FAMILY LAW RESOURCES IN WASHINGTON – 2021

Divorce & Separation in Washington State

Basic Information

 

Washington State Courts

Family Law Handbook: https://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/content/pdf/flhbmarriageedition.pdf

Divorce & Separation: https://www.courts.wa.gov/forms/?fa=forms.contribute&formID=13 

Washington Law Help

Family Law Issues: htts://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/issues/family-law

Divorce & Separation: https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/issues/family-law/dissolution-of-marriage-divorce 

Types of Divorce

Washington is a no-fault divorce state, which means neither spouse needs a reason for divorce aside from irreconcilable differences.

–          Uncontested Divorce: when spouses agree upon the following basic issues:

–          Contested Divorce: when spouses disagree upon one or more of the basic issues

–          Uncontested-Contested Divorce: when spouses agree to resolve contested issues through mediation and negotiation with the help of a mediator

See https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/resource/general-information-about-divorce?ref=EfMJh

 

Filing for Divorce

https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/resource/filing-for-dissolution-of-marriage-divorce?ref=l6hNh 

State Family Laws

Washington family laws governing divorce and separation are located in Chapter 26.09 of the Revised Code of Washington.

See https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=26.09 

Procedural Rules

There are rules that govern the procedures of every Washington State court.

–          Washington State statutes: https://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/

–          Washington State case law: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/washington.html

–          Washington State Court Rules – Superior Courts: https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/?fa=court_rules.list&group=sup&set=CR

–          Findlaw (a national site with state specifics for legal information): https://statelaws.findlaw.com/washington-law.html 

Washington Forms

There are certain required forms to use in family law matters.

See http://www.courts.wa.gov/forms/?fa=forms.static&staticID=14#FamLawForms 

Washington State Largest Counties Information:

King County:

–          Family Law Instructions: https://www.kingcounty.gov/courts/superior-court/family/family-law-instructions.aspx

–          Family Law Court Rules: https://kingcounty.gov/courts/clerk/rules/Family.aspx

Snohomish County:

–          Court Forms: https://snohomishcountywa.gov/5523/Snohomish-County-Superior-Court-Forms

Spokane County:

–          Court Rules: https://www.spokanecounty.org/1675/Local-Court-Notices-Resources-Rules

 

References to Professional Legal Help 

Lawyers

Washington State Bar Association’s Legal Directory: www.wsba.org

Washington Law Help: https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/find-legal-help?subtopic=dissolution%2Dof%2Dmarriage%2Ddivorce&topic=family%2Dlaw 

Collaborative Lawyers and Other Professionals

https://www.collaborativeprofessionalsofwashington.org/find-a-professional/?role=S1_FLatt 

Mediators/Alternative Dispute Resolution

Free services

Volunteer Settlement Conference Program

–          Seattle: 206-477-1353

–          Kent: 253-852-2345

Volunteers of America (Snohomish/Skagit Valley/Island County): www.voaww.org/drc 

Lower Cost Services

State Programs:

–          Moderate Means Program: www.moderatemeanswa.org

–          Northwest Justice Project: https://nwjustice.org/get-legal-help

Local Legal Clinics & Programs

–          King County Bar Association: 206-267-7070

–          International District: 206-624-5633 ext. 4111

–          Rainier Valley Legal Clinic: 206-695-7639

–          Eastside Legal Assistance Program: https://www.elap.org/

Limited License Legal Technicians: www.wsba.org/LLLT 

Qualified Private Services

Washington Mediation Association: https://washingtonmediation.org

Dispute Resolution Centers

–          King County: www.kcdrc.org

–          Kitsap County: www.kitsapdrc.org

–          Peninsula: www.pdrc.org

–          Yakima/Kittitas County: www.drcyakima.org

Minority Bar Associations

–          Asian Bar Association of Washington: https://www.abaw.org/

–          Disability Rights Bar Association: http://disabilityrights-law.org/

–          Filipino Lawyers of Washington: http://www.filipinolawyers.org/

–          Hispanic National Bar Association: https://hnba.com/

–          Korean American Bar Association of Washington: https://www.kaba-washington.org/

–          Latina/o Bar Association of Washington: https://www.lbaw.org/

–          Loren Miller Bar Association: https://www.lmba.net/

–          Mother Attorney Mentoring Association of Seattle: https://mamaseattle.org/

–          Middle Eastern Legal Association of Washington: https://www.melaw.org/

–          National Asian Pacific American Bar Assoc: https://www.napaba.org/

–          National Association of Women Lawyers: https://www.nawl.org/

–          National Bar Association: https://www.nationalbar.org/

–          National Black Law Students Association: https://nationalblsa.wildapricot.org/

