Arizona law recognizes that spouses can transmute separate property into community property by commingling community money with sole and separate money. Generally, property a spouse acquired before marriage remains the...

The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled on how the trial court should interpret full-time employment within the Arizona Child Support Guidelines and how to apply the calculation of parent’s income to calculate a child support...

When spouses decide to divorce, they can ask a court to divide their property or they can negotiate an agreement themselves. Divorces are usually faster, cheaper and less hostile when a couple comes to an agreement between...

The Arizona Court of Appeals made a decision on the validity of a premarital agreement and the division of marital assets in the case of Pownall v. Pownall. In 1990, shortly after the parties began living together Mr. Pownall...

The term “habeas corpus” is generally used in criminal proceedings to test the legality of a prisoner’s detention. What does it mean in custody cases? Are criminal or custody procedures followed? In Smart v. Cantor, 574...

Mrs. Uppen married in Chile, in 1972. Two years later, she became pregnant and her husband abandoned her. The child was born in Chile in 1974 and has remained in Chile all of his life. The father has not communicated with...

Many people have asked about changing judges in an Arizona divorce. In Arizona, either party can obtain a change of judge by following the requirements of Rule 42(f)(1) of the Arizona Rules of Family Law Procedure. But what...

In the case of In re Marriage of Dorman, 9 P.3d 329 (2000), the appellate court considered a promissory note signed only by one spouse. Facts and Procedure Mr. Cabrera and Mrs. Cabrera divorced in March 1999. The judge...

When a marriage ends in Arizona, both the community assets and the community debts are divided between the spouses. As part of the process, a court must determine which debts belong to each individual spouse. In...

You can’t bring an appeal from every single decision a court makes. Even if a decision is communicated in an “order,” it might not determine any rights. In Arizona, you can appeal final orders that determine rights, but...