Families with children face some different legal challenges, especially when one parent no longer resides in the same state. To help make the process easier for parents and for the courts, Tennessee (along with 48 other states) adopted the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA), which grants exclusive jurisdiction rights to the […]
The world has shared the agony of Nelson Mandela’s family members as they struggle with the difficult choices that accompany the end of life. Any decision they make will come under the public spotlight, and absent written instructions, the choice is theirs to make. Although not much is known about Mandela’s condition, the media […]
Generally speaking, collaborative law is a form of alternative dispute resolution, and is a relatively new way of protecting legal clients’ needs. Instead of fighting a battle in a courtroom, two parties agree not to litigate, and instead allow their lawyers to serve as advocate partners. Its success in resolving conflicts in the areas […]
Divorce can often be hardest on your children. When you are drafting your divorce settlement, it is a good idea to provide for your children’s educational future in order to avoid conflict and confusion further down the road.
In Tennessee, contributions to a college fund must be specified by a court order and voluntarily agreed […]
A Tennessee law that went into effect on July 1, 2014, would allow a woman to be charged with assault for the harm her drug use has inflicted on her child. State officials thought that this was the best course of action to stem the tide of infants born dependent on drugs. On July […]
Driving drunk with kids in the car is child endangerment. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD),20% of children aged 14 and younger who were killed in auto accidents in 2012 were killed in alcohol-impaired crashes. MADD says that drunk driving with a child in the car elevates this criminal act to child abuse.
In […]
This season when you gather with your friends and family for holiday festivities, getting home safe may not be foremost in your mind – but it should be. In the state of Tennessee, there were 6,928 alcohol-related car accidents in 2013 alone. Inebriated drivers are a hazard not just to themselves, but also to […]
In Tennessee, the short answer is yes. Let’s say, for example, you are riding as a passenger in your car while someone else is driving, and that person has had too much to drink. If the police pull the car over because the driver has been swerving or driving erratically, and they charge the […]
Texting while driving is a threat to safety on the road that is growing more and more significant as more people think that they can get away with texting behind the wheel, according to the National Highway & Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA website distraction.gov.
Texting behind the wheel causes more impairment than drinking and driving. […]
Sometimes after a divorce you want to shake off the drama and pain and make a fresh start in a new place. You might have received a promising job offer in another state that requires you to move more than 50 miles away from your ex-spouse or co-parent. Under Tennessee law, you must inform […]
