Before you look at common law divorce, you need to understand what common law marriage is. This is an arrangement where two people live together like husband and wife without a formal approval from any court or religious institution. This differs from couples who just live together in the fact that they appear in their social circles as husband and wife.

What You Should Know About Common Law Marriage

Common law marriages are quite widespread all over the world, particularly in Europe, Canada and America. These marriages are not solemnized by any means, nor are they recorded by any civil body. Both the partners who could be either opposite sex or the same sex need to be adults to enter a common law marriage. States have separate legislature which award certain rights on “marital” property of such marriages, especially if children are involved.

Common law marriages are not recognized by the law as marriages, but often are given the recognition of a parallel type of institution because it is socially recognized and accepted. There is no such thing as common law divorce unless the common law marriage is recognized as legal by the state or country.  The reason for this is simple – how can you divorce a person who is not married legally? In the states where common law marriage is recognized, the process is more or less the same as a regular divorce. Consult an attorney and go ahead and file for divorce.

What If This Type Of Marriage Is Not Recognized By Your State’s Law?

In this case you need to rely more on the social aspect since this is the only way by which you could be freed from the relationship. First thing you should look out for is a mediator for common law divorce. The mediator should be a person whom both spouses hold in high regard. The division of property, the custody of kids, the alimony if any, and whatever other concerns could be settled amicably with the help of the mediator.

You need to keep in mind that just as the sharing of property needs to be done equitably, so are the debts that were incurred previous to the common law divorce. The debts too would be shared equitably in common law divorce. It is very important that the closure should be as amicable as possible for the sake of both partners as well as the children.

Tags: Common Law Divorce

If you’re surname is Cortes and you’d like to know where you came from, it’s time to start researching the Cortes genealogy. Finding your ancestry and looking up your roots is very fun and exciting. It’s not that difficult to do and once you get going you’ll see how easy it is to uncover new leads. Of course, you need to know where to look. If you have the last name Cortes and you’d like to find your Cortes genealogy, it’s time to hit the internet which is one of the best ways to research genealogy. Beyond that there is your local library as well as genealogy books that will help you in your search.

Genealogy Websites

If you want to find the Cortes genealogy, log into the internet and do a search of just that. It’s likely you’ll be faced with several genealogy websites. Choose the one that is most popular in your web search and get to work. These types of websites will typically charge a small fee to use the service but it’s worth it if you hope to uncover new leads as to your Cortes genealogy. With these types of sites, you can connect with other like minded people, people who also would like to find their ancestral roots, you can visit genealogy forums to compare notes, and you can also meet long lost cousins or other relatives. When this happens it’s very exciting and it’s well worth the small monthly fee these types of sites charge.

The Local Library

If you’ve exhausted all the resources the internet has to offer and you’ve hit a dead end, it may be time to visit your local library for your Cortes genealogy search. There are many books at your local library that will help you find the roots of any surname. Some of these books will help you find your Cortes genealogy all the way back to Spain.

Ask Other Family Members

Of course, the best way to research your Cortes genealogy is to ask other family members if they know of any information regarding your roots. You never know, your grandparents or even great grandparents may have certain documents or books or diaries in their attics that can give you an immense amount of information on where your family originated. Finding documents and artifacts such as these is not unlike treasure hunting. It’s fun and exciting and it’s a great way to find out where on Earth you came from.

Tags: Cortes Genealogy

Divorce can be complicated, or it can be very simple.  This often depends on how the marriage ended — if it ended on good terms, then the result is a long, grueling process in which a divorce lawyer may be necessary.  On the other hand, spouses who file for divorce on good terms might not need someone to oversee the process.  This is where pro se divorce, or do it yourself divorce, comes in.

The Reasons For Taking Control

There are several reasons why people opt for do it yourself divorces.  The couple might not be able to afford a divorce lawyer in the first place, and so they decided to take on a do it yourself divorce for financial reasons.  Another situation that might arise is that the divorce is uncontested, and the couple do not have any children or shared marital assets.  This situation would not warrant a divorce lawyer.  Finally, some couples take over from a divorce lawyer if they are dissatisfied with the way that they are handling the divorce.

Beginning The Process

For those who decide to begin the do it yourself divorce process, the first step is to learn about what the state divorce laws are for the state in which they reside.  Next, the Petitioner will have to file the Original Petition.  This document can either be hand delivered or mailed to the local Court Clerk.  A filing fee will be charged.

The next step when taking on a do it yourself divorce is optional.  Declaring grounds for divorce is not required, and many states now have no fault divorce laws.  However, in situations where infidelity or violence might be a factor, declaring grounds for divorce is typically a good idea because it may help the Petitioner to gain more in the settlement.  However, it is important to keep this portion of the claim free from emotion.

