Family Law Attorneys in Seattle WA

J. Denise Diskin, Teller & Associates’ family law attorney, is an accomplished and caring advocate for families experiencing the end of a relationship through divorce or custody negotiations and the beginning of a relationship through assisted reproduction and adoption. She is also aware of the financial pressures facing families today, and will work with you to ensure that you receive passionate, practical, and cost-effective advocacy.

Dispute Resolution

Whether you choose to resolve your dissolution or parenting plan through personal negotiation, mediation, or litigation, Ms. Diskin will work with you to find the approach that feels most comfortable for you and your family. While she always recommends that clients attempt to settle divorce and custody disputes amicably, she does not shy away from conflict, and brings the trial skills and experience from her employment discrimination litigation to her family law cases as well. In her experience, both negotiation and litigation are tools that are available among many others, and she is committed to working with you to find the right tool for the job.

Parenting Plans/Child Custody

The end of an intimate relationship, marriage or domestic partnership can be a time of upheaval and uncertainty for a family. The negotiation of a fair and effective parenting plan can provide stability for children as a relationship ends. Ms. Diskin can help you make a custody schedule that is practical, realistic, and respectful of the relationship between you and your children.

Domestic Violence/Protection Orders

Unfortunately, some relationships end due to a person's inability to be safe and appropriate with their partner, their children, or themselves. In some cases, you may feel you need the court to help keep you safe from abuse. While it is possible to obtain a protection order or anti-harassment order from a spouse or partner without an attorney, having representation through the process can ensure that you get the protection you need.

GLBT Law

As a member of the GLBT community, Ms. Diskin is familiar with the complex and rapidly changing laws impacting our community, and the many ways in which the law uniquely affects us. Denise is proud to meet the legal needs of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community in Seattle and throughout Washington.

Assisted Reproduction and Adoption

Choosing to bring a child into your life is a joyful experience, and Ms. Diskin is happy to assist clients in negotiating the legal processes of doing so, whether it be in drafting a sperm donor or surrogate contract, completing a second-parent adoption, or adopting an older child into your family.

Same Sex Legal Relationships and Dissolution

Currently, same-sex couples may register their domestic partnerships with the Washington Office of the Secretary of State, thereby creating many of the same rights and responsibilities of marriage. If the relationship ends, it must be dissolved in Superior Court, and many of the same issues addressing in typical divorce actions, like property and debt division, child support, and child custody are involved.

Same-sex couples who do not register their domestic partnership with the State can still create rights and obligations, often inadvertently, by cohabitating in a marital-like manner. These kinds of relationships are referred to in the law as meretricious relationships or intimate committed relationships. The rights and obligations involved in these cases are not as far reaching as they are in domestic partnerships and there are significant procedural differences when those relationships end.

If your same sex relationship ends, you may have particular legal and emotional questions about what to do next. For example, you may have been in a relationship for many years before becoming domestic partners and have questions about your rights to income or responsibility for debts accrued during that time. Or you may have opted not to obtain a domestic partnership at all, or been married in another state or country whose marriages are now recognized by Washington. Ms. Diskin understands the legal and emotional roots of those decisions, and can advise you on your legal and financial rights under current law in obtaining a divorce, division of property, or custody agreement, no matter what type of legal relationship you have with your partner.

Ending a Same Sex or LGBT Relationship with Children

Child custody disputes for LGBT couples sometimes bring up unique questions and fears. Ms. Diskin understands the specific custody issues that arise when creating parenting plans for LGBT families, and can help you maintain your legal and emotional relationship with your child, regardless of the legal status of the relationship you are ending. Ms. Diskin is also skilled at advocating for the rights of LGBT parents with opposing parties, opposing counsel, and the court during the dissolution process. With Ms. Diskin’s advocacy, you do not need to fear that prejudice because of your gender or sexual orientation will endanger your relationship with your child.

Stephen A. Teller

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