Legal Questions and Answers

Will a U.S. divorce affect my property in Russia?

I am a dual citizen of Russia and the U.S. and I own significant real estate in both places. My wife’s name is on my U.S. properties although not on my Russian properties. I did acquire the bulk of the Russia real estate after my wife and I married. If I get a divorce in the states will a judge have any authority to give my wife any interest in the properties in Russia, or force me to sell any of them to pay her a lump sum of money? I am looking to work with an international lawyer who is familiar with family law in both the United States and Russia.

Will a court give shared custody to an abusive parent?

I’ve been married 8 years and during that time I’ve had 3 restraining orders against my husband. He has physically, once putting me in the hospital. I finally got free of him this last time while he was in jail for assaulting me. I’m ready to pursue divorce but we have a 15 year old son who says he wants to live with his father. They are very close, to the point that my son imitates his father’s behavior and treats me very badly. I do not want my son to grow up to be abusive and I don’t want his father to have custody. What are the chances that a judge would give this violent many shared or full custody of my son? Will what my son says he wants have any bearing on the judge’s decision?

Can I have contact with my child after adoption is final?

Can I be sent to jail for unpaid child support?

I lost my job when COVID hit and I’ve been looking for work ever since. I filed with the child support office in Philly to reduce or stop my payments but I haven’t heard back from anyone since I submitted the initial application. My kids’ mother says she is going to ask for contempt against me and that I could be sent to jail for 6 months and have all my bank accounts seized, although there is not much money left for them to take. Can I be sent to prison if I legitimately lost my job and tried right away to get the child support amount lowered? And why would they send me to jail when I’m looking for work? If I go to jail my ex gets no payments from me.

Locating a Russian-speaking attorney for uncontested divorce?

My husband and I have been married less than two years. We are both originally from Russia and here on work visas. We were together for several years before we came to U.S., but we married here in the states in an Orthodox Christian ceremony. We mutually agree to divorce and have no kids. He wants to return to Russia and I want to stay here as long as I maintain my work visa. Is our marriage legal here in the U.S. since we weren’t citizens and if we aren’t fighting the divorce can we get an uncontested divorce here in Los Angeles? My English-speaking skills are not good enough to handle the divorce on my own. How do I find a Russian-speaking lawyer who can help both my husband and me?