Rhode Island Family Law

Rhode Island laws are created and revised by the actions of lawmakers and the courts, as in other states. Click on the links below to learn more information.

1.State statute	Rhode Island - Domestic Relations
2. Fault or no-fault (typically when a state allows fault based and no-fault divorce, fault based divorces require no separation period.	Fault based and no-fault
3. Equitable distribution or community property	Equitable Distribution
a. Methods of apportionment
i. Periera and Van Camp in CA
b. Property distribution factors
4. Legal separation?
a. Waiting period/Separation period	3 years
5. Is mediation required
6. Forms used	Rhode Island Family Court Forms
7. Alimony guidelines and factors	Alimony section of code
Alimony formula	Alimony section of code
a. Types	Alimony Pendante Lite, Periodic Alimony, Rehabilitative Alimony
b. Term Limits	None
Cohabitation	Will not modify alimony due to payee's cohabitation unless there is a substantial change in payee's financial circumstances
c. Imputing income
d. Change in circumstances
e. Ceases on retirement
Impute income on early retirement
Early retirement for health reasons is involuntary
f. Definition of income
8. Child support factors and guidelines	Rhode Island Child Support Guidelines
9. Child support calculator	Rhode Island Child Support Calculator
10. Lump Sum  Support allowed?	Lump sum not favored
11. Valuation
a. Valuation date	Divorce
b. Goodwill divisibility	Personal goodwill is not divisible.  Enterprise goodwill is divisible. - Gibbons v. Gibbons, 619 A.2d 432 (R.I. 1993))
c. Standard of value	Fair market value
d. Discounts
e. Shareholder/partner agreements
12. Double dip	Impermissable double dip, not issue because personal goodwill not divisible
a. Stock options
b. Retirement accounts
c. Child support
13. Key cases
14. Premarital agreements	"Uniform Pre-Marital Agreement Act adopted.  Parties to a premarital agreement may contract with respect to the modification or elimination of spousal support OR ST § 108.710"
15. Common law

Browse Family Law by State
Choose a state form the list below for state-specific family laws, including legal requirements for divorce, marital property rules, child support guidelines, and much more.
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois	Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana	Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania	Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming