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    Advantages Of Divorce Mediation In Arizona

    Advantages of Divorce Mediation in ArizonaAnd now, a David Letterman-esque Top Ten List of the reasons to choose the divorce mediation method of ending your Arizona marriage, rather than resort to costly, contentious litigation of your contested or high net worth divorce in a courtroom.

    10. Mediation is private rather than in open court. No “dirty laundry” will be aired publicly.

    9. Mediation is pocketbook-friendly — far less expensive than the attorney fees and court costs that litigation requires.

    8. Mediation is not as time-consuming. Once the parties are on “the same page,” issues can be resolved.

    7. Mediation is not as stressful as the back-and-forth bickering heard during litigation.

    6. Mediation encourages an honest, open exchange of views. You may be hearing some complaints for the first time, but a skilled mediator can moderate discussions in ways that bring order to what looks like conversational chaos.

    5. Talking things out is what you should have done during your marriage. To this end, a series of productive private conversations during mediation can end your relationship with dignity, honor the good in what you had, and minimize the potentially harmful emotional impact of divorce on your children.

    4. Did we mention that mediation costs less money? It bears repeating amid an uncertain economy. Litigation is a lousy investment anyway, if you lose.

    3. Mediation projects a tone of collaboration that can be sustained during your transition to a brighter post-divorce future, and beyond. Practice makes perfect, and the cooperative atmosphere of mediation is good practice for keeping things civil for the sake of your child when future misunderstandings arise.

    2. Your child will thank you someday for the low-impact route you’ve chosen to segue into single life, yet continuing your financial, emotional and in-person time commitments to children you share.

    And the Number One Advantage of mediation over divorce litigation is … drum roll please …

    1. Control. If you found your spouse to be controlling during your marriage, now you have a chance to be controlling together. Mediation gives you control of your destiny, directions, goals and resolutions, rather than leave your fate in the hands of strangers in a courtroom.

    All you need now is the assistance of an experienced divorce and family law attorney who knows how to mediate and truly cares about your future. In Gilbert, Arizona, that compassionate lawyer is Steven Zachary of the Zachary Law Group. Our law firm’s founder believes that every problem has a solution. You can ignore it, you can postpone it, litigate it or use mediation to … “Zach it.” Call today and take your worry away. 480-389-3533.

    Repercussions Of A DUI Conviction In Arizona

    The aftermath of your Arizona DUI conviction may include a hearing before a judge, a heavy fine, jail time or probation, damage to your reputation and increased insurance premiums.

    And the bad news doesn’t end there.

    Due to the importance of background checks used by landlords and employers in recent years, you could run into all kinds of problems with obtaining housing and a job, even after this legal crisis is behind you.

    You will feel as if your every move is being monitored. Your job interviews can end before they begin, once a prospective employer gets word of your conviction. A mortgage banker or landlord could take a dim view of your criminal background. Suddenly, you have no place to stay and no means of support. This is no way to live.

    Fortunately, there could be a way around this bleak future, if you retain DUI defense counsel who knows the factors that make drunk driving arrests problematic, who knows how to negotiate with prosecutors, and how to aggressively litigate against them in court if necessary. Steven Zachary in Gilbert is that kind of dedicated advocate.

    Steven Zachary of The Zachary Law Group is a skilled, experienced, client-committed criminal defense attorney. He is dedicated to protecting the rights of his Arizona clients accused of drunk driving, driving with a suspended or revoked license, and vehicular manslaughter or vehicular homicide.

    If you have been arrested for DUI, here is the good news: every problem has a solution. You can take it lightly, you can take your chances, you can address it or you can … “Zach it.” The law is on your side. Call today and take your worry away with an initial consultation at Steven Zachary’s Gilbert law office. Call 480-389-3533.

    Focus On "The Best Interests Of Your Child" During Divorce

    The natural inclination during a contentious divorce is to think primarily, or only, of yourself — the years spent in a disappointing marriage, material possessions accumulated and an emotional investment that has no price tag.

    Word to the wise: you should also think of the child or children of that marriage … and this divorce. This is why states like Arizona stress “the best interests of the child” for custody and visitation matters, financial support issues and the need to keep a family “together” following a parental relocation.

    Studies show that a child benefits from both parents’ sustained roles in his or her upbringing. An experienced, compassionate family law attorney can create all kinds of methods for accomplishing that goal.

    Your lawyer can arm you with the facts about appropriate levels of child support that conform with income-based calculations; coordinate a co-parent’s availability for regular visits, weekend stays and vacation time-sharing; and generally, smoothly, transition all family members into a comfortable routine that minimizes the emotional impact of divorce on a child.

    Family members who are further separated by a child relocation outside Arizona can continue contact through technology such as email, Skype and phone conversations. And if visitation obligations spelled out in a divorce settlement agreement are not being met, regardless of where you live, you can have your lawyer seek a contempt order, or enforcement, that compels the non-custodial parent to cooperate.

    Are the best interests of your child being treated as a priority during the run-up to your Arizona divorce? If not, Gilbert divorce lawyer Steven Zachary of the Zachary Law Group will work hard to even the playing field for children caught in the middle of pointless bickering by selfish, unreasonable parents.

    Steven Zachary’s successful service to his family law clients has taught him that every problem has a solution. You can take that problem lightly, pooh-pooh it, shove it under the rug, or you can … “Zach it.” Contact the Zachary Law Group today and take your worry away. Just call 480-389-3533 or send an email message to arrange your initial consultation.

    Murder In Montana: Or Was It?

