by Willems Law | Nov 20, 2019 | Child Custody, Divorce
Iowa Statutes require you to take a mediation class and a parenting class. Counties may have different rules for the classes. District 6 counties include Linn, Benton, Iowa, Johnson, Jones and Tama and require both spouses to take the course within 45 days of filing...
by Willems Law | Oct 2, 2019 | Annulment, Divorce
If you cannot live as husband and wife, you have two choices: divorce or annulment. However, you can only get a marriage annulled under certain circumstances. A divorce ends a valid marriage while an annulment ends a marriage that was never valid according to state...
by Willems Law | Aug 12, 2019 | Estate Planning, Family Law, Wills
Now that you have a new bundle of joy, you need to look at some legal options to protect your newborn child. While you may not need some of these things until later, it’s a good idea to get everything done as soon as possible as you never know what could happen...
by Willems Law | Jul 16, 2019 | Estate Planning, Family Law
Most people do not think of estate planning until they are in the 40’s or 50’s — and some even wait until they are even older. However, it is in your best interest to create an estate plan when you turn 18 or become emancipated (whichever comes first) even...
by Daniel Willems | Jun 28, 2019 | Divorce, Family Law
When you decide to divorce, you’ll need to file a petition with the court. As part of that petition, you have to allege that 1) there has been a breakdown of the marriage relationship to the extent that the legitimate objects of matrimony have been destroyed and 2)...
by Daniel Willems | May 22, 2019 | Divorce, Family Law
Alimony, commonly referred to as spousal support, may be ordered in any dissolution of marriage case. The court awards three types of alimony: Traditional, rehabilitative or reimbursement. The type of alimony order, if it is ordered, depends on several factors...
by Daniel Willems | Apr 12, 2019 | Adoption, Family Law
Iowa has four types of adoption: International, private domestic, foster care and step parent adoption. The type of adoption you choose depends on how you want to adopt and the age of the child. While children of all ages are available via all three methods of...
by Daniel Willems | Mar 20, 2019 | Divorce, Marriage
While common law marriage does exist in Iowa, it could be difficult to prove. The couple has to meet certain requirements for the courts to consider them married under common law. Additionally, once a couple is considered married under common law, they cannot simply...
by Daniel Willems | Feb 26, 2019 | Divorce, Family Law
When a couple who works as partners in a business get divorced, the business could be adversely affected. One spouse may buy out the other spouse, or both could still work at the business, though that is not a likely situation unless the couple is parting on very...
by Daniel Willems | Jan 14, 2019 | Mediation or Arbitration
In many family law cases, you can avoid the stress and costs of a trial by taking part in Alternative Dispute Resolution. There are two ways to reach a decision with Alternative Dispute Resolution: mediation or arbitration. What is Mediation? Mediation is the act of...