Next the Respondent (the spouse who did not file for divorce) must be notified that the petition has been filed.  If you are doing the divorce yourself, then you have three options.  You can either serve the Respondent yourself, hire a process server to serve the petition, or you can request that they be served the petition through the mail if you are unable to locate them.  If you serve them the petition yourself, then they must sign a waiver saying that you have done so.

Going To Court

Going to court is the final step in filing for divorce, whether you are doing it yourself or not.  Before this occurs, a notice of hearing for temporary orders must be filed.  This is only necessary if there are children or assets involved in the marriage that need to be dealt with immediately.  A notice of hearing to set a date for the final divorce hearing then must be filed, and with that the period of “Discovery” begins.  This allowed the spouses to gather documents and evidence on the other.  Finally, a mandatory mediation process is usually required before finally going to court.

If You Want Something Done Right…

It might seem like more work to do the divorce yourself rather than hire a lawyer, but the truth is that taking control will allow you to handle your divorce the way you feel it should be handled.  If you want your divorce done right, you have to do it yourself.

Tags: You Do It Yourself!

Ok. Let’s see how much you know about American history. What happened on August 10, 1821? Well, it was on that date that the wonderful state of Missouri entered the union as a state. Of course, it’s is still there and that means it must be doing something right! In all seriousness, Missouri is a wonderful state that has a deep history and is home (and has been home) to many millions of wonderful people. As such, many who have lived or had relatives who lived in this state may wish to have their Missouri genealogy researched. Who knows? Maybe there is a chance that a long lost relative to Missouri’s most famous resident Harry Truman may emerge! Of course, if you wish to know your true Missouri genealogy then it becomes important to undergo the necessary research that is required for accurately ascertaining said genealogy.

How Genealogy is Determined

Tracing Missouri genealogy is often simply a means of archiving records. Of course, if the records have not been properly maintained then the ability to ascertain the specific genealogy that is in question will be difficult. Thankfully, when it comes to the specifics of Missouri genealogy the records that are required for such research have been accurately maintained and many of those records even predate the admission of the state into the union. These records include marriage records, census records, orphanage rosters, etc. Such recorded information has been properly archived and that has allowed many lineages to remain recorded allowing for solid and reliable genealogy searches.

When You Hit a Brick Wall

No matter how many hours you invest into searching through the archives and the records of the Missouri genealogy information sources there will always be the potential that you may run into a brick wall. Sometimes this is going to be inevitable simply because records may have been lost, stolen or destroyed or not recorded in their entirety. In other instances, the inability to ascertain records may be the result of simply not having the time or resources to effectively complete the requisite search. In the former instance, you may have to simply accept that there is no way to further your search. In the latter instance, you may consider the option of seeking the professional help of a genealogy researcher who may be able to dig up the missing information for you. As such, seeking a professional researcher’s aid when stuck becomes the wisest option.

Tags: Missouri Genealogy

Think divorce settlements are easy? Think again, because nothing could be further from the truth. Divorce settlements involve all the post-divorce arrangements, and not only the fixation of the alimony (also known as maintenance or spousal support in different states) as commonly believed.

Some Facts You Should Know

Divorce is a painful period even if it is undergone through mutual consent. You are choosing to end a relationship which at one point of time was the greatest highlight of your life. The divorce settlements are painful because trust is no longer a common factor between the spouses and each one would try to look after their own interests in the best ways they could.

Normally the wife would be entitled to alimony and an equitable share of the marital property. The alimony would be an amount of money that would help her sustain herself. In case the marital standard of living was very high and the ex-husband can afford it, the alimony would be fixed in such a manner that the ex-wife would continue to live in the same manner.

In order to get the best possible settlement you need obtain (with proof) a list of the sources of your husband’s income, assets and capacity of earning. The best divorce settlements are secured when the overall income and property is properly and painstakingly documented with proof. In case you are not sure he is telling the truth about his worth and you are afraid that you would be cheated you could use the services of an investigative agency that could trace and document everything you need.

Influencing Factors

The factors that influence all divorce settlements would include the earning ability of both spouses, the custody of the children, the contribution of each spouse to the marital property, any temporary or permanent disability, the mental and emotional condition of the spouses, and the degree of guilt of the erring spouse among others.

You need to be very careful while making the list of assets. Do not forget to include the debts that were incurred during the marriage which would also be taken into consideration for the settlement.

Each state in the USA has its own laws and it is important that you consult with a divorce attorney from that particular state so you could know how to use those laws to get the best possible settlement with the least possible effort and cost.

The best way out, of course, would be to talk it over with your spouse and come to an agreement which would ensure that both parties are completely satisfied.

