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| Acknowledgments | |
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| Introduction | |
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| Getting and Staying Organized | |
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| Dealing with Emotions | |
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| Deciding What You Want | |
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| Developing an Organizational System | |
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| Keeping a Calendar | |
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| Using To-Do Lists | |
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| Managing Documents | |
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| Other General Organizational Tips | |
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| To-Do List | |
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| Protecting Yourself | |
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| Dealing with Money | |
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| The Home | |
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| Wills | |
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| Powers of Attorney | |
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| Health Care Directives | |
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| Your Physical Safety | |
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| Safe-Deposit Box Inventory | |
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| Household Belongings Inventory | |
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| Self-Protection Checklist | |
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| Working with an Attorney and Other Professionals | |
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| Finding an Attorney | |
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| Questions to Ask an Attorney | |
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| Understanding What Your Attorney Needs from You | |
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| Working with Your Attorney | |
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| Organizing Paperwork from Your Attorney | |
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| Phone Calls with Professionals | |
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| Paying Your Attorney | |
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| Affording Your Attorney | |
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| Other Professionals Who May Be Involved with Your Case | |
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| Questions and Issues to Discuss with Your Attorney | |
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| Phone Call Log | |
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| Master List of Contact Information | |
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| Ways to End Your Marriage | |
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| Residency | |
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| Grounds | |
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| Annulment | |
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| Legal Separation | |
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| Remaining Married | |
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| Ending a Common-Law Marriage | |
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| Step-by-Step Through Your Divorce | |
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| The System and the Way It Works | |
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| Court Papers | |
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| Appearing in Court | |
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| Settlement Options | |
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| Mediation | |
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| Arbitration | |
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| Collaborative Law | |
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| Settlements | |
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| Gathering Household and Personal Documents | |
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| How to Gather Documents | |
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| Working with Your Spouse | |
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| When You Can't Get Certain Documents | |
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| Organizing Documents | |
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| Analyzing Documents | |
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| Checklist of Documents to Gather | |
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| Documenting Your Income and Living Expenses | |
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| How to Document Expenses | |
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| Creating a Budget | |
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| Income Log | |
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| Expense Log | |
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| Monthly Budget | |
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| Unresolved Joint Expenses | |
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| Large Assets | |
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| Separate Versus Marital Property | |
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| Understanding Nonconcrete Assets | |
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| How Large Assets Are Divided | |
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| Finding Large Assets | |
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| Finding Hidden Assets | |
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| Types of Large Assets | |
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| Contribution to Separate Asset | |
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| Large Asset Separate Property Log | |
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| List of Large Joint Assets | |
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| Documenting Debts | |
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| Separate and Marital Debts | |
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| Organizing Your Debt | |
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| List of Spouse's Separate Debts | |
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| List of Joint Debts | |
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| Reaching Settlements and Dividing Household Belongings | |
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| Negotiating Settlements | |
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| Dividing Household Items | |
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| Appraising Items | |
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| Disputed Items | |
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| Settlement List | |
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| Separate Property Items | |
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| Items Taken Without Agreement | |
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| Agreed-Upon Items to Divide | |
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| Disputed Items to Divide | |
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| Child Support | |
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| Purpose of Child Support | |
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| Temporary Child Support | |
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| Calculating Child Support | |
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| Other Child Support Amounts | |
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| How Child Support Is Paid | |
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| Tracking Child Support Payments | |
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| Due Dates | |
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| Nonpayment | |
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| Adjusting Child Support | |
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| Children's Expenses | |
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| Children's Uninsured Health Expenses | |
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| Child Support Receipts | |
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| Child Support Payment Log | |
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| Alimony | |
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| How Alimony Is Awarded | |
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| Seeking Alimony | |
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| Alimony Rules and Regulations | |
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| Tracking Alimony | |
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| Medical Insurance | |
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| Alimony Worksheet | |
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| Alimony Receipts | |
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| Alimony Payment Log | |
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| Custody and Visitation | |
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| Tips for Avoiding a Custody Trial | |
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| Thinking About Custody and Visitation | |
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| Creating an Accurate Visitation Record | |
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| Documenting Shared Custody | |
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| Monitoring Your Children's Responses to Visitation | |
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| Children's Preferences | |
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| Grandparent Visitation | |
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| Children's Reactions Log | |
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| Grandparent Visitation Log | |
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| Witnesses and Evidence | |
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| Why You Need Witnesses | |
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| Types of Witnesses to Find | |
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| Subject Matter for Witness Testimony | |
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| Preparing a Witness List | |
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| Being Your Own Witness | |
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| Preparing for Your Spouse's Witnesses | |
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| Physical Evidence | |
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| How to Find Evidence | |
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| List of Possible Witnesses | |
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| Witness Worksheet | |
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| Notes for Your Testimony | |
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| Cross-Examination Notes | |
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| Physical Evidence List | |
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| Custody Trials | |
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| Documenting the Past | |
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| Documenting Your Own Parenting Abilities | |
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| Focusing on the Other Parent's Faults | |
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| Parenting Classes | |
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| Keeping Your Kids Out of It | |
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| Siblings and Half Siblings | |
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| Child Care Checklist | |
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| Spouse's Parenting Abilities | |
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| Parenting Journal | |
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| It's All Over! Now What? | |
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| Changing Your Name | |
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| Updating Your Insurance | |
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| Protecting Your Credit | |
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| Dividing Assets | |
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| Leases | |
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| Your Will | |
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| Health Care Directives | |
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| Wedding and Relationship Mementos | |
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| Coping with Your Feelings | |
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| Continuing to Track Payments | |
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| Maintaining Your Household | |
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| Managing Finances | |
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| Important Documents for Your Child | |
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| Receipts for Property Distribution | |
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| Ongoing Child Support Log | |
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| Child Support Receipts | |
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| Ongoing Alimony Log | |
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| Alimony Receipts | |
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| Resources | |
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| Index | |