Prenuptials. The very word makes some engaged couples shake their heads. But marriage is about love, and divorce is about money. With a 50% divorce rate and more couples marrying later in life after assets are accumulated, prenuptials (or prenups as they’re often called) make sense. Prenuptials will likely never put divorce attorneys out of… Read More

No doubt about it, divorce is usually an emotionally and financially stressful process. But it is possible to have a peaceful legal separation or divorce—even addressing alimony, child support and child custody issues—without going to court. Through collaborative law, both parties are represented by their attorneys and agree to resolve their differences out of court,… Read More

If you’ve  fathered a child out of wedlock or have become pregnant without your husband as the father … What do you do? Historically, women who became pregnant during the marriage, but with the child fathered by someone other than their husband, often kept the child’s parentage a secret, for many obvious reasons. This was… Read More

Why should you hire an adoption lawyer? Because things are not always as they seem, even in the adoption industry. Parents looking for children to adopt can be matched online with a mother who wants to place her child for adoption. There are also online resources for paperwork. So if everyone in the process is in agreement, who needs a lawyer? Besides, lawyers… Read More

When a parent with custody of a child remarries, stepparent adoption is a great (and legal) way for the current parents with custody to form a bond with their child. With a stepparent adoption, your husband or wife can assume all the responsibilities of a biological parent and become your child’s legally recognized guardian. At the… Read More

When a parent places a child for adoption with someone (other than a very close relative) who lives in another state, it is called an interstate adoption. Adoptions across state lines must follow the rules in the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children. Special rules apply to interstate adoptions. Adoptions across state lines must… Read More

The adoption tax credit is a wonderful resource for adoptive parents. If you qualify for the full adoption tax credit, it can give you up to $13,190 of tax benefits, per child, towards your adoption. The tax credit starts phasing out for families with modified adjusted gross incomes above $197,880 and the credit will go… Read More

Having a relationship with a married man or woman in the Tar Heel state can do more than damage your personal life—it can wreck your financial life as well. North Carolina is one of just seven states that recognizes the common law tort of alienation of affection and criminal conversation. While many attorneys and lawmakers… Read More

What it is. ICWA is a federal law passed in 1978 which was intended to prevent abusive child welfare practices which resulted in the removal of Indian children from the tribal community through foster care and adoption resulting in placement with a non-Indian family. Unfortunately, no real efforts were undertaken to correct the underlying problems… Read More