Bellingham Adoption Lawyer, Washington

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Roy Martin

Divorce & Family Law, Collaborative Law, Divorce, Custody & Visitation
Status:  In Good Standing           

Sean D Mckee

Traffic, Patent, Family Law, Criminal
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  16 Years

Drew D Pettus

Visa, Divorce
Status:  In Good Standing           

David Duane Lowell

Estate, Criminal, Divorce & Family Law, Personal Injury
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  31 Years

Roger L Ellingson

Business, Divorce & Family Law, Real Estate, Contract
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  35 Years

Ryan J West

Family Law, Adoption
Status:  Suspended           Licensed:  25 Years

Patrick M. Gallery

Family Law, Adoption, Divorce & Family Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  35 Years

Brenda Lynn Agren

Family Law, Adoption, Divorce & Family Law
Status:  Inactive           Licensed:  46 Years

Steven Douglas Avery

Wills & Probate, Estate Planning, Workers' Compensation, Guardianships & Conservatorships, Elder Law
Status:  In Good Standing           

Lisa Amini

General Practice
Status:  Suspended           Licensed:  22 Years

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LEGAL TERMS

CHILD

(1) A son or daughter of any age, sometimes including biological offspring, unborn children, adopted children, stepchildren, foster children and children born o... (more...)
(1) A son or daughter of any age, sometimes including biological offspring, unborn children, adopted children, stepchildren, foster children and children born outside of marriage. (2) A person under an age specified by law, often 14 or 16. For example, state law may require a person to be over the age of 14 to make a valid will, or may define the crime of statutory rape as sex with a person under the age of 16. In this sense, a child can be distinguished from a minor, who is a person under the age of 18 in most states. A person below the specified legal age who is married is often considered an adult rather than a child. See also emancipation.

EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION

A legal principle, followed by most states, under which assets and earnings acquired during marriage are divided equitably (fairly) at divorce. In theory, equit... (more...)
A legal principle, followed by most states, under which assets and earnings acquired during marriage are divided equitably (fairly) at divorce. In theory, equitable means equal, but in practice it often means that the higher wage earner gets two-thirds to the lower wage earner's one-third. If a spouse obtains a fault divorce, the 'guilty' spouse may receive less than his equitable share upon divorce.

CUSTODY (OF A CHILD)

The legal authority to make decisions affecting a child's interests (legal custody) and the responsibility of taking care of the child (physical custody). When ... (more...)
The legal authority to make decisions affecting a child's interests (legal custody) and the responsibility of taking care of the child (physical custody). When parents separate or divorce, one of the hardest decisions they have to make is which parent will have custody. The most common arrangement is for one parent to have custody (both physical and legal) while the other parent has a right of visitation. But it is not uncommon for the parents to share legal custody, even though one parent has physical custody. The most uncommon arrangement is for the parents to share both legal and physical custody.

ADULTERY

Consensual sexual relations by a married person with someone other than his or her spouse. In many states, adultery is technically a crime, though people are ra... (more...)
Consensual sexual relations by a married person with someone other than his or her spouse. In many states, adultery is technically a crime, though people are rarely prosecuted for it. In states that have retained fault grounds for divorce, adultery is always sufficient grounds for a divorce. In addition, some states alter the distribution of property between divorcing spouses in cases of adultery, giving less to the 'cheating' spouse.

FOREIGN DIVORCE

A divorce obtained in a different state or country from the place where one spouse resides at the time of the divorce. As a general rule, foreign divorces are r... (more...)
A divorce obtained in a different state or country from the place where one spouse resides at the time of the divorce. As a general rule, foreign divorces are recognized as valid if the spouse requesting the divorce became a resident of the state or country granting the divorce, and if both parties consented to the jurisdiction of the foreign court. A foreign divorce obtained by one person without the consent of the other is normally not valid, unless the nonconsenting spouse later acts as if the foreign divorce were valid, for example, by remarrying.

CASE

A term that most often refers to a lawsuit -- for example, 'I filed my small claims case.' 'Case' also refers to a written decision by a judge -- or for an appe... (more...)
A term that most often refers to a lawsuit -- for example, 'I filed my small claims case.' 'Case' also refers to a written decision by a judge -- or for an appellate case, a panel of judges. For example, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision legalizing abortion is commonly referred to as the Roe v. Wade case. Finally, the term also describes the evidence a party submits in support of her position -- for example, 'I have made my case' or ''My case-in-chief' has been completed.'

RESPONDENT

A term used instead of defendant or appellee in some states -- especially for divorce and other family law cases -- to identify the party who is sued and must r... (more...)
A term used instead of defendant or appellee in some states -- especially for divorce and other family law cases -- to identify the party who is sued and must respond to the petitioner's complaint.

ACKNOWLEDGED FATHER

The biological father of a child born to an unmarried couple who has been established as the father either by his admission or by an agreement between him and t... (more...)
The biological father of a child born to an unmarried couple who has been established as the father either by his admission or by an agreement between him and the child's mother. An acknowledged father must pay child support.

MISREPRESENTATION

A lie by one spouse before marriage that provides grounds for an annulment. For example, if a spouse failed to mention that he was still married or was incapabl... (more...)
A lie by one spouse before marriage that provides grounds for an annulment. For example, if a spouse failed to mention that he was still married or was incapable of having children, he has misrepresented himself.

SAMPLE LEGAL CASES

State v. Gamble

... Barr v. MacGugan, 119 Wash.App. 43, 78 P.3d 660 (2003). ¶ 10 In In re Adoption of Henderson, 97 Wash.2d 356, 644 P.2d 1178 (1982), changes made in a governing statute provided that adoption decrees should be final from the date of entry. ...

In re Dependency of MS

... 1 Facing the possible involuntary termination of her parental rights through a dependency termination proceeding, Carmen Sigurdson decided to voluntarily relinquish her rights to the Department of Social and Health Services in exchange for an open adoption arrangement. ...

In re PPT

... The court also entered findings that all three children were in need of a permanent home given the instability they faced in their parents' home and the length of time they had spent out of parental care, that all three children had prospects for adoption, and that the aunt and ...