Divorce in Rhode Island

In Rhode Island, assets and debts acquired during your marriage - called "marital property" - will be divided "equitably" when you divorce. In deciding how to divide the property owned by divorcing couples, judges will consider a number of factors, including:

• The length of the marriage
• The conduct of the spouses during the marriage
• The contribution of each spouse to the acquisition of the marital property, including the contribution of each spouse as homemaker
• The health and ages of the spouses
• The amount and sources of income of the spouses
• The occupation and employability of each of the spouses
• Opportunity of each party for future acquisition of assets and income
• The contribution by one spouse to the education, training, licensure, business or increased earning power of the other
• The need of a custodial parent to occupy or own the marital residence and to use or own the household effects according to the best interest of any children
• Either spouse's wasteful dissipation or unfair transfer of any assets in contemplation of divorce
• Any other relevant factors

Separate property is retained by the owning spouse. Separate property includes the following:

• Assets you had before you married if you kept that property separated from property acquired during the marriage
• The income produced by a separate property investment as long as it hasn't been "commingled" - mixed together with marital property
• Property you inherit from your family during your marriage if it was willed exclusively to you and you did not commingle it with marital property during the marriage

It is important to collect all the information you can about all your property, including when you purchased it, approximately how much it is worth and details such as account numbers, serial numbers and so forth. Collecting this information before you see a Rhode Island divorce lawyer can save you a lot of time and money.

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Alimony

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