Glossary

child support – money legally owed by one parent to the other for expenses incurred for children of the marriage

Collaborative Divorce – a divorce processed with Collaborative Law

Collaborative Law - a process in which the parties and their respective lawyers agree to resolve their differences without involving the Court.

conservatorship – the part of the court order detailing where a child shall live and what rights and duties each parent will have, also known as “custody”

decree – the legal document signed by the Judge that grants the divorce and contains all of the specific terms and provisions of the divorce (Final Decree of Divorce

divorce – the legal end of the marriage relationship

enforcement – a formal legal process that requests the Court require parties to follow the Court’s orders

guardian - person who has the legal authority and the duty to take care of the personal and/or property interests of another person

guardianship – a legal designation of someone as the legal guardian for the personal care and/or property interests of another person

modification – a legal process for requesting changes to current Court Orders regarding child custody and/or child support

probate - administering an estate and taking care of all claims to the decedent’s property and assets as the decedent has set out in his or her Will

proposed ward – a person who is undergoing a guardianship process to be placed under the protection of a guardian