Tags: Divorce Settlements

It is exciting as well as fun to learn about where you came from and the generation, to which you belonged, while learning about your different relatives can also make for an adventure of sorts. Of course, your knowledge about your ancestry may consist mainly about tales you were told by the family elders, though for a more accurate and complete picture, you would be better off creating a genealogy tree that will help unravel the mysteries behind who your forefathers were and what they did and where they came from.

Not A Simple Task

However, making a genealogy tree is not that simple a task and it requires putting in a lot of effort and it is also time consuming as well as tedious, and it also involves many extended families as well as marriages and also divorces. To make matters even more complicated, there may be adoptions to also consider, which can make the creation of a genealogy tree that much more complicated and even finding people that much harder.

Many times your elderly family members will have passed away and have taken their precious family secrets with them, and so with the passage of time, creating the genealogy tree becomes harder and also more unclear to each succeeding generation. However, the curiosity to learn about one’s ancestors is great and will lead to wanting to ferret out more information related to them and even about lost relatives and the excitement of discovering that one or more of your ancestors had blue blood is enough to floor you.

However, the overriding concern with regard to creating a genealogy tree is the need to be able to keep the family history in place which will serve future generations well when they want to learn about their forefathers. Today, technology has breached many previously insurmountable barriers and made it a lot simpler to trace the family history than at any time before in the past, and by using present day technology, it is a lot simpler to find out a long lost relative than before and with the help of detective tools, you can now do your own sleuthing and thus get a much better genealogy tree using the many voluminous database information that is yours at the click of a mouse button.

Today, the tedium has been taken out of creating a genealogy tree and it is a lot simpler now to map the family tree than at any time before and thus you can not only preserve your family history, but also get a better picture about who you are and where you came from.

Tags: Genealogy Tree

An often cited statistic heard on talk radio is that half of the marriages in the United States end in divorce. But what does that divorce rate statistic really mean?

Anna And Betty

Take two sisters, for example: Anna and Betty. Anna has been happily married to her first husband for ten years; after two failed marriages, Betty is happily married to her third husband. There are four marriages between the two of them, and their divorce rate is 50%.

Consider Anna’s and Betty’s husbands, Al and Bill, each of whom has been married one time. Among the four of them, three of these individuals have a divorce rate of 0%, and one of them has a divorce rate of 66%. Sixty-six divided by four is only 16.5, so it can also be said that their divorce rate is 16.5%.

Before Betty remarried, she was zero for two: two marriages and two divorces. At that time, her divorce rate was 100% — or was it 200%? As you can see, statistics can be interpreted several different ways, depending on the context in which data is viewed.

Global Numbers

One way to look at divorce rates, and to compare the rate of failed marriages in the United States to other countries in the world, is to look at the number of divorces among 1,000 people. Applying this statistical sampling method to our example, we would compare Betty’s two divorces to the number of people in both Anna’s and Betty’s families. Counting Anna, Al, Betty, Bill, Anna and Al’s two children, Art and Alden, and Betty’s son from her second husband, Bob, the divorce rate comes to 28% using that example.

Using the rate of divorces per 1,000 people, the United States has a divorce rate in 2000 of just 4.1%. That number sounds low compared to the 50% rate advertised by some anti-marriage talk radio hosts, but it actually is quite high compared to other nations.

What nations have similar divorce rates? Only one country, Russia, has a higher rate of failed marriage than the United States. The rate in Russia is 4.3%, and the rate in the Ukraine is 4%. Interestingly, the rate in Cuba, another communist country, is 3.54%.

Even U.S. territories have relatively higher rates of people who get divorced than most other countries. The rate in Puerto Rico is 3.82%; in Guam, it is 4.34%. Contrast these rates with France (2%), Ecuador (.73%), and Canada (2.28%).

Statistics can be fun to read and wonder about, but what do they really mean? It’s up to each of us to decide for ourselves.

Tags: Divorce Rates

One of the features that set the Irish apart from other nationalities is their obsession with trying to keep up a brave face and their predilection with omitting sad memories regarding their family history. Thus, there is every possibility when tracing Ireland genealogy that there will be many instances of missing relatives or even hidden relatives who are mostly not so easy to trace. Thus, anyone whose name does not appear in records pertaining to family history will be thought of as being a missing relative, and uncovering information regarding such missing relatives can often prove very difficult to achieve.

Incomplete Records

Thus, when it comes to Ireland genealogy, there are bound to be many common records that need to be researched but which are incomplete since contents may have been missed out entirely, or simply because no one anticipated the need to trace them. Obviously, when it comes to Ireland genealogy, the task of finding their genealogy can be quite challenging and thus there may be a need to look beyond written records, though all available information should be given due importance.

Thus, even the smallest piece of information, no matter how trivial it may seem, can often prove to be helpful in unraveling the genealogy, especially after you go into it in more detail. Also, things were recorded and treated differently fifty and hundred years ago as compared to present times and so you need to consider that the norms for Ireland genealogy will vary according to the place and time.

