DIVORCE LAW

Before no-fault divorce laws, the courts considered sex something that was exclusive to marriage. A wife was protected from the negative consequences of adultery by criminal law, specific divorce laws that addressed adultery, and, in some cases, alienation of affection laws. With the introduction of no-fault divorce laws, the courts, for some reason, decided they had no business being involved in the issue of whether or not a husband was faithful, or the right of a wife to be compensated for a husband's cheating ways. In these times, what is a jilted spouse to do?

Whether you've been married for several years or only a few months, divorce is never simple. It's easy to get overwhelmed by legal and financial worries, not to mention emotional stresses. Knowing your options and choosing the appropriate path will make this difficult time no harder than it needs to be. Learn the difference between no-fault, at-fault, absolute, limited, contested, uncontested divorce and more.

Does anyone stay together "'til death do us part" anymore? London's Daily Mail reports that co-habitating couples who never marry (think: Brad and Angelina) split up more frequently than married couples. Granted, that might not be saying much considering the divorce rate: in both the U.S. and the U.K., about half of marriages end in splitsville.

The results of a division of assets case were recently made public in New Zealand. A woman who had a 20-year affair with a man thought that she deserved some of his money when they split. Evidently, she thought he was going to leave his wife and put her life on hold. Evidently, new law has made this a possibility.