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.Let's look at marriage and adultery from an economic point of view. Marriage vows … Read More

Getting a divorce can be like peeling gum off your shoe. Sometimes it comes right off in one smooth lump. Sometimes it needs a little encouragement from a twig. And sometimes it sticks with such hellish obstinacy you wish you'd just left it alone.

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.

Absolute or Limited

Absolute divorce is exactly … Read 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.

But apparently not slipping a ring around your finger when you share the same toothbrush holders means a breakup is all the more likely. Kids seem to complicate the problem—in the UK, half of co-habitating couples with a child … Read More

Only in America New Zealand. A married man with a long-term mistress was in danger of losing half of his assets. A new proviso in the laws governing NZ property introduces the concept of a "contemporaneous relationship" in which more than one pairing exists. Basically, the lover has to prove that the whole thing is more than just a fling and could be entitled to some portion of assets.

The case in question, involves a 20-year affair with a woman that lived in the same neighborhood as a married man. He would trot over to her house after his family went … Read More

A Chicago-area lawyer named Corri Fetman has made waves with a sensuous billboard campaign. Fetman’s taglines of “Life Is Short, Get A Divorce” and “Take Control. Get A Divorce” are visible across the Windy City. The ads feature a muscular man’s midsection and a view from the chest down of a busty woman in lingerie. These ads have helped Fetman’s family law practice garner new customers.

And that was before she revealed that the sultry model was, well, Corri Fetman. She’s proud of her practice and of her body, “I shouldn't be punished for having brains and a body." And … Read More