Years of Experience

Most property acquired during the marriage, whether or not acquired in Washington State, including service member’s earned or potential military retirement, dependent spouses pension, real estate and IRAs, and other private investments, are presumed to be community property and subject to division under Washington State law. Washington State is a no-fault dissolution state and the reasons for divorce are not considered in the property division. Instead, eligible property is divided on an equitable or equal basis as determined by the court. What constitutes an equal or fair division, however, varies greatly based on the facts of your case.

Property Settlement Attorney – Military Lawyer

As a career officer or enlisted member of the U.S. armed forces, it is not just retirement benefits that should be your chief concern during a dissolution. Community property you acquired with your spouse can also cause disagreement. Community property is virtually anything you obtained (including debt) during your marriage regardless of whose “name” it is under, this includes your house, vehicles, savings accounts, credit card debt, and much more. Whether you are the service member or spouse, facing divorce places retirement benefits at the top of the priority list for a fair division of marital property.

It Makes Sense to Talk to a Military Divorce Lawyer

At Van Ackeren, P.S., we understand how important the issue of a fair and just division of property is to families. Divorce proceedings do not take place in a military court. Your divorce will be treated in a civilian court in the jurisdiction of your place of residence when you file for divorce. There are issues that arise in a military divorce property settlement that involve benefits an inexperienced attorney will not have the depth of knowledge to understand and handle. Civilian attorneys without the knowledge of the military do not have the insight and depth of knowledge of a military divorce attorney. Van Ackeren, P.S. is the only firm that focuses primarily in military family law in Washington.

It makes sense to talk to an experienced military divorce lawyer to get straight, clear answers about retirement pay and other marital property issues in your divorce. Cheryl offers in-depth one-hour consultations to discuss your unique set of circumstances.