About the Guide The Colorado Divorce & Family Law Guide was created by Carl O. Graham, a Colorado Springs, CO divorce lawyer, and principal of Black & Graham, LLC, a family and criminal law firm. Carl runs the family law side of the firm, and focuses exclusively on Colorado divorce, military divorce issues, child support law, grandparent rights & visitation, common law marriage, child custody, legal separation law, annulment, alimony law, etc. Visit our web site to learn more about our Colorado Springs law firm:
www.blackgraham.com.
Welcome to the Colorado Divorce & Family Law Guide, a comprehensive collection of Colorado divorce law, and other CO family law articles.
A divorce in Colorado is already about the toughest experience a person can endure, and the Colorado divorce and family court system is not easy to navigate unless you know what to expect, or have an experienced Colorado divorce attorney on your side.
Use the Colorado Divorce and Family Law Guide as an introduction to divorce laws in Colorado. For some with less complicated family law situations, such as Colorado child support modifications or uncontested divorces, this may help educate you how to do the case yourself. Others may need an experienced divorce lawyer in Colorado Springs, or wherever you are, to help navigate through the Colorado family law system, and advocate your case against a Colorado divorce lawyer on the other side.
Colorado Divorce & Family Law Jurisdiction. Whether a Colorado family law court will adjudicate a divorce, paternity, child custody, child support, or other family law case depends upon the type of case, your residence, and a variety of other factors.
Colorado Common Law Marriage. A common law marriage in Colorado allows a couple to be married without a formal ceremony, or even a marriage license.
Colorado Divorce Law. General overview of the procedures and divorce laws in Colorado.
Colorado Legal Separation Law . An alternative to divorce is a legal separation in Colorado, if the couple wants to finalize their financial and parenting arrangements, live separately, but remain legally married.
Colorado Annulment Law. A less common alternative to a divorce is a Colorado annulment, only available if the marriage is void or voidable for a few very specific reasons.
Colorado Paternity. Establish parental rights and responsibilities, such as child custody, visitation and support for children born out of wedlock.
Colorado Child Custody Laws
Colorado Child Custody & Visitation. Colorado custody law will determine who the children live with, and what time they spend with the other parent. The same standards apply to divorce, legal separation, annulment or paternity cases in Colorado.
Parental Decision-Making. Explains how courts in Colorado divorce or other child custody cases typically allocate the decision-making parents share over their children.
Relocating Children out of Colorado. Learn what Colorado child custody law requires when a parent wants to leave Colorado, or sometimes even the Colorado Springs or other local area, with the children.
Children's Passports & Foreign Travel. After a Colorado divorce or other parental rights determination, you may still need permission to take the children overseas.
Colorado Grandparent Rights & Visitation Colorado divorce and paternity laws provide for grandparent visitation, and, under some circumstances, grandparent custody.
Financial Issues
Prenuptial Agreements. A couple may enter in a prenuptial agreement in Colorado, or a married couple can even sign a post-nuptial agreement, to address property and financial issues in the event they obtain a divorce or legal separation.
Division of Property & Debt. Explains how family law courts in Colorado divorce, legal separation and annulment cases divide marital property and allocate marital debt.
Division of Pensions & Retirement Plans. A Colorado divorce court can divide FERS, PERA, IRAs, 401(k)s and other retirement plans without either spouse incurring penalties, but each type of plan requires a different method of division. Social Security is not divisible.
Alimony/Maintenance. Both during, and after a Colorado divorce, legal separation or annulment, the Colorado family law court may require one spouse to pay maintenance to the other.
Colorado Child Support Law. Typically, Colorado state child support law requires one parent to pay child support to the other, in accordance with the Colorado child support guidelines, to ensure the children have sufficient resources to live on.
Other Colorado Family Law Issues
Restraining Orders. Typically issued after an act of domestic violence or harassment, a restraining order may affect parenting rights in Colorado divorce or paternity cases, as well as possession of the marital residence and other important rights.
Post-Decree Modifications. A final decree of dissolution may not be so final. Once imposed, you may seek a Colorado child support modification, or changes to maintenance and child custody or visitation if the parties' circumstances have changed.
Military Divorce Law
Military Divorce Guide. A divorce in which a spouse is in the Army, Air Force, Navy or Marines presents unique issues in Colorado family law cases. If one or both parties are active duty military or military retirees, the Military Divorce Guide explains the issues unique to a "Colorado military divorce" case, such as what Colorado divorce courts do with the division of military retirement, survivor benefit program (SBP), access to military benefits, garnishing military pay, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act of 2003, etc.
Overall, a negotiated settlement is almost always better than a contest for both parties, and is easier to obtain with a seasoned, no-nonsense veteran lawyer on your side who knows CO divorce and paternity laws. If you wish to have an experienced Colorado Springs divorce attorney, you can contact this law firm, or another divorce lawyer in Colorado Springs, or your jurisdiction, to arrange for a consultation. Please note that I only handle Colorado Springs divorce and family law cases, so if you have a Colorado divorce case outside of El Paso County, you will need a Colorado divorce attorney from your area.
This web site is an advertisement intended for informational purposes, and is not a substitute for individual legal advice from one of the many Colorado Springs law firms, Colorado Springs lawyers or Colorado Springs attorneys. Only a signed agreement with this Colorado Springs family law attorney can create a Colorado lawyer-client relationship. We assist clients in Colorado Springs / El Paso County courts, in Colorado family law (Colorado divorce, military divorce issues, child support law, grandparent visitation & rights, common law marriage, child custody law, legal separation law, annulment, alimony law, etc).
