Attorney Torrence L. Howell practices family law in the Upland, CA area. He also specializes in business law, which gives him a real advantage when it comes to advising and representing clients in matters that intertwine family and business law. Clients have found that one of his most helpful tools is the Divorce Checklist. It’s important consider all of the items listed on this checklist to ensure your divorce proceeds smoothly. There are more items that could be added to this list according to the circumstances of each divorce. For personalized divorce legal advice, mediation, and representation, contact Attorney Torrence L. Howell for a free initial case evaluation today. Call (909) 920-0908 or email info@torrencelhowelllaw.com to make an appointment now.

In the meantime, here’s a helpful checklist everyone who’s getting a divorce can use. If you’d like, you can download this the Divorce Checklist as a PDF here.

This Checklist is divided into 3 categories – Children Decisions, Support Decisions, and Equitable Distribution. First, let’s start with Children Decisions.

Children Decisions:

• Parenting options (sole decision making by one parent, join decision-making but residence primarily with one parent, split residence and decision-making, etc.)
• Access or visitation? (weekdays/weekends, holidays and long weekends, school recesses, summer vacations, birthdays, phone calls, notice of changes, and expenses of missed times, etc.)
• Geographic restriction (foreign travel, relocation with the children, etc.)
• Access to records (doctors, dentists, schools, etc.)
• Notification (addresses and phone numbers, illnesses and accidents, children’s whereabouts, etc.)
• Grandparent visitation

Next up, we have Support Decisions:

• Child support (amount, date of payment, cost of living adjustments, amount of reduction upon emancipation of one child)
• Definition of emancipation (age, college, marriage, living away from home, employment, etc.)
• Extra expenses (college or private school tuition, childcare costs, summer camp/activities, extracurricular activities)
• Medical (insurance coverage, procedure for claims filing and reimbursement, payment for uncovered expenses, decisions on elective procedures including orthodontia, dental, prescription, eyeglasses, psychotherapy expenses, etc.)
• Life insurance (amount, duration, type, beneficiary, trustee for children, amount of cash value, etc.)
• Alimony (amount, cost of living adjustment, time of payment, duration, etc.)
• Health insurance/COBRA rights

Lastly, we have Equitable Distribution:

• House or condo real estate (if marital home is sold, who occupies until sale, who pays expenses until sale on mortgage, taxes, utilities, insurance, repairs, etc.)
• Sale of house (when, age or graduation of children, remarriage or cohabitation, how to determine selling price, option to buy, expenses of sale, division of proceeds, capital gains exposure, etc.)
• Consideration is the marital home is to be retained by one person (who remains in home, valuation of home, division of value – lump sum and/or payout, etc.)
• Business interests (method of valuation, division of value: lump sum and/or payout, etc.)
• Retirement funds (valuation, division of value – lump sum and/or payout, etc.)
• Division of personal property (bank accounts and liquid assets, stocks, bonds, tax shelters, cars, jewelry, collectibles, household furniture, family photographs, etc.)

Other important issues include:

• Estate waivers (effects of waivers, provisions for children of this marriage, etc.)
• Tax returns (liability or refunds on past returns, future filings, child dependency exemptions, etc.)
• Costs of divorce (how to divide legal costs, filing fees and expert witness fees, including accountants, appraisers, etc.)

If you have any questions, need some guidance about your specific divorce, or are ready to start working with Attorney Howell right away, schedule your first initial consultation now by calling (909) 920-0908 or emailing info@torrencelhowelllaw.com. Attorney Howell looks forward to offering you impeccable legal advice and representation so your divorce can proceed as smoothly as possible.