky that went from cloudy to perfect blue as

Who Gets to Live in the House During the Divorce?

July 17, 2018 / Divorce Made Simple

One of the first “unknowns” you may encounter when you begin the divorce process is who will get to stay in the marital residence while the divorce is pending. Regardless of whether your marital residence is an apartment or house, whether you’re renting or you own the property, the court can order one spouse to vacate the residence and award possession to the other. A spouse who is seeking to remain in the home (or, a spouse who is looking to remove his or her spouse from the home) may file a motion for exclusive possession of the marital residence.

Mistake Magnet

July 13, 2018 / NEXT: An Empowerment Series

Have you ever watched yourself become a mistake magnet? I have. First I type “rick” instead of “nick” in an email about an important business meeting. Then, instead of arriving ten minutes early to a roomful of professionals awaiting me, I arrive ten minutes late. Because three is a charm, I soon realize that I failed to inform a key person about the meeting. I make one mistake and I feel embarrassed by my kerfuffle. I make two mistakes and I feel both worried about what the other person thinks and guilty for being a source of suffering. I make

Positive Parenting

July 12, 2018 / Doing Divorce

“It was SO much fun!!” they cried in a collective chorus as they greeted me. My daughters had just returned to my house after 12 days away with their dad, stepmom, and his extended family. I unabashedly let the tears fall down my face as I pulled them in for a tight three-way hug. Knowing my chatty girls, I had prepared for uninterrupted time for them to tell me their tales. I knew if I wanted to get the details of the trip, I had to strike while they were hot and before they got to their friends on their

The First 5 Legal Documents of a Divorce Explained

July 10, 2018 / Divorce Made Simple

The flood of legal documents filed at the beginning of a divorce can seem both overwhelming and incomprehensible. These legal documents are often written in thick “legalese,” and their purposes are not always discernable without context. Here are simple explanations of the five legal documents commonly filed at the beginning of a divorce: The Complaint The first legal document filed in a divorce is the “complaint.” The person who files this document is referred to as the “Plaintiff,” while the non-filing spouse is referred to as the “Defendant.” These labels are not significant in terms of legal advantages. The purpose

Sibling Situations

July 6, 2018 / NEXT: An Empowerment Series

I stood excitedly waiting for Mom to hand me the phone. On an expensive “long distance” call, I could only talk a couple of minutes. Tom’s brilliance and hard work in high school had earned him a trip to a distant city to receive a science award, and this was his one call home. Tom was my big brother and my hero. Later that year, Tom boarded a bus headed from Nebraska to Michigan State University on a scholarship and leaving behind our mother who was broken hearted that she didn’t have a dime to give him. Neither our parents

Friends, Foes or Something in Between

July 5, 2018 / Doing Divorce

“Mom, is Dad your friend?” she asked without notice or context as she sat next to me in the car. “What…? Like Facebook friends?” I responded quickly to buy some time for a second to process how best to handle this query. To be truthful, I had never really thought about it. We didn’t start out as friends. We started out as dating. Then we were spouses. Now we are exes. Ultimately our relationship failed. In the twelve years we were together, we never experienced the lightness and careless independence of being friends. I can go months without seeing or

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