In my last post, I wrote about the Petrzelka case. Petrzelka v. Goodwin, 2020 UT App 34. In this fascinating court of appeals case, not only did the court deny the husband’s request for alimony, but dealt him another serious defeat by upholding the trial court’s decision to value the retirement account at the time […]

A fascinating case came out from the Utah Court of Appeals in March of 2020 on the issues of alimony and when to value a retirement account for division after a divorce trial. In the case of Petrzelka v. Goodwin, 2020 UT App 34, the husband was seeking alimony from the wife. The parties separated

Fontenot Law is able to handle divorce cases without the need to come to our offices. If you want to get information about a Utah divorce case, you can call us at 801.312.9330. We can get your case started without needing to come to the office in person, and for uncontested cases, you do not

To get a Utah divorce or family law case to trial, you must first go through a Commissioner Pretrial Conference. From this hearing comes what is called a pretrial order. It is very important that the pretrial order states each and every issue you plan on having the court decide at the end of the trial.

How is student loan debt divided in a Utah divorce case? This question was answered recently by the Utah Court of Appeals in a case called Burggraaf v. Burggraaf, 2019 UT App 195. Generally, any debt incurred during a marriage is considered marital debt, which should be divided equally by the parties. However, there is generally

Most of the divorce cases we handle result in a settlement. Settlements happen not because the attorneys are not aggressive enough, but because the parties, through the advice of their attorneys, are making agreements that are similar to how a court would decide the cases. Some unscrupulous attorneys will delay settlement for as long as

The Best Advice I’ve Ever Heard on How to Choose an Attorney One weekend I found myself in a used bookstore in Bountiful. I came across a book titled, “All You Need to Know About the Music Business,” by Donald S. Passman. Passman is a music industry lawyer. The book is written as advice to

How Do I Start My Divorce Or Modification Case? Many of the people that come to my office for a free consult don’t even know where to start when it comes to starting a divorce proceedings, filing for a divorce or custody modification. The truth is, getting a case started is usually the easiest part.

By the time a couple files for divorce, each spouse’s priority should be starting a new life as an unmarried person; it should not be about who wins and who loses.  People going through a divorce should focus on their own legal rights.  They should not put their efforts into making their ex’s life as difficult as