Divorce ranks among life’s most difficult transitions. You face difficult and worrying decisions about your home, your finances, and if you have children, their future. It’s worse if your spouse is being hostile, stubborn, or secretive about marital property and finances, but here’s the truth: even amicable divorces are full of intense feelings like regret, fear, and even grief.
Colorado Lawyer Team has experienced Fort Collins divorce lawyers who can help you make the right decisions for yourself and your family. Our firm consists entirely of women attorneys who understand the challenges families face during separation. We offer clear legal guidance and compassionate support while striving for results that protect what matters most to you. From your first consultation through your final decree, we stay by your side.
Why Choose Our Fort Collins Divorce Lawyers?
During such a major life change, you need a divorce lawyer who treats you like a person, not a case number. At Colorado Lawyer Team, we don’t pass you off to paralegals or assistants for important conversations. When you call to provide direction or express concerns about child custody disputes, spousal support arrangements, or any other aspect of the divorce process, we answer. When you have questions, your divorce attorney will respond promptly with answers that make sense.
Here are some of the reasons our clients have hired us for their divorce in Fort Collins:
- Direct Attorney Access: We’re a boutique firm, which means you work directly with attorneys who know your name and understand your situation. You have our direct calendaring link to schedule calls as soon as you sign on, and you have 24 hour phone support with a client portal for more sensitive communications to the entire team. You won’t get lost in a large practice or shuffled between staff members. Your case receives the dedicated attention it deserves.
- Women Attorneys on Every Case: Our skilled family law attorneys bring a balanced approach to every case. We listen carefully, communicate directly, and stand firm when protecting your legal rights. Many clients tell us they appreciate our approach because we combine empathy with assertiveness.
- Flat Fee Options Available: We offer flat fees on most family law cases, so you know what to expect. No surprise bills or expenses. Our family law services focus on efficient solutions that save you time and money while still achieving strong results.
- Solutions-Focused Representation: We prioritize solutions over unnecessary conflict. We fight when we need to, but we also recognize when negotiation serves you better. Strategic thinking guides every decision we make on your behalf.
- Technology That Works for You: Our divorce attorneys use secure online document sharing, offer flexible scheduling, and conduct virtual meetings when that works better for your life. You don’t have to rearrange your entire day to stay connected with your legal team.
Above all, we believe in empowering you. We explain your options, answer your questions honestly, and help you make informed choices. Your divorce is about your future, and we’re here to help you take control of it.
Why You Need a Divorce Lawyer in Fort Collins
Colorado operates under a no-fault divorce system. You don’t need to prove your spouse did anything wrong to end your marriage. However, you’ll have to make binding decisions about property division, parenting arrangements, and financial support that will affect your life for years to come.
- Division of Property and Debts: Colorado requires equitable division of marital property, which means fair but not necessarily equal. You face questions about who keeps the house, how to split retirement savings, and who pays which debts. It gets more complicated if your spouse is hostile or attempts asset concealment. An attorney helps ensure you receive your fair share of the marital estate while protecting your own separate property.
- Determining Parenting Time and Decision-Making: If you have children, Colorado law requires allocation of parental responsibilities based on the best interests of the child. This includes parenting time schedules and decision-making authority for education, medical care, and religious upbringing. A Fort Collins divorce lawyer at our family law firm can help you build a strong case for the child custody arrangements you want.
- Calculating Child Support: Colorado uses a statutory formula based on both parents’ incomes and parenting time (i.e. number of overnights). Small errors in financial disclosure or calculations can cost you hundreds of dollars monthly, so a divorce attorney helps you ensure the child support numbers are accurate and fair.
- Establishing or Defending Spousal Maintenance: Spousal support isn’t automatic in Colorado. Courts consider factors like marriage length, income disparity, and future earning capacity. A family law attorney protects your rights whether you’re seeking maintenance or defending against an unfair claim.
People who represent themselves often make mistakes that affect their finances and families for years. Don’t handle your divorce alone: call our Fort Collins family law firm for legal representation that can help you get the results you need.
Types of Divorce Cases We Handle
Colorado Lawyer Team handles divorce cases of all kinds. Many of them call for a tailored approach: a military divorce, for example, can have a different legal process than a civilian one. We bring the same level of diligence and legal acumen to every situation.
- Uncontested Divorce: When you and your spouse agree on property division, parenting arrangements, and support issues, we help you document everything correctly and move through the courts as efficiently as possible We draft fair legal separation agreements and make sure your paperwork meets all legal requirements.
- Contested Divorce: High-conflict divorces call for strong advocacy and sometimes trial preparation. We can represent you in court hearings, present evidence, cross-examine witnesses, and fight for a fair result. We handle disputes over property, parenting time, support, and any other contested issues.
- High-Asset Divorce: Dividing business interests, real estate portfolios, investment accounts, and retirement funds can be extremely complicated. We work with valuation professionals when needed, trace separate property, identify hidden assets, and seek to make sure you receive your fair share of the marital estate.
