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Will a divorce harm your children?

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in divorce on Friday, March 18, 2016. For parents, the prospect of a looming divorce can create a significant amount of anxiety. While they have probably accepted that a divorce is all but certain, they have some doubts, worrying that a divorce will negatively affect their children and lead to lifelong problems. There is some statistical correlation between children who have gone through the experience of their parents divorcing and their developing various problems later in life. But, like many “environmental” studies, determining which of those problems was “caused” by the divorce

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A simple statement

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in divorce on Friday, March 11, 2016. Divorce is often spoken of in hushed tones, especially during first stages, when it may carry an aura of tragedy. While not as catastrophic as death, for many, it may feel like a death has occurred in the family. And so with the process comes the stress and worry as you deal with the end of your relationship and the creation of your new life. But for many, while divorce may be a stressful process, it is no more stressful than a dysfunctional marriage. The

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But is it right for you?

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in child custody on Friday, March 4, 2016. There are bills pending in the legislature that would make shared custody a presumption in Missouri law. On its face, this seems an unremarkable suggestion. Some may even wonder and think, isn’t that already the way the law is written? In Missouri, the standard for a custody determination is based on an eight-factor analysis listed in the statutes. These eight factors require that the judge evaluates a broad range of items, including the wishes of the parents, the needs of the children, how the

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Do you feel contempt?

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in divorce on Friday, February 26, 2016. According to one researcher, the number one reason for divorce among couples is contempt. When one or both members of a marriage develop feelings of contempt, it is unlikely they will remain married long. Contempt arises when couples develop disagreements and then fail to work out effective solutions. They become angry, emotional and irrational towards each other and at that point, nothing the other party says makes any difference. If both partners are in this state, it is unlikely there will be any positive resolution

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What will discovery discover?

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in family law on Friday, February 19, 2016. One of the legal tools used during a divorce is known as discovery. This is the process both sides use to obtain the information they need to argue their side of the case and to create a reasonable and fair divorce settlement. In divorce matters, it is primarily used for obtaining financial information. In order for both parties to come to a consensus, it is essential that they have all the financial information they need understand the couple’s financial status. Discovery can be obtained

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Equal custody could become the presumption in Missouri

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in child custody on Friday, February 12, 2016. The Missouri legislature is considering a bill that would amend the current child custody laws of the state and create a presumption that parents should receive equal custody arrangements with their children after a divorce. This would typically be entailed with an every other week custody, rather than one parent having the children most of the time and the other parent often only seeing them for a few days on the weekends every month. The proponents of the bill suggest that having such a

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Don’t hack your spouse’s accounts during a divorce

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in divorce on Friday, February 5, 2016. Americans are not very good at protecting their sensitive information. Some of the most popular passwords for many online and email accounts are “password” and “1234.” Many people may use a combination of their name and birthday or other familiar information. Needless to say, this may make it easy for family members to guess other family member’s passwords. During a marriage, this may not matter a great deal, as many couples have joint accounts, so each is entitled to access, and they may share password

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Divorce presents challenges at every age

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in divorce on Thursday, January 28, 2016. For many individuals in Columbia, divorce can be an emotionally trying experience. The fabric of your daily life is unraveled and you have to deal with resetting many of your basic functions, how you interact with your children and even where you live. In addition to this emotional tumult, you have to change your financial expectations. For younger couples, as challenging as this may be, there is one advantage of divorcing earlier in your marriage: time. You have the time to learn new skills, return

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Protecting parental rights: You don’t have to do it alone

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in child custody on Friday, January 22, 2016. Parents regularly wear many different hats. They can be teachers, confidantes, chefs, personal assistants, chauffeurs, managers and entertainers on any given day. Children rely on parents to fulfill these roles, but there are times when parents are the ones who must rely on someone else. This can be the case if you are struggling with legal issues concerning your child or your rights as a parent. For example, if you are trying to collect child support of if you want to be sure you

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Divorce should lead to complete financial separation

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in divorce on Thursday, January 21, 2016. When you are married, you may have numerous joint financial ties. When you decide to divorce, you need to make certain that all of those ties are completely severed. This is because when you divorce in Missouri, the divorce settlement between you and your former spouse is a contract. The important element in that contract is that it only binds you and your former spouse. This is significant when you have a mortgage, joint loans or joint credit accounts. For many couples, two cars are

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Maybe they should have divorced sooner?

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in divorce on Thursday, January 7, 2016. Often times, when people speak disparaging of divorce, they will point out either expressly or impliedly that one reason it is “bad,” is because of the negative effect it has on children. And there are various studies that show that children of divorce may experience some negative behavior which is attributed to the fact that their parents were divorced. The problem with that entire line of logic is that it confuses correlation with causation. Sure, some children of a failed marriage may do less well

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