Divorce or Dissolution
Legal Information
Change of Name Packet at the Alaska Court System
Information, instructions and forms for changing either an adult's or child's name in Alaska state court.
Common Questions About Divorce and Dissolution
Start here to find out the answers to commonly-asked questions about ending a marriage. 결혼 생활을 끝내는 것과 관련하여 자주 묻는 질문에 대한 답변을 알아보려면 여기에서 시작하십시오. Comience aquí para encontrar las respuestas a las preguntas más frecuentes sobre la terminación de un matrimonio. Magsimula dito upang malaman ang mga sagot sa mga karaniwang tinatanong na mga katanungan tungkol sa pagtatapos ng kasal.
Court Mediation Programs
The Alaska Court System provides free and low-cost mediation programs for child custody/visitation cases, child-in-need-of-aid (CINA) cases, & adult guardianship/conservatorship cases. Information about these programs in particular, and mediation in other matters is available here.
Divorce and Dissolution Process and Forms in Alaska
The Alaska Court System's Family Law Self-Help Center has excellent explanations, and all of the forms necessary to end your marriage.
Innocent Spouse Relief
Many couples file joint tax returns, making them both liable for any taxes the IRS determines are due. The IRS can still collect those taxes from you even if you have a divorce decree stating your former spouse is responsible for the debt. There are some cases in which a spouse (or former spouse) can be relieved of the tax, interest, and penalties incurred from a joint tax return.
The Best Interests of the Child
Whenever a court has to make a decision about custody or visitation with children, the legal standard they use is "the best interests of the child." Here you can find out what exactly a Judge is looking for in order to make their decision.
We're splitting up, and I need a lawyer!
Many people handle their divorce and custody disputes without an attorney, but when one side has decided to hire an attorney, there are several ways that the other side can level the playing field by hiring their own.
What is a Guardian ad Litem or Custody Investigator?
A brief explanation of the terms "Guardian ad Litem" (GAL) and "Custody Investigator (CI)" in Alaska State Court custody or divorce with children cases.
Appearing in Court from a Distance
This video tells you how you can participate in hearing and the trial if you don’t live near the court site or within driving distance.
Behavior in Court
This video talks about how to behave in court, and how that behavior might effect your case.
Case Overview
This video presents a short overview of a how a family law case moves through court, including the average time you can expect each stage to take. Later videos in this series explain terms and procedures in more detail.
Child Support
The judge must order child support whenever the court makes a custody decision. Child support is not optional and it cannot be waived. This video explains how child support awards are made.
Custody and Parenting Plan Part 1
You and the other parent will have to submit a plan for the care of your children to the judge. This is called the parenting plan or a custody and visitation plan. This video reviews the things you need to consider when writing this plan.
Custody and Parenting Plan - Part 2
This video talks about putting things like subsistence activities, visiting grandparents and travel arrangements into the parenting plan.
Disclosure and Discovery
In a divorce case, each person must provide the other person with complete information about their finances. This is called disclosure. When you need to get additional information from your spouse during the divorce, you can use the tools of discovery. This video talks about what needs to be disclosed, and how to get more information through discovery.
Filing Documents by Mail
If you do not live near the court site or within driving distance, you can still file documents with the court. This video reviews what you need to do to properly file court documents by mail.
Introduction to Family Law Video Series
This is an introduction to a series of short videos discussing many topics important to people representing themselves in divorce and child custody cases. The videos cover what to expect at different stages of the case including procedures that you have to follow.
Marital Property
This video tells you what is considered marital property and debt, and how it gets divided in a divorce.
Motion Practice - Deadlines
There are certain deadlines for the steps in motion practice, and you must follow certain rules about mailings. This video goes over the deadlines for each step.
Motion Practice - Motion
A motion is the paper you must file to ask the judge to order something or to take some other action. It is the first step in a three-step process called motion practice. This video covers the first step of the process, filing a motion.
Motion Practice - Opposition
This video explains the second part of motion practice, where the person who has been served a copy of the original motion has the opportunity to respond.
Motion Practice - Reply
This video review the third step in motion practice, the reply. A reply is not required, but the person who filed the motion (step 1) can reply to the opposition (step 2) if there is something in the opposition they want to respond to.
Options to Resolve your case
This video talks about options to reach agreement without going to trial, including mediation and settlement conferences.
Serving the Other Side
You will be submitting many documents to the court during your case. In general you must give a copy of each document to the other side – or his or her attorney. This is called "service of process." This video reviews how to properly serve the other side, as well as providing proof of service to the court.
Spousal Support (Alimony)
Spousal support is when spouse pays money to the other spouse to assist that person to live. While it is not common for the court to award spousal support in a divorce case, this video reviews what types of support might be available and how to ask for it.
Standing Orders
This video reviews standing orders, the first court order you will receive after you file your case. The standing order will be in effect until your case is completed.