–          National Conference of Women’s Bar Association: https://ncwba.org/

–          National Lesbian and Gay Law Association: https://lgbtbar.org/

–          QLAW Association:  http://www.q-law.org/

–          South Asian Bar Association of Washington: https://www.sabaw.org/

–          Vietnamese American Bar Association of Washington: https://www.vabaw.com/

–          Washington Attorney’s with Disabilities Association: https://wadaweb.org/

–          Washington Women Lawyers: https://wwl.org/

Washington State Bar Association Referral Service: https://www.wsba.org/for-the-public/find-legal-help

King County Bar Association Referral Service: http://www.kcba.org/For-the-Public/Hire-a-Lawyer 

 

Domestic Abuse Resources & Information 

Eastside Legal Assistance Program

https://www.elap.org/ 

National Resources

CALL: 211 (help by zip code)

TEXT: “HOME” to 741741

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 (hard of hearing: 800-787-3224)

Peace in the Home Helpline: 888-847-7205 

WA Legal Help

WA State Domestic Violence Information & Referral: https://www.domesticviolenceinforeferral.org/

WA State Protection Order Resources: www.protectionorder.org

King County Sexual Assault Resource Center: 888-998-6423

DV Family Law Clinic (Vashon Island): 206-940-6430

 

Mental Health Resources 

Substance Use/Gambling Resources

Washington Court Certified

–          Washington State Directory of Certified Resources: https://www.hca.wa.gov/assets/free-or-low-cost/directory-certified-behavioral-health-agencies.pdf

General

–          Washington Recovery Helpline (24-hour): https://www.warecoveryhelpline.org/

–          Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline  

General Mental Health Resources

National Alliance on Mental Illness (WA): http://namiwa.org

American Psychological Association: https://www.apa.org/topics/divorce/

American Psychological Association Psychologist Locator: https://locator.apa.org/?_ga=2.86597592.1335761285.1497298925- 

Washington State Resources

Washington Mental Health Counselors Association: https://wmhca.org/

Washington Association of Family Therapists: https://networks.aamft.org/washington/about-us/who-we-are

Multicultural Therapists: https://www.multiculturalcounselors.org/ 

Military Families

https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/issues/veterans-military/veteran-and-military-families

https://www.militaryfamily.org/info-resources/marriagedivorce/

https://www.military.com/spouse/relationships/military-divorce

https://veteranslegalservices.org 

Support Groups

Parent Trust: https://www.parenttrust.org/about/programs/circle-of-parents/?gclid=CjwKCAjw19z6BRAYEiwAmo64LY6kPhptFU_QJXWCnqrI65O7U-F-wAmxCjU1W0EMLaiBNzb81E-oZRoClCQQAvD_BwE

Divorce Lifeline: https://samaritanps.org/training-and-groups/divorce-lifeline-group-counseling/

Parenting & Children Resources

 

Washington Court Certified Parent Education Classes

https://www.divorce-education.com/wa/ 

Parenting Professionals

Organization of Parent Education Programs: https://www.opepwa.org/ 

Child Abuse

WA State Child Protective Service: https://www.atg.wa.gov/child-abuse-neglect 

Child Support

Child Support Guidelines: https://www.dshs.wa.gov/esa/division-child-support 

Alimony/Spousal Support/Maintenance

https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=26.09.090 

Financial Resources 

Free Credit Reports

https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action 

Pensions and retirement plans

General information: http://www.qdrodesk.com/qdro/The-QDRO-and-the-Divorce-Decree- Settlement-164.shtml 

Social Security

https://www.ssa.gov/ 

You can get a Social Security statement that will tell you if you have sufficient credits to receive Social Security and gives you an estimated benefit.

See https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/ 

For information about eligibility based on your ex-spouse’s benefits, see https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/applying7.html

https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/applying7.html#h4 

Internal Revenue Service – Pension, IRA and retirement information

Types of Retirement Plans: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-sponsor/types-of-retirement-plans

Retirement Plan FAQ: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/retirement-plans-frequently-asked-questions-faqs

IRA accounts: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/individual-retirement-arrangements-iras

Distributions from IRA: https://www.irs.gov/publications/p590b 

Internal Revenue Service – Tax issues

IRS Publication 504, Divorced or Separated Individuals: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p504.pdf 

Free Tax Preparation Services

AARP Tax Aide Sites: https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/resource/aarp-tax-aide-sites?ref=GrYaT

Free Tax Filing Assistance: https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/resource/free-tax-filing-assistance?ref=GrYaT

Military OneSource Tax Service: https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/resource/military-onesource-tax-services?ref=GrYaT

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