Indianapolis Divorce Attorneys

The prospect of divorce can leave you wishing to ignore the issue altogether, but a wait-and-see approach does nothing to help you protect your financial and parental rights. While divorce is a challenging transition, working with experienced Indianapolis divorce attorneys can help you move forward with a greater purpose – confident that you’re taking the steps necessary to help ensure an advantageous outcome.

At McNeelyLaw, our skilled family law attorneys are here to help you through every step of the divorce process, from identifying your post-divorce goals to reaching and enforcing a fair divorce settlement. To learn how we may be able to help you, contact us today.

The Terms of Your Divorce

While it’s true that your divorce won’t mirror anyone else’s, the terms that you will need to hammer out are generally pretty standard. These include: 

• The equitable division of your marital property
• Your parental responsibilities and parenting time
• Child support
• Alimony, if applicable

Dividing Your Marital Property Fairly

Those assets and properties that you came to own while you were married are owned by both of you in the eyes of the law, and in the event of divorce, they must be divided between you fairly (in relation to the circumstances involved). Even if one of you purchased an item, paid for it, and used it as your own, it may still be considered marital property that must be addressed in the division of your assets and debts. The only exceptions include gifts or inheritances that either of you received during your marriage in your own name alone. Our experienced Indianapolis divorce attorneys can help you understand how the state’s property division laws will apply to your case.

Addressing Parental Responsibilities and Parenting Time Schedules

Indiana divides child custody into legal custody and physical custody. Legal custody assigns decision-making authority for major parenting decisions such as the following: 

• Education
• Medical care
• Religious upbringing
• Travel and participation in extracurricular activities

You and your divorcing spouse can continue making these decisions as a team, but you can also address the issue in one of the following ways: 

• One of you taking on the authority to resolve a tie (in those instances when your good-faith negotiation efforts fail)
• One of you being assigned sole parental responsibilities
• Each of you making specific categories of decisions on your own

Physical custody refers to where children will live. Parenting time, formerly known as visitation, refers to the time children spend with each parent. The potential scheduling options are considerable, especially if you’re able to resolve the matter between yourselves. This is another area where the guidance of skilled Indianapolis divorce attorneys can be highly valuable, as it is important to create a parenting plan that addresses your family’s unique needs.

Child Support

Child support orders help to ensure that both parents continue to support their children financially post-divorce. Child support takes a wide range of factors into consideration, but the parent who earns more generally makes child support payments to the other. 

Alimony

Alimony is a payment system that only comes into play when one spouse lacks the means to support themselves financially during or after the divorce, and the other is capable of helping. Alimony is less common than many people think; however, when it is an issue, it is often a contentious one. 

Seek the Legal Guidance of an Experienced Indianapolis Divorce Attorney

The trusted Indianapolis divorce attorneys at McNeelyLaw have the experience, legal insight, and focus to help you. To learn more, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.