Crouse Erickson | Coeur d'Alene
Crouse Erickson | Coeur d'Alene
Crouse Erickson | Coeur d'Alene
Crouse Erickson represents clients in Coeur d’Alene and throughout Kootenai County in divorce, child custody, and related family law matters. Our office is part of a firm that practices family law exclusively, meaning divorce and custody cases form the entirety of our work rather than a side practice within a broader caseload.
Coeur d’Alene has grown into a market where family law cases increasingly involve blended families, property across two states, and parents navigating custody arrangements that account for work and school on both sides of the Washington-Idaho line.
Divorce is one of the most emotional issues you may go through in your life, other than a child custody case. Even if both parties are in agreement regarding the divorce, there will still be emotions involved. Many divorces that begin as an uncontested divorce can quickly turn into a hotly contested divorce. Having an experienced divorce attorney by your side can help ensure you are fairly treated in asset division, maintenance, and child custody issues.
Learn More About Divorce
Child custody is often one of the most contentious parts of a divorce. Idaho courts—like those in every state—are most concerned about the child’s best interests. The Crouse Erickson legal team understands the need to present high-quality declarations and oral arguments to the court on your behalf, pursuing the positive outcome that best suits your specific child custody situation.
Learn More About Child Custody
Although there is a “formula” for determining child support, there is some leeway from the judge based on individual circumstances and family dynamics. Parents are legally obligated to provide financial support to their children. Idaho child support orders ensure children receive the money they need for basic necessities, including medical care, childcare, housing, clothing, and food.
Learn More About Child Support
If you are going through a divorce, you may require a business and professional valuation for a professional practice, including ownership interests of doctors, dentists, veterinarians, lawyers, pharmacists, physical therapists, accountants, and chiropractors. The value of a professional practice may include considerations such as the practitioner’s age, health, past earning power, reputation for judgment, skill and knowledge, and professional success.
Business & Professional Valuations
Domestic violence has, unfortunately, become an all-too-common occurrence. Many victims of domestic violence do not have the financial means, education, or job skills to leave, while many more are too frightened of what their partner will do if they try to leave. Our attorneys will help you obtain a protection order to keep you and your children safe from your abuser.
Learn More About Domestic Violence
When the judge makes a ruling, it is not always the end of the matter. In some cases, the person under the order may choose not to obey the order, or in other cases, when circumstances change substantially, a modification of the order may be necessary. Whatever the issue, your Crouse Erickson family law attorney can ensure the judge’s orders are properly enforced, and that when an order requires modification, it will be handled quickly and professionally.
Learn More About Modification of Orders
Legal separation is an alternative to divorce in some cases, giving the couple a chance to live apart, while handling such issues as maintenance, asset division, child custody, and child support for the interim. If the legal separation becomes a divorce, those decisions can merge into the divorce. Some people choose legal separation for religious reasons, others choose it so one spouse can keep healthcare from the other spouse’s job. Whatever the reason, the Crouse Erickson attorneys can help you through an Idaho legal separation in the best way possible.
Learn More About Legal Separation
Some couples could benefit from mediation, and, for some, mediation can be quicker and less expensive than litigation. You will definitely want to have your family law attorney involved in all the decisions associated with mediation to ensure your interests are properly protected.
Learn More About Mediation
Paternity issues can be fraught with emotion, yet it is extremely important to prove paternity for the sake of the child. Establishing paternity is critical for determining child support and other benefits for the child, including healthcare and inheritance rights. Our attorneys represent both mothers and fathers in paternity actions, helping establish paternity to resolve custody, child support, and/or visitation issues.
Learn More About Paternity
After your divorce and child custody issues are settled, you may have an opportunity to relocate—perhaps for an employment opportunity, a new spouse, or for an educational opportunity for your child. If the child’s other parent is not on board with you leaving the area, you will have to go before a judge and plead your case. We will help you through the process, arguing on your behalf for the move. If you are the non-custodial parent who does not believe a move is in the best interests of your child, we can help you as well.
Learn More About Child Relocation
If a biological parent is unable to care for his or her child, a court may award custody to a third party, such as a grandparent, or another relative. This is also known as a guardianship case. These cases are often highly emotional, highly complex, and are likely to be contested. Whether you are a parent contesting a third-party custody decision or the relative of a child seeking custody, an attorney at Crouse Erickson can help.
Learn More About Third-Party Custody
When you are considering divorce—or have been served with divorce papers—there are many details that must be worked out. Having a highly experienced divorce attorney from Crouse Erickson Family Law Attorneys can make all the difference in the outcome of your divorce.
