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DeVallance Law, PLLC
DeVallance Law, PLLC
We’ve provided some helpful guides to give an overview of some family law related topics.
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It is a critical step in ensuring your legal needs and personal interests are properly addressed during the divorce process. Here are some professional tips to help guide your decision.
1. Research Potential Lawyers: Do your research on the attorney before you schedule a consultation. Be sure to check the attorney’s experience with cases similar to yours, such as high-net-worth divorces or contested custody disputes.
2. Evaluate Credentials and Reputation: Verify the attorney’s areas of practice and affiliations with family law organizations. Read client reviews and testimonials online.
3. Schedule Initial Consultations: Prepare questions prior to the consultation about any case specific questions, as well as the attorney’s approach to resolving disputes, preferred means of communication, and anticipated costs. Clearly define your goals and expectations.
4. Selecting the Right Attorney: Ultimately you need to select the attorney that is the best fit for you and your case. Be wary of guarantees of specific outcomes. If you feel comfortable, respected, and confident in their abilities, it’s a good sign they’re the right fit.
Consult with a family law attorney at DeVallance Law, PLLC. An attorney at DeVallance Law can help assess your case, explain your rights, and help you build a strong argument in support of your request for spousal support. Call or text: (425) 800-7418.
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Temporary orders are intended to address immediate concerns and provide stability until the court makes final decisions in the case. Here are a few important reasons for temporary orders.
1. Provide Immediate Relief: They address urgent issues such as financial support, housing, or child custody while the case is ongoing.
2. Establish Stability for Children: Temporary custody and visitation arrangements ensure that children have a stable routine and contact with both parents during what can be a disruptive time.
3. Ensure Financial Security: Temporary spousal or child support orders help ensure that financial needs are met while waiting for the final judgment.
4. Prevent Conflict or Misconduct: Orders can prevent one party from selling or hiding assets, leaving a shared home without notice, or engaging in other actions that might harm the other party or the case.
5. Preserve the Status Quo: Courts often issue orders that maintain the family’s living and financial arrangements as they were before the case began, minimizing disruption.
Consult with a family law attorney at DeVallance Law, PLLC. An attorney at DeVallance Law can help assess your case, explain your rights, and help you build a strong argument in support of your legal matter. Call or text: (425) 800-7418.
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If you are requesting spousal support in your divorce, here are some professional tips to help guide your decision.
1. Determine Your Financial Needs: Calculate your monthly expenses, including housing, utilities, transportation, and other living costs.
2. Analyze Your Income: Understand your current income, including employment earnings, savings, or other sources. Highlight gaps between your needs and income.
3. Evaluate Your Spouse’s Finances: Gather evidence of their income, assets, and earning potential.
4. Show Need: Clearly outline why you require alimony, emphasizing financial dependence and inability to meet expenses independently.
Consult with a Family Law Attorney at DeVallance Law, PLLC. An attorney at DeVallance Law can help assess your case, explain your rights, and help you build a strong argument in support of your request for spousal support. Call or text: (425) 800-7418.
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Here are some professional tips to help guide you through the process.
1. Focus on the Child: The child’s well-being and development are the evaluator’s primary concern. The standard in Washington State is the best interest of the children.
2. Honesty and Transparency: Be honest but careful not to overshare irrelevant or highly emotional grievances with the other parent.
3. Cooperation: Be respectful and cooperative to the parenting evaluator throughout the evaluation process.
4. Conflict with Co-Parent: Be prepared to discuss co-parenting issues without hostility or blame – focus on solutions instead.
Consult with a Family Law Attorney at DeVallance Law, PLLC. An attorney at DeVallance Law can help assess your case, explain your rights, and help you prepare for a parenting evaluation. Call or text: (425) 800-7418.
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1. Evaluate Affordability: Determine if you can afford the mortgage, taxes, maintenance, and other expenses independently.
2. Understand Your Finances: Meet with a financial advisor to review income, debts, and other obligations to ensure keeping the home won’t strain your budget.
3. Consult with a Mortgage Specialist: Consult with a divorce mortgage specialist to review your options in the event you are required to remove the other spouse from the mortgage, and if possible secure an approval letter of loan pre-qualification.
Consult with a Family Law Attorney at DeVallance Law, PLLC. An attorney at DeVallance Law can help assess your case, explain your rights, and help you build a strong argument in support of your legal matter. Call or text: (425) 800-7418.
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In a divorce, a 401(k) can have certain advantages over a traditional Individual Retirement Account (IRA) when dividing marital assets. Here are the key advantages:
1. Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO): 401(k) accounts can be divided through a QDRO, which allows a tax-free and penalty-free transfer of funds to the non-employee spouse.
2. No Immediate Taxes: The receiving spouse can roll over the funds into their own retirement account without triggering immediate income tax or penalties. In contrast, IRAs don’t require a QDRO for division but may involve more potential tax implications if mishandled.
3. Loan Options for Immediate Needs: If funds are needed for immediate expenses, a 401(k) often allows for loans (depending on the plan’s terms). This option is typically unavailable with IRAs.