- Divorce With Children: Your children’s well-being comes first. We help you create parenting plans that serve their best interests, calculate child support using Colorado’s statutory formula, and establish decision-making arrangements that work for your family. We advocate for parenting time schedules that let you maintain strong relationships with your kids.
- Same-Sex Divorce: Same-sex couples receive equal treatment under Colorado law. We protect your rights in parenting disputes, handle parentage establishment for non-biological parents through adoption or the parental presumption law, and ensure fair property division.
- Post-Decree Modifications: Life changes after divorce–especially when it comes to children. When there’s a substantial and continuing change in your situation, we help you modify parenting time, adjust child support (typically requiring at least a 10% change in the obligation), or change spousal maintenance. We handle parental relocation requests, parenting time and other family disputes, and enforcement of existing orders.
Key Issues in a Colorado Divorce
Colorado divorce law addresses several areas that affect your future after the marriage ends. Understanding how courts address and make decisions in these areas helps you prepare and set realistic expectations for your case.
Property Division
Colorado is an equitable division state. This means that if you and your spouse can’t agree on how to split the marital estate, the court will aim for as fair a division as possible. Judges distinguish between marital property (acquired during marriage) and separate property (owned before marriage or received by gift or inheritance). When making a decision, they consider factors like each spouse’s economic situation, contributions to the marriage (including homemaking), and future financial needs.
Allocation of Parental Responsibilities
Colorado law requires parenting arrangements to be based on the best interests of the child. This includes two components:
- Parenting time (when children stay with each parent)
- Decision-making responsibility (authority over education, medical care, religious upbringing, and extracurricular activities).
Courts can award joint decision-making, where both parents share authority, or allocate responsibility to one parent. The court considers factors like each parent’s wishes, the child’s preferences (if they’re mature enough), relationships between the child and family members, the child’s adjustment to home and school, and each parent’s ability to encourage a relationship with the other parent.
Child Support
Colorado uses a statutory formula based on both parents’ combined gross income and the number of overnights each parent has with the children. The formula accounts for factors like health insurance costs, child care expenses, and extraordinary medical or educational needs. Child support typically continues until the child turns 19 or graduates from high school, whichever comes later. Courts can modify support when there’s a substantial and continuing change that results in at least a 10% change in the support amount.
Spousal Maintenance (Alimony)
Colorado courts can award maintenance to help a spouse transition to financial independence after divorce. When deciding whether to award it, they consider factors like the marriage length, each spouse’s financial resources, the standard of living during marriage, age and health, ability to meet needs through property division, and time needed for education or training. Maintenance can be temporary or long-term depending on these factors. Either party can request modification if there’s a substantial and continuing change that makes the original terms unfair.
Domestic Violence and Protective Orders
When domestic violence exists, it affects custody decisions and property division. Colorado law requires courts to prioritize child safety, so a judge may restrict parenting time or require supervision when necessary to protect children. Victims can also obtain civil protection orders that establish boundaries and prevent contact. We provide confidential support for survivors and help them obtain the protection they need.
Mediation
Most Colorado divorces settle through negotiation or mediation rather than trial. Mediation allows you to maintain control over outcomes while reducing costs and stress. We represent clients in mediation and help them reach agreements that serve their interests. When settlement isn’t possible, we prepare for trial and advocate aggressively in court.
What to Expect When You Work With Us
Divorce in Fort Collins moves through several stages, but we’ll guide you through each one. Here’s what generally happens from start to finish.
- Initial Consultation and Legal Planning: We meet with you to learn about your situation and goals. We review your assets, debts, children’s needs, and any concerns about your spouse’s behavior. You’ll leave with a roadmap for your case and realistic expectations about outcomes.
- Filing and Service: We prepare your petition for dissolution of marriage and file it with the Larimer County District Court. After your spouse receives the papers (either through a process server or by accepting service), Colorado’s mandatory 91-day waiting period begins. No divorce can be finalized before these 91 days pass.
- Financial Disclosure: Colorado law requires both spouses to exchange complete financial information within 42 days. We help you compile income records, tax returns, bank statements, retirement accounts, and property values. We also review what your spouse provides to catch any omissions or inaccuracies.
- Negotiation and Mediation: We work to resolve disputes through negotiation. If needed, we represent you in mediation sessions where a neutral mediator helps both sides reach agreements. Many courts require mediation before allowing a case to go to trial.
- Final Resolution: If you settle, we draft your separation agreement and submit it to the court for approval. If settlement fails, we prepare for trial, present your case to the judge, and obtain final orders. Once the court issues your decree, your divorce is complete.
Speak to a Fort Collins Divorce Lawyer Today
At Colorado Lawyer Team, we help clients in Fort Collins take control of their futures during one of life’s hardest transitions. Our all-women legal team combines years of courtroom experience with genuine compassion for what you’re going through. Whether you need help negotiating a settlement, preparing for mediation, or advocating at trial, we’re ready to stand by your side.
We serve clients throughout Fort Collins, Larimer County, and Northern Colorado. Our office offers flexible scheduling, secure online document sharing, and virtual consultations when that works better for you. For more information or to schedule a consultation, please call (970) 638-6773.