In any case, when considering Ireland genealogy, remember that the tradition of naming is very strong and it is normal for Irish men to name their eldest son with the grandfather’s given name. What’s more, if the person you are seeking has been married before, you will first need to look up the marriage records and also note that in the year 1860, divorces was frowned upon in Ireland, which means that it would be much better to search the death records as well just in case the name has changed.

A useful resource that you can use for Ireland genealogy is GENUKI where you can find the entire lowdown related to the entire Island of Ireland which is organized in accordance with historic boundaries that pertained to administering the Island and not like the present-day boundaries because the historic boundaries are most relevant as far as tracing the genealogy goes.

Tags: Ireland Genealogy

Are you ready to get divorced, but you’re not sure how to pick a divorce lawyer? There are several different types of divorce lawyers, so choosing the right kind is important. Before you start looking, you should know that the lawyer you choose might be classified as a barracuda, a businessman, or a flirt.

The Barracuda

This is the divorce lawyer you choose when you want to make your spouse miserable. The Barracuda goes for the jugular every single time. Every step of the way will be difficult. If you are the one who files for the divorce, the Barracuda will serve your spouse with divorce papers in the most embarrassing way imaginable. If you are the one who got served, the Barracuda will badger your spouse’s divorce lawyer at every step along the way, all through discovery, divorce mediation, and trial.

The Barracuda comes with a heavy price tag. Not only will your divorce lawyer fees be extraordinarily and unnecessarily high, your spouse will probably hate you for the rest of your life, if he or she doesn’t already.

The Businessman

This is the divorce lawyer who wants to hear “just the facts, ma’am.” The Businessman can be male or female; either way, they are all business, all the time. This lawyer sees divorce work as contract work: the contract has been breached, and all that remains to be done is to calculate the damages. The Businessman has virtually no “bedside manner” and, if you live in a no-fault divorce state, will not want to hear stories about how you have been wronged by your spouse.

Choosing the Businessman as your divorce lawyer will save you money in hourly fees. However, the Businessman’s approach may seem a little too cool and calculated for you, especially if your divorce is an emotional experience. You may wish to find a divorce lawyer who doesn’t mind doing a little hand-holding along the way.

The Flirt

Believe it or not, some divorce lawyers flirt with their clients. Do you remember Arnold Becker, from the 1980s television series, L.A. Law? Arnie was a handsome divorce lawyer who usually represented shapely, attractive females with whom he had flings. These days, Arnie could be disbarred in most states for inappropriate relations with his clients. However, most of these states do allow lawyers to have intimate relationships with clients after the divorce.

Hiring the Flirt as a divorce lawyer can be an advantage when the Flirt uses their skills on opposing counsel or on an easily-flattered judge. However, this is a long shot. You are better off choosing a divorce lawyer for their legal experience, their skill, and their ability to handle you divorce quickly and efficiently.

Tags: Divorce Lawyers

A genealogy search can be a fascinating study that will provide information about ancestors.  A genealogy search will provide information about where the ancestors came from and possibly some details about the lives of these people.  There are some wonderful institutions and tools that can help people interested in a genealogy search.  A great deal of information can be learned from the birth and death certificates of family members, and these documents are usually available in the government offices where people were born and where they died.  Some newspapers have archives that go back many years, and these newspapers will also have some great information.

Most Americans are from some other place, and many of the ancestors came on ships to facilities such as Ellis Island.  These entry locations often have records of the people as they landed in this country.  The officials of Ellis Island have made a great deal of this information available to the public.  The information at these facilities often provides information on the time of entry and the method.  The manifest from ships that brought immigrants often has information about the family members that arrived together.  Sometimes one of the names on the manifest will lead to information on all of the other members in the group.  A genealogy search can lead to information about the roots of the family tree, but this type of search often provides great details about these ancestors.  A genealogy search can provide information that might make the family very proud, but it might also lead to information on the black sheep of the family.

A Genealogy Search Links The Present, The Past And The Future

The Ellis Island facilities provide a great deal of help to those engaged in a genealogy search, but there are some other great institutions that also provide assistance.  The Mormon Church has a keen interest in genealogy searches, and there is incredible information available from their facilities.  This church also provides information on conducting a good genealogy search that should save any researcher time and energy.

There are some great software programs that provide help for a genealogy search.  These programs help people gather the information, but these also help the searcher organize the information.  The search for ancestors often helps to find living relatives that were previously unknown.  Some of these software programs offer tools that help contact living relatives and organize the information on all living relatives.  The software programs vary in price and quality so it is a great idea to comparison shop to get the best program available.

Tags: Genealogy Search