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Maybe it was your teenager getting out of line, and an unfortunate shoving match ensued. Maybe it was you leaving the kids home alone when your ex thought it was too dangerous. Or maybe it was a parent possibly using drugs and another relative calls to make a report. All of these scenarios may prompt the state Department of Child Services to get involved, which may throw you or someone you know into a whole lotta trouble.

In this episode of the Modern Divorce Podcast, family law attorney Billie Tarascio talks with former Arizona DCS case worker and Modern Law staffer Vanessa Adams. As someone who visited homes and tried to put families back together again, she gives her important perspective of the process, and what you should know about what happens when someone reports a presumptive child abuse.

If you are not familiar with the process of investigating child abuse through a state agency, this episode is a must listen for anyone who has kids, or who has ever considered reporting child abuse.

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Moving in together seems simple, right? Until someone moves out,  that someone claims the rights that belong to "cohabitating partners" in that state.

In this episode, Modern Divorce's Billie Tarascio and Washington Family Law Attorney Michelle Dellino compare the high impact differences between splitting up in one state versus another.

Prepare to hear some critical traps and "gotchas" in this episode that make this a must-listen to anyone who is living with their partner without a marriage license.  In fact, the idea that "we don't need a piece of paper" to make a relationship is exactly right - because the state you live in will make the rules for you, and it may not be pretty. And it's probably going to cost one of you waaaaay more than the other, unless you both decide for yourselves what the rules should be beforehand.

If you're in Washington, check out Michelle Dellino at Dellino Law in the Seattle metro area, and you can find Billie Tarascio at MyModernLaw.com.

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For anyone who has a child who is in danger - either emotionally or physically - when they are with a co-parent, this podcast episode of Modern Divorce, will give you the roadmap for when to file with the court for help. Modern Law Family law attorneys Billie Tarascio and Ryan Claridge talk about the different ways such requests with the court can play out, and whether to file in family court or not. 

If you share custody with a parent who you suspect is putting your child at risk - for whatever reason - this is a must-listen episode packed with strategies and information about how you might approach this very sensitive situation and how to avoid the pitfalls that can make your legal position worse.

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What happens when a couple splits up and there's important - and valuable - personal property to divide? Can he keep the beat up, albeit classic car in the garage? Can she keep those paintings her great grandma collected? Well, that all depends on the value of those things.

Getting a good valuation and a catalog of all the personal belongings of a couple can put an end to quibbling and outright war between exes. In this podcast, family law attorney Billie Tarascio of Modern Law talks with Frederick A. Schertenlieb, of Estate Management Services on how the process works and why divorcing spouses may want to use it to value - and fairly divide - belongings that the spouses have accumulated during a marriage.

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Let's say you split up from your spouse and move to another state. When it comes time to divorce, do you know where to file? It can make a huge difference in the outcome, says  Arizona family law attorney Billie Tarascio of Modern Law, and Texas family law attorney Brian Walters of Walters Gilbreath PLLC.

In this episode, you'll learn the sort of differences that can change the way the court will split up assets and whether you'll be eligible to receive spousal support (alimony). For instance, Texas says NO to spousal support, but may split up property differently than a community property state like Arizona, or California. It's also possible to take child custody issues to court in one state, while dealing with divorce and property issues in another. 

How do you know which is best for you? Listen in for an illuminating conversation, and something that may change how and where you choose to divorce.

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In this Modern Divorce podcast, host Billie Tarascio talks with Shanna Tingom, a Certified Divorce Financial Planner, who specializes in helping plan the financial aspects of a divorce by developing a plan. While an attorney can navigate the legal aspects of divorce, the CDFA can create the financial plan to get through the divorce so that you are best positioned to survive and thrive after the judge signs the divorce orders.

Taking a second home while letting your ex keep the first? Not so fast. A CDFA can show you how you might get slammed with capital gains taxes and come out with far less in the end, without taking the right steps. Trading IRA funds to buy out an ex's stake in the family home? A CDFA can help you decide if that's the best move for your bottom line and how to make that move.

This discussion is perfect for anyone who is concerned about their finances and making a budget work in divorce. To connect with Shanna, go to heritagefinancialAZ.com

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In this Modern Divorce podcast, Arizona family law attorney  Billie Tarascio and Virginia family law attorney Devon Slovensky break down the elements that you need to take into account when deciding whether to sell the family house and start new elsewhere - or if you can keep the house during and after the divorce process.

Each state has its different rules, but the same emotional elements will be at play in any state you divorce in. Some people trade a stake in the house for part of a 401(k) when splitting assets, but there will be differences in the way each asset grows over the years, and the tax implications.

This episode is specifically for anyone contemplating divorce and whether to stay or go: it's the all-important question and one that can have years of after effects on your life and finances.

Connect with Devon at [email protected] and Billie at [email protected]

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Pop artist Britney Spears, at 39,  is still not in charge of her own life. The #FreeBritney movement, spurred further by a New York Times documentary airing on Hulu, looks at why she is still enduring a court-sanctioned conservatorship managed by her father, and whether her adult rights are being unfairly or criminally curtailed.

In this fascinating episode of the Modern Divorce podcast, family law attorneys Billie Tarascio and Darin Colburn of Modern Law break down the areas that make them suspicious of - even angry at - these arrangements, and how they'd approach the situation as attorneys. In fact, the conservatorship, and her father's behavior, has been used against her, to limit her time with her own children.

For anyone who is following the #FreeBritney movement, or is interested in the effects of conservatorships in family law, this is a must-listen.

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In this fascinating episode of the Modern Divorce Podcast, host Billie Tarascio talks with Dana Lam, founder of the Surprise Date Challenge on how to save a marriage from divorce with some simple steps that anyone can do. The conversation also covers when you'll know if it's "over," and Dana's own rocky path to understanding these steps after suffering a divorce to her children's father.

Keeping a marriage and a relationship together is said to take "work," but in this episode, Dana explains how her Surprise Date Challenge came to be. She's also written a book on the subject by the same name.

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When a professional person who runs a business, like a dentist, doctor, lawyer, or accountant, is in a divorce, the "goodwill" value of that business and professional value can be a key sticking point.

Professional business valuations can be thousands of dollars different depending on how, and who, does the valuations.

In this episode, Modern Law Attorney Billie Tarascio talks with Chris David, of Health Value Group (healthvaluegroup.com) about the process for setting a valuation and what factors are taken into account.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone divorcing who operates a business based on their professional training and education. It's a technical area of law that affects average people divorcing in community property states where assets are customarily split in half. How do you place a value on an accountant's book of business? What happens when one spouse has student loan debt accumulated during the marriage? 

You may have to listen to this one twice, and take notes.