REMINDER:  New divorce filings should be opened soon if your client wants resolution before December 31!  We are coming into the holiday season in more ways than one.

If you are the spouse in a pending divorce in Indiana, you should speak with your CPA and your attorney about the significant impact the new federal tax law has on you and your ability to negotiate a settlement that allows you to make much of what you pay to your ex-spouse deductible for tax purposes.

Welcome to Tip of the Week! Judicial officers will offer a tip each week for members of the Family Law Section. Feel free to send suggestions to Mag. Kim Mattingly at kimberly.mattingly@indy.gov.

On September 11, 2018, the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed and remanded a case back to Spencer Circuit Court after concluding the case was marked by “egregious behavior” of DCS employees and “unusual and alarming circumstances.”

If you believe you are involved in a case that would qualify for Mediation Day, please contact Erica Perryman at erica.perryman@indy.gov and provide the cause number, the parties’ income, your time preference  and  the issues to be mediated. 

Welcome to Tip of the Week! Judicial officers will offer a tip each week for members of the Family Law Section. Feel free to send suggestions to Mag. Kim Mattingly at kimberly.mattingly@indy.gov.

This week’s tips are from my colleagues here in CCB. Most are verbatim, so you’ll have a sense of the level of frustration that accompanies them.

As a member of the IndyBar Family Law Section, you have an outlet to provide feedback to the executive committee on a certain law. We have provided comments and testimony on subjects before, most recently on proposed changes to the grandparent visitation laws.

Be warned: some retirement plans are now charging administrative fees for processing QDROs. The simplest way to address this potential problem is to address any potential expense in your Settlement Agreement.  

Next year, I’m going to take my OWN advice and help my clients to be proactive about their summer parenting time. Here’s how we can all keep our sanity and enjoy our family law practices next summer.