Dublin Ohio Family Law Blog

Marriage is a huge commitment made by many people as they enter their late twenties and early thirties. What is perceived as a forever commitment may change as the couple gets older. Some may grow apart as interests and values change. Divorce may be the result, but economics can play a role in whether or not a couple stays together in Ohio.

Finances can be a big concern for women who are considering a divorce. Women who chose to stay home to raise children may wish to reenter the workforce, but they may find this comes with significant challenges. They may pay for their absence from the workforce with reduced income options and face an uphill battle to achieve the level of income they enjoyed prior to raising a family.

A couple meet, get to know each other, fall in love and get married. They have and raise children and send their adult children off to college to begin their adult lives in Ohio. The couple are now empty nesters. Sometimes people use this time to reconnect and begin the next phase of their married life, or they may find they have grown apart and no longer wish to remain married. This phenomena is known as gray divorce and is increasing in Ohio and around the country.

Ending a marriage can be an expensive proposition but there are steps that can be taken to reduce the cost. A traditional divorce for a couple over 50 can be quite expensive. There are alternatives to traditional divorce, including mediation and a collaborative divorce. Both of these involve the couple and their attorneys talking to each other directly and can take less time and save money.

When you're not married but want to start a family, you need to take steps to protect the integrity of your family unit. Fathers, in particular, must take special steps to guarantee their parental rights in Ohio. When they are not married, there is no assumption that they are the father of a child (after all, the only obvious biological parent would be the mother).

When any child is born out of wedlock, it's a very good idea for fathers to take steps to establish paternity. Even if the mother agrees that this is your child, you should make sure you are the one acknowledging paternity. If there is any question of paternity, get a DNA test to prove that you are the father of your child.

While the divorce rate has seen a slight decline in recent years, almost half of those who marry still face the prospect of divorce. When a marriage ends in Ohio, the couple divide the assets and are free to continue their respective lives as newly single individuals without legal ties to each other -- except where the issue of federal retirement accounts might be concerned. Failure to address beneficiary designations can have unintended consequences following a divorce.

When a person starts a new job and signs up for an employer-provided 401(k) plan, one is asked to designate a beneficiary. The beneficiary is typically one's spouse. If the employee predeceases the spouse, the proceeds of the account will transfer to the beneficiary. In the event of a divorce, the owner of the account must designate a new beneficiary, or the ex-spouse could still receive the proceeds.