Modernization Comes to Interstate Adoptions & Interstate Compact in North Carolina Adoptive families used to dread the waiting associated with satisfying the requirements of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC).  As the Act states: “the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) was established in 1960 to provide a uniform legal… Read More

We have laws that limit or outright ban the commodification of human tissue transfers and services provided by surrogates. But it appears that we are of two different minds on these practices. In 2011, two women who provided eggs to couples struggling with infertility sued American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) in federal court claiming… Read More

The best commercials are the ones where you never remember the product. My favorite is the one where a guy is sitting at the kitchen table in his undershirt with a butter knife in one hand and the telephone in the other. On the other end of the telephone is a surgeon in scrubs explaining… Read More

You have done a lot of work to be recognized as your child’s “legal parents”  — a homestudy, post placement visits, matching with a birthmother, placement and then filing an adoption petition etc. The last step before you can apply for a social security card for your child is to obtain a birth certificate with… Read More

One of the first questions that parents ask when starting the breakup of a marriage is “What will happen to the children?” It used to be that mothers received primary physical custody of children, especially with younger kids, and the fathers received alternate weekends from Friday nights through Sunday night. The “tender years doctrine” (that the mother… Read More

Separation and divorce have “hidden” tax issues that can be traps for couples. Below are a few “traps” to avoid and some general information regarding the tax consequences associated with separation and divorce. Filing Taxes When You are Separated: The IRS allows couples to file jointly as if they were still living together as long… Read More

It’s always a very special holiday season for any family when there is a newborn in the house. But when there are two newborns as twins, and the twins were carried by a surrogate who is their aunt, well as you might expect there is even more magic and excitement in the air. When 34-year-old… Read More

‘Tis the time to get ready for the season. Tax season, that is. There are only a few more days to finalize your adoption in order to claim your eligible adoption expenses as credits on your 2015 tax return here in North Carolina. Here are some tips and information on tax credits and tax write offs… Read More

Once the Trick or Treating of Halloween has ended, many families switch over to full “Holiday” mode with upcoming Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and other holidays during the Holiday Season. For even the most stable family, this time of year can be quite anxious and busy, but to the newly single, separated or divorced, complete… Read More

If you deserve some kind of payment from a court case or lawsuit involving domestic or family law issues (such as child support, alimony or medical expenses), there is legal recourse for which you can use to have the party that owes you payment comply with the court’s orders. Let’s go over a few of… Read More