Category: Family Law

Negotiate in odd numbers

An interesting article in Scientific American called Why Things Cost $19.95 investigates whether or not the common merchant tactic of listing a price as $19.95 rather than $20.00 is really effective. Read a snipit of the article below and learn how this impacts the practice of law. “Why Things Cost $19.95” Article There were three scenarios […]

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Modifying Child Support

Even the most conscientious parents sometimes struggle to pay child support. Life rarely stands still, and you might be surprised to find yourself unemployed or sick. Can you halt or reduce your child support payments, at least temporarily? The short answer is, “Yes,” but you must be careful to follow the rules. Parents who stop […]

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Can A Spouse be Excluded From Your Will?

  What if a spouse would like to leave their property to a person other than their current spouse? A person may create a will that leaves none of their property to their spouse. However, the spouse, may dissent from or reject the provisions of the will and take a share of the property of […]

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Child Custody and the Military Service Member

 It has been over a decade since the brutal attack on September 11th, 2001, and the declaration of a “war on terror,” which necessitated an increased presence of American forces in the Middle East and around the world.  Though the troops in Iraq have largely been withdrawn, and the long-promised withdrawal from Afghanistan is on […]

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Who can perform a Wedding?

When you think about it, there are not that many big events in people’s lives. You can fall in love; move to a new city; graduate from school; have a child; and get married. Since marriage is one of those big life events, most people want their wedding to be memorable, and have special meaning […]

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Amending the Amendment

West face of the United States Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. Español: Edificio de la Corte Suprema de Estados Unidos en Washington, D.C. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) A few days ago, Amendment One was passed in North Carolina by a margin of 61 percent to 39 percent according to unofficial results, with only seven of […]

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Amendment One

    On May 8, 2012, North Carolina citizens will be going to the polls to cast their vote in the Republican Primary. Also at stake in this election is an issue which should be of great importance to all voters, regardless of their political party, whether to vote FOR or AGAINST a proposed amendment to our […]

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Rules for Kids

Having just celebrated my first Christmas holiday with my nine-month-old son, I started to think about children whose parents are divorcing and all of the complicated issues that arise when custody is a contested issue, during the holidays and throughout the year. The reality is that when two parents make the difficult decision to live […]

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The Kardashian Effect—Legal Separation, Divorce “Papers” and Whether to Seek Annulment or Absolute Divorce?

By now even the non-entertainment savvy amongst us has heard about reality television “star” Kim Kardashian’s made-for-television, multi-million dollar marriage to NBA player Kris Humphries, and their equally publicized break-up a mere 72 days later. Reports have circulated that Kim K. initially asked Humphries for an annulment, however his refusal to “agree” to one left […]

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Spys Like Us

COVERT COMMUNICATIONS—When is it “OK” to record a conversation with my spouse or my chidren in the context of a contested divorce case?     The two most frequent areas where electronic surveillance is used in litigation arise in the context of commercial espionage, and in domestic litigation. As formerly “high tech” surveillance technology is now available […]

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Divorce and Separation Agreements

 In North Carolina, you can obtain an absolute divorce upon the filing of a lawsuit alleging that you are a North Carolina resident (you have lived in this state for at least six consecutive months prior to filing) and that you and your spouse have been separated continuously for one year. Like most U.S. States, […]

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