4. Early Withdrawal Penalties: Early withdrawals from a traditional IRA prior to reaching age 59½ are subject to a 10% penalty. There is an exception to the 10% penalty for early withdrawals from a 401(k) account, provided the 401(k) funds were transferred from a former spouse pursuant to a QDRO.
Consult with a Family Law Attorney at DeVallance Law, PLLC. An attorney at DeVallance Law can help assess your case and explain the tax consequences associated with dividing retirement accounts in divorce. Call or text: (425) 800-7418.
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Before scheduling mediation, it is important for clients to be well-informed, emotionally prepared, and ready to negotiate effectively. Here are a few tips:
1. Be Prepared: Ensure you have all the necessary financial documents and other relevant information before scheduling mediation. Full disclosure and transparency is critical. Prepare a mediation letter with supporting exhibits that summarizes your case and settlement goals.
2. Purpose: Mediation is a collaborative process aimed at reaching an agreement on divorce terms without court intervention. In Washington State, the goal at mediation is to sign a written agreement called a Civil Rule 2A Agreement that contains the material terms of your settlement.
3. Role of the Mediator: The mediator is a neutral facilitator, not an advocate for either party. The mediator’s role is to help the parties reach a compromise. The mediator does not provide legal advice, but may provide insight as to a reasonable settlement range based upon their professional experience.
4. Top Priorities: Work with your attorney to identify your primary objectives (e.g., custody arrangements, financial security, property division). Discuss acceptable compromises and potential deal-breakers with your attorney prior to the mediation.
Consult with a Family Law Attorney at DeVallance Law, PLLC. If you need an advocate to help you reach an amicable settlement to your divorce or to represent you at mediation, contact DeVallance Law. Call or text: (425) 800-7418.
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The capital gains rules for the sale of a primary residence are designed to provide significant tax benefits for homeowners under certain conditions, however there are a few things clients need to be aware of when determining whether the family home should be sold or awarded to one of the spouses in the divorce settlement.
1. Exclusion Amounts: Single tax filers may exclude up to $250,000 of capital gains from the sale of a primary residence. If married filing jointly, the exclusion amount increases to $500,000 of capital gains.
2. Ownership Test: You must have owned the home for at least 2 years within the 5 years before the sale.
3. Use Test: The home must have been your primary residence (where you lived) for at least 2 years within the 5 years before the sale. These 2 years do not need to be consecutive.
4. Frequency Test: The exclusion can only be claimed once every 2 years.
5. Exceptions: The Internal Revenue Code includes several exceptions and special rules for circumstances such as military service, temporary court orders regarding use of the home, and unforeseen circumstances.
Consult with a Family Law Attorney at DeVallance Law, PLLC: If your primary residence is subject to sale or being awarded to one of the spouses in a divorce, contact DeVallance Law for a consultation on potential capital gains consequences.
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Washington State law requires an equitable – rather than a strictly equal – division of property. To achieve this, professional valuations are utilized to determine the fair market value of businesses and high-value assets, ensuring the court has an accurate financial basis for its distribution of the marital estate.
1. Use well-established experts
The strength of a business valuation is fundamentally dependent on the qualifications of the performing expert. Is your expert experienced with court testimony? Have they frequently appeared before the court in your jurisdiction?
2. Hiring of Joint Experts
In certain situations, it may be beneficial to the parties to hire a joint expert for the purpose of valuing a business or asset.
Advantages to using jointly retained experts may include:
i. Reduced Costs:
The parties share the fees for one expert instead of each paying for their own, which can lead to significant savings.
ii. Time Efficiency:
Using a single expert streamlines the process, avoids duplication of efforts, and eliminates the time-consuming process of managing conflicting reports from different experts.
iii. Neutral and Unbiased Opinions:
Joint experts have a duty to the court to be impartial, which increases confidence in their findings and helps prevent disputes over bias that can arise with party-hired experts.
iv. Less Adversarial Process:
A single, credible report provides a clear foundation for negotiation and encourages cooperation, which is particularly beneficial for resolving a case through mediation.
v. Streamlined Information Gathering:
The expert works with both parties to ensure they receive all necessary information, which can make the process more efficient and transparent.
Consult with a Family Law Attorney at DeVallance Law, PLLC. If your dissolution requires joint experts to accurately value marital property, contact the attorneys at DeVallance Law. We provide the experienced representation you need to secure an equitable outcome. In the Seattle/Bellevue area, call or text (425) 800-7418.
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Resolving family legal disputes doesn’t have to mean costly courtroom battles, public records, and prolonged emotional strain. Mediation offers a collaborative, structured environment where you retain control over your family’s future.
Key Advantages of Mediation:
Consult with a Family Law Attorney at DeVallance Law, PLLC. With over 24 years of experience mediating and arbitrating family law cases, we help parties find a fair and efficient resolution to their family law disputes.
In the Seattle/Bellevue Area: (425) 800-7418 • devallancelaw.com
© 2026 DeVallance Law, PLLC. All rights reserved. These guides are provided to our current and/or potential family law clients for their information. Viewers are permitted to download and print a single copy for their personal, non-commercial use. Viewers are prohibited from reproducing these guides for commercial purposes; or modifying or creating derivative works from these guides. All other rights reserved. For permission requests, contact todd@devallancelaw.com.