Tucson Family Law Blog

When couples in Arizona divorce or end their relationship, child custody issues are often a concern. If one of the parties has citizenship in another country, the potential for custody complications increases greatly. This is because the parent might attempt to return to his or her country with the child or refuse to send the child back to the United States after a visit.

Parents living in the United States should be aware of the Hague Convention, an international treaty that requires participating countries to respect family court decisions in other countries. If a child is residing in a country that is part of the Hague Convention in violation of a family court decision in another participating country, the parent who has custody rights could have an easier time getting the child back home.

When Arizona parents decide to divorce, child custody can be one of the most emotionally fraught and challenging issues they face. Many parents may feel like the odds are stacked against them or that their children are being kept from them. These feelings of frustration can multiply when parents are given an inconveniently scheduled hearing. There are steps that parents can take to mitigate the effects and work to protect their rights to involvement in their children's lives.

In some cases, it may be possible to attend the hearing over the phone or through video. Child custody hearings are typically short, unlike an all-day trial. The hearing may last 15 or 30 minutes. Unless planned in advance, witnesses are typically not heard at this type of court case. Therefore, judges may be more likely to accept a remote appearance, especially when no testimony is needed. On the other hand, a family law attorney can also file a motion to seek a postponement of the hearing, stating the parent's reasons for being unable to appear on the originally scheduled date.

Arizona business owners may face some particular challenges when they decide to divorce. Property division and the financial consequences that accompany the end of a marriage can be difficult for people in any profession, but small business owners may actually lose their companies. When a business is small and closely held, it may reflect a large bulk of the marital assets to be divided. In addition, when both spouses were a key part of the company, there may be some serious challenges to determine the future of the company. As a result, some business owners may decide to sell their companies and move on to handle their obligations during the divorce.

While losing the business may be a negative outcome of a divorce, the process is easier when the enterprise is fairly valued and sold at a profit. In other cases, the difficult circumstances created by the divorce may lead to a bottleneck in business operations, driving down profitability and even viability for the firm. In other cases, the full valuation of the business may itself be a source of conflict, especially if a new product launch or funding cycle involving outside investors is on the horizon.

When couples in Arizona no longer eat dinner together, they may be headed for divorce. This may sound like a radical statement or a major assumption, but experts say that it is often an indication that a marriage is falling apart. Of course, couples may start spending meals apart due to conflicting work schedules and shifts. However, they may soon find themselves spending time apart even on the weekends or other days off from work, especially if the spouses make little effort to offset the logistical problems posed by their work schedules. Essentially, the loss of shared time can be a reflection that both partners are growing apart from one another.

Eating apart isn't the only seemingly minor issue that can indicate that the end of a marriage is coming. When couples stop enjoying fun activities or laughing together, this can indicate that they no longer enjoy being in each other's presence. The same is true for couples that essentially end their intimate or romantic relationships. While they may still have a relatively stable home life, they may no longer feel a deep connection to one another that helps to keep a marriage strong and long-lasting. They may even find themselves staying late at the office or volunteering for business trips to avoid time spent alone with the other spouse.