What you need to know about Private Termination of Parental Rights In Iowa, the parents of a minor child have certain obligations and rights toward their child. Those rights include making various decisions about the medical care, education, and religious instruction of the child. Parents also have the right to decide where their child will […]

How is child support determined in Iowa? Under Iowa law, both parents have a duty to provide adequate support for their minor children. Courts use the Iowa Child Support Guidelines to calculate the amount of child support that will be paid. The purpose of the support guidelines is to provide for the best interests of […]

Can I seek a protective order for domestic abuse? Iowa Code Chapter 236 provides that a protective order may be entered upon a finding of domestic abuse. To obtain a 236 protective order, the party seeking a protective order must prove by a preponderance of the evidence (i.e., more likely than not) that (1) they […]

There is a difference between physical separation (moving out) and legal separation (getting a court order that you are separated).  You may file a petition in court for legal separation if you are planning to be separated for a long time and want the court to address support, property or debts during the separation.  You […]

Being married gives people certain legal rights. Many of these legal rights don’t become important until the couple splits up. If there is a marriage, whether it is a “regular” marriage or a common law marriage, when the couple splits up they can get a divorce. In a divorce, the court can decide who is […]

What happens when you own a house with a significant other (not a spouse)?  Who gets the property when their relationship fizzles out?  Thankfully, it doesn’t come down to who can remain in the house the longest or the flip of a coin, but rather through an equitable Court proceeding called a PARTITION.  The word […]