Family Law Debt

We are not family lawyers.  We do not handle divorces, custody, or temporary orders.  We are debt lawyers.  We focus on the financial aspects relating to dissolution.  We can help you to cooperatively discharge debt prior to divorce if you are amicable with your partner.  If it is ugly, then we can take all necessary steps to protect you. We can help you to avoid debts or to keep your ex partner from escaping their liability.  We typically work in tandem with your family law attorney or help you directly prior or after dissolution.  Call us to see how we can help.

Family Law Debt Attorneys

Our focus is on the financial aspects of dissolution.  You are not just divorcing your ex as a person, you are divorcing the debts, the house, the assets, and ongoing liabilities.  Just because you have a divorce decree that states your ex will refinance or sell the house or pay you an offsetting judgment does not mean they will.  We are here to resolve debt issues that spawn from a dissolution, whether you are the one that owes or is the one who is owed.

HOW WE HELP- SAVING YOU MONEY AND COLLECTING WHAT’S OWED TO YOU

  1. Less Expensive Divorce- A dissolution typically covers the untangling of assets and debts and dealing with custody.  While we can’t help with custody or the dissolution directly, if we get rid of your debts prior to divorce or trial, you do not have to pay attorney fees to handle what has already been handled.  This way, your money stretches further by being used for what is most important- your children.
  2. Discharging Debts– Imagine if you have a house with a 100k equity and 100k in credit cards.  Imagine spending attorney fees to argue over who gets the house, who gets the debts, and how to split things?  Now imagine filing a bankruptcy to discharge the credit card debt while saving all the equity in the home because it is protected by Washington’s homestead laws.  Instead of netting below zero (100k equity – 100k credit cards – attorney fees to argue over these assets and debts), you instead split the proceeds of the house.  That’s what we do.
  3. Discharging Property Settlements– While alimony, maintenance, and support are non dischargeable pursuant to 11 USC 523a(5) and (15), property settlements are dischargeable in a chapter 13 bankruptcy.  So you got the 100k house and the 100k in debt, then the home value goes down, you can’t refinance, and the ex is threatening contempt if you don’t pay your 50k offset.  Hello chapter 13.
  4. Settling Debts Subject to a Hold Harmless Clause– If you were assigned debts that are now in essence non-dischargeable and subject to contempt if you do not pay them, we can settle or resolve the issues.  Imagine if you were awarded the 100k house and the 100k of debt.  Imagine you settle the 100k of debt for 50k or less.  You just netted an unexpected 50k or more via debt avoidance while not being held in contempt.
  5. Not Letting Your Ex Avoid you in Bankruptcy– We can make sure any alimony, maintenance, and support is non-dischargeable, object to any plans that do not pay you properly, object to misclassification or understatement of what is owed to you.  We are bankruptcy litigators with extensive creditor side experience.
  6. Collecting Judgments Owed to You– We can sue, garnish, and collect.  Our entire practice is dedicated to creditor-debtor law and we have extensive experience in collections from both a debtor and creditor perspective in State, Federal, and Bankruptcy courts.

SERVICES

FREE RESOURCES

We work with many private law firms that are focused in family law.  Ask us for a referral if you are expecting a high conflict dissolution or contested motions or would just prefer an attorney to handle your legal needs.  If, however, you are on a budget and want to try to get through your dissolution or contested motion as inexpensively as possible, below are some options that can help.