Divorce
When you are dealing with such an important matter as child custody, it is imperative that your attorney is highly experienced and able to present a complete picture to the assigned judge. We are highly client-centric at Crouse Erickson Family Law Attorneys—your satisfaction is our goal.
Child Custody
If you are going through a divorce, then your divorce attorney will handle the child custody and child support portions of your divorce as well. Having a solid, well-respected, highly experienced child support attorney can make a difference in the final outcome.
Child Support
If you are facing a high asset divorce, a Coeur d’Alene high asset divorce attorney from Crouse Erickson Family Law Attorneys is ready and able to help you through this difficult time. With an office located in Coeur d’Alene, our firm serves all of Kootenai County.
High Asset Divorce
Because a business and professional valuation can be complex, it is important that you are represented by Crouse Erickson Family Law Attorneys. We have over 30 years of firm experience in all issues related to family law, including business and professional valuation.
Business & Professional Valuations
Separation between a couple can be either informal or legal. Those that go through a legal separation will face a process that is similar in nature to a divorce. If you decide you want to file for a legal separation in the state of Idaho, it could be very beneficial to speak to a knowledgeable Coeur d’Alene legal separation attorney before moving forward.
Legal Separation
At Crouse Erickson Family Law Attorneys, our goal is always to secure the most favorable outcome on your behalf. When you are not receiving what you were granted in the divorce or child custody case, we will aggressively pursue enforcement.
Modification of Orders
Whether you are a mother, attempting to prove paternity in order to secure financial assistance for your child, or a father, attempting to prove (or disprove) paternity, you need a solid, highly experienced Idaho family law attorney.
Paternity
At Crouse Erickson Family Law Attorneys, we can schedule mediation for you to resolve child custody and support issues, determine asset values and appropriate distributions, and resolve any highly contested issues. If mediation is unsuccessful, our highly experienced attorneys are prepared to litigate the issues on your behalf.
Mediation
No matter which side of the issue you are on, having a Crouse Erickson Family Law Attorney to help with relocation can make all the difference in the outcome. As noted, Crouse Erickson Family Law Attorneys are an exclusive family law practice.
Child Relocation
There is so much on the line in a domestic violence matter including your future, your children, your employment, and even your finances. We are a results-driven law firm and we always want our clients to be glad they chose Crouse Erickson.
Domestic ViolenceA firm that practices family law exclusively understands parenting plans, property division, and support calculations rather than splitting attention across unrelated practice areas.
At Crouse Erickson we don’t handle criminal defense, personal injury, or general civil litigation. Our attorneys spend their time on the specific procedural and factual issues that arise in Idaho family law cases, including:
Clients working through a divorce or custody dispute in Coeur d’Alene benefit from an attorney who has handled the specific procedural steps in Idaho’s First Judicial District, rather than a general practice attorney encountering a family law matter occasionally.
Crouse Erickson prepares every Idaho case with the same attention to Idaho-specific procedure and local court practice, regardless of whether the case is likely to settle or proceed to a contested hearing.
Kootenai County’s First Judicial District, based at the courthouse in Coeur d’Alene, follows its own scheduling and mediation practices that differ from courts across the state line in Washington.
Cases involving parents or spouses connected to both Spokane and Coeur d’Alene raise specific jurisdictional questions about where a case should be filed and which state’s law applies.
We help clients understand those questions early, since filing in the wrong jurisdiction, or applying the wrong state’s law to a set of facts, creates problems that are far more expensive to fix later than to avoid at the outset.
A first meeting with a Coeur d’Alene family law attorney goes further when a client brings organized documentation rather than a general description of the situation. The specifics of income, property, and any existing court orders shape what options are realistically available from the very first conversation.
Useful documentation to bring to an initial meeting includes:
Crouse Erickson represents family law clients throughout Kootenai County, not just within Coeur d’Alene’s city limits. Cases filed in the county’s First Judicial District come from across the surrounding communities, and our practice reflects that broader service area.
Clients regularly come to our office from:
Recognized as a Top Divorce and Family Law Attorney by Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living for 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 with many other similar recognitions. We have also been featured in local and national radio and television. In June 2014, Addicus Publishing released the book “Divorce in Washington”, which was authored exclusively by David Crouse.
Over the last three decades, we have helped thousands of families. Read some of our client reviews to learn how we have helped our clients.
We take the time to get to know you, your goals, and how you would like your case to turn out. We focus on the issues that matter most to you and put in the time and effort to pursue your best interests.
Contact our office in Coeur d’Alene and schedule a consultation with one of our family law attorneys. We can discuss your case, answer any questions you have, and help you plan the next steps in the process.
Call us today 208-618-8910 or fill out this form and one of our team members will contact you shortly.