    The national headline-grabbing case of the Montana newlywed accused of pushing her husband off a cliff may be the ultimate example of “He said, she said.” Except “he” is not talking — because he is dead.

    22-year-old Jordan Linn Graham of Kalispell has been indicted, arraigned and released to her family’s care until trial. She has also already been tried … and convicted … in the media.

    Stories abound, to the effect that Ms. Graham was aloof during her courtship, calculating during her brief (eight-day) marriage and guilty of her young husband’s death at a national park. Her own stories, her personal accounts of Cody L. Johnson’s “accident” have changed — in ways that only intrigue the authorities.

    The fact remains that the case against Ms. Graham is highly circumstantial with a capital “C.” All we have to go on, really, are the hearsay and judgments of Mr. Johnson’s friends, bank and cell phone records, and the requisite pre-trial guilty verdict rendered by former prosecutor and HLN TV commentator Nancy Grace — which, of course, is nothing new and a prime example of why her tabloid show exists.

    Anyone accused of a crime deserves his or her day in court. This tradition in our system of jurisprudence is called due process. If you find yourself in a situation that results in criminal charges, and it’s your word against that of someone who is no longer with us, the only person standing between you and a prison sentence is the defense lawyer you select to represent you.

    Steven Zachary of the Zachary Law Group is a skilled, experienced, client-committed criminal defense attorney. He is dedicated to protecting the rights of his Arizona clients. He realizes the importance of real evidence — not hearsay and speculation. He holds prosecutors to their burden of proof and works hard to establish reasonable doubt.

    If you have been arrested for a violent crime and you face harsh, life-changing punishments such as jail or prison, substantial fines and a criminal record as a felon — please know that every problem has a solution. You can postpone it, you can address it or you can … “Zach it.”

    The law is on your side. Call today and take your worry away with an initial consultation at Steven Zachary’s Gilbert law office. Call 480-389-3533.

    "Equitable Distribution" of Assets and Property in Divorce

    An “equitable distribution” of marital assets and property is always the ideal and rarely the reality, when all is said and done in negotiations for an Arizona divorce.

    The bottom line is this: when assets that each party brings into a marriage amount to apples and oranges (a vacation residence vs. ownership of a closely held family business, for example), you need an experienced family law attorney behind you who can crunch the numbers, propose the trade-offs and locate the consensus necessary to resolve your differences.

    Your lawyer should also know how to advocate for a spouse’s possession of a motor vehicle, all kinds of real estate (primary residence, rental property, undeveloped land, ranch or farm, to name just a few), valuation of a co-owned family company, deferred and retirement income, a 401(k), bonds, stocks and stock options, collectibles and memberships.

    Then there’s the matter of who retains ownership of the beloved family pet. Yes, there are “dogs of divorce.” Emotional attachments can make division of material possessions even tougher to accomplish, to both parties’ satisfaction.

    If you suspect that your spouse is hiding assets through a co-conspiring third party or offshore account in Europe or the Caymans, you should bring that to your attorney’s attention immediately. Forensic accounting can unearth all sorts of secrets and drive any number of financial skeletons out of the closet.

    A skilled divorce lawyer will also realize the importance of getting this phase of negotiations done right the first time. In the absence of an airtight prenuptial agreement, only in very special situations can agreements over assets and property be modified “down the road.”

    In Gilbert, Arizona, that client-focused advocate with years of experience and a reputation for results is Steven Zachary of the Zachary Law Group. He not only believes in the ideal of equitable distribution, and in your right to protect your hard-earned investment in your marriage — but also that every problem has a solution. You can choose not to acknowledge it, you can litigate it in ways that waste your money, or you can contact Mr. Zachary’s law office today and … “Zach it.”

    Call today and take your worry away. The Zachary Law Group. 480-389-3533.

    Were You The Victim Of An Illegal Search And Seizure?

    If you suspect that your arrest for a drug crime in Arizona was the result of a warrant-less search — an illegal search and seizure by law enforcement — you should not allow your future and freedoms to be put at risk.

    You should not have to face the life-changing prospects of a lengthy jail or prison term, heavy fines that drain your finances, separation from loved ones and a criminal record as a felon. You need a skilled criminal defense attorney on your side who knows your Fourth Amendment rights and works hard to protect them.

    The fact that you have constitutional rights when drugs or stolen goods are planted on your person, or in your home or motor vehicle, means that the warrant to search your possessions should have “particularity.” Authorities must state specifically what it is they are looking for. You should probably also think back to your arrest and try to remember is there was an attempt to coerce you into a confession for something you didn’t do, and if any assets that are rightfully yours have been forfeited to others by the government since you were indicted.

    You may have never seen, or realized you were in the presence of, the “usual suspects’ of controlled substances: marijuana, cocaine, crack, heroin, methamphetamine, party drugs or prescription drugs. This fact is easily overlooked by invading local or state police detectives with an agenda. Right now the best thing you can do, for yourself and those closest to you, is to retain the most dedicated, energetic legal representation you can find — a lawyer who will aggressively safeguard your interests, in and out of court.

    Steven Zachary is a skilled, experienced, client-committed criminal defense attorney. He is dedicated to protecting the rights of his Arizona clients accused of drug crimes. If you have been arrested for possession, distribution or trafficking in controlled substances, and you face harsh penalties — please know that every problem has a solution. You can postpone it, you can address it or you can … “Zach it.” The law is on your side. Call today and take your worry away with an initial consultation at Steven Zachary’s Gilbert law office. Call 480-389-3533.

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    Divorce Lawyers and Criminal Attorneys in Gilbert, AZ