Decent proposal? Los Angeles divorce attorney applauds Wyoming bill that mandates marriage and divorce counseling

Family law attorney says people often rush in and out of marriage without understanding the responsibilities and consequences.

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(PR NewsChannel) / January 14, 2011 / LOS ANGELES / Ranked in the top five for having the highest divorce rates, lawmakers in the state of Wyoming are taking aim at divorce by proposing a bill that would require couples to seek counseling before getting married and divorced.

If Wyoming legislators pass the marriage and divorce bill, couples wanting to marry would have to attend three hours of premarital counseling at their own expense. Couples that ignore the law would face a cooling off period and be forced to wait a full year to get a marriage license.

And those same rules would apply for divorce. Couples would be required to get three hours of counseling or wait a year to file.

“Wyoming’s marriage counseling bill is a good step to help people focus on the commitment they make to one another when they get married,” says Christopher C. Melcher, a divorce and family law attorney who practices in Los Angeles.

Though the Catholic Church has long required couples to seek counseling before marriage, Wyoming would become the first state to make it law.

“Pre-marriage education is a good thing,” says Melcher. “It informs couples about the rights and responsibilities they are undertaking. Most people don’t have a clue of all the things they are agreeing to when they say ‘I do’.”

Though some critics might say that imposing such obstacles would impose too great a burden on those who want to get married or divorced, Melcher says marriage is already challenging—but clearly not as difficult as getting a divorce because of the stresses and pain that it causes. He says that it’s a good thing to reduce the divorce rate by preventing some marriages and making it more difficult to run from a marriage by divorcing.

“It is very easy to get into a marriage, but it is very difficult to get out of one unless the parties agree on all issues,” say Melcher. “Divorce can get nasty and ugly and I respect Wyoming for taking steps that might prevent divorce.”

About Christopher C. Melcher: Christopher C. Melcher is a Certified Family Law Specialist focusing on complex family litigation and premarital agreements. He has been practicing law in California since 1994. Melcher is vice chair of the family law section of the California State Bar and serves as a member of the family law executive committee of the California State Bar.

About Walzer & Melcher LLP: Walzer & Melcher LLP is composed of a team of trial attorneys who practice family law exclusively. They handle divorce, custody and paternity cases in Los Angeles and Ventura County. The team is also knowledgeable related areas of law, such as real estate, corporations, partnerships, pensions, taxation, trusts and estates and criminal, which allows them to better serve their family law clients.

For more on Christopher C. Melcher or Walzer & Melcher LLP, please visit www.walzermelcher.com.

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Decent proposal? Los Angeles divorce attorney applauds Wyoming bill that mandates marriage and divorce counseling

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