For divorces and paternity actions (non-married parents) in Utah there are only so many issues that really need to be covered in your final papers:
For both divorces and paternity actions you must resolve these issues:
1. Physical custody- how many overnights will the child spend in each parent’s household, including provisions regarding holidays, summer or off-track time, and any other time that is important to the parties.
2. Legal Custody- how will decisions be made regarding issues that are significant in the child’s life and what process will be used to resolve a disagreement.
3. Child support- who pays whom and how much.
4. Other child related financial issues such as health insurance premiums, uninsured child medical costs, day care, extra-curricular activity expenses for the child, and who takes the tax exemption for the child on his or her taxes.
5. Any other issue that is important to one of the parties such as substance abuse or alcohol use during parent-time, safety of the child, time with step-siblings and extended family, costs for private school education, etc.
In a Divorce, these additional issues should be discussed and settled:
6. Division of assets.
7. Division of debts.
8. Division of personal property and personal items.
9. Alimony.
Most other issues are primarily emotional and not something the court will spend a lot of time considering anyway. Focus on resolving these issues and you are likely to settle your case.
