Seattle Family Law Attorney Blog

In Washington state and elsewhere, family law cases often involve the use of information revealed on Facebook, Twitter and other social media websites. Those who are in the midst of divorce or child custody proceedings are often wise to be prudent about their social media use.

Often, a blog entry, or something posted onto a Facebook status, or even photos can be scrutinized during family law cases. Sometimes the other party may attempt to use these things as evidence in alimony, child support or custody battles.

Wednesday night the Washington State Senate swiftly passed legislation to legalize gay marriage. The bill will now go to the House, where it is also expected to pass. Earlier this month, in our Seattle Family Law Attorney Blog, we wrote about what some of the implications of this bill may be for registered domestic partners.

Registered domestic partnerships were written into law four years ago to afford certain benefits to gay couples. Now, if the same-sex marriage legislation passes into law, these registered couples will have to either marry or dissolve their partnerships by June 30, 2014. The partnerships of couples who take no action will be converted to marriage by the state.

Washington state created a registry for domestic partners in 2007, making it possible for same sex couples to obtain certain rights and benefits. However, the state may soon go one step further and pass the gay marriage bill.

The bill may take months to come before the Senate, but if successful there it will go onto the state House where Democrats maintain a large majority. Gov. Christine Gregoire would still need to sign the bill into law, but she has recently endorsed the bill, as most Seattle area residents probably know.

Divorced Seattle parents may have had a tough time hashing out where their children would spend the holidays. However, other families may have made this decision long ago, by spelling it out in their child custody agreement.

Custody agreements made in Washington typically include several elements, including where the children will live and the visitation rights of a non-residential parent. Sometimes, a custody agreement may dictate where a child will spend holidays, in order to avoid future arguments. Every divorce case involving a child in Washington must also include a parenting plan, which includes things like parental decision-making authority and other aspects of childrearing. Increasingly, these agreements are becoming very detailed about several aspects of raising children.