Divorce

No couple goes into a marriage anticipating one day they will get divorced. Sometimes, though, relationships falter, and you need to start making decisions about how to live apart. One of these decisions involves whether to separate or go through with a complete divorce. If both spouses are not comfortable with the idea of divorcing…

When it comes to property division after a divorce, the question often arises as to what portion of the divorced couple’s retirement accounts is each spouse entitled to receive. These retirement accounts can consist of a number of financial instruments such as employer-sponsored retirement savings accounts (401(k)s or 403(b)s, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) or defined…

Life choices do matter. Spouses who are going through a divorce will have the right to argue that character matters in a wide range of divorce issues. Generally, the strongest evidence of bad character is that someone has been convicted of a crime. Being charged with a crime may be especially relevant if the charge…

Separation is a legal term. Spouses who live apart without court approval are not separated in the eyes of the law. Dating while you are separated but not legally separated carries great risks that your relationship will become a factor in the divorce and related family law matters. Dating may also be a factor if…

Divorce is hard on everyone. It can be especially hard on stepparents who invest a lot of time and love with the children of their spouse during the marriage. When the marriage ends, the biological parent in the marriage has custody rights of their children. Stepparents are often forced to stay on the sidelines while…

May-December romances always look great in the movies and on TV. In real life, they sometimes do work out for some couples. Sadly, many relationships between an older man and younger woman or vice versa do fail. According to a study done at Emory University of 3,000 married people: People who are about five years…

In some marriages, the couple married knowing that their partner was disabled. In other relationships, a spouse becomes disabled during the marriage. The disability may be due to an accident such as a car crash. Often, disabilities occur as spouses age. The wear and tear of life can cause physical and mental difficulties which can…

There are numerous legal issues that must be resolved when you file for a divorce – the grounds for the divorce, the division of the home and property, custody and child support, and alimony. As hard and complicated as the legal issues are, often the much tougher parts of any divorce are the emotional issues.…

Medical debt in Tennessee is generally treated under the equitable division guidelines of the state. In short, this means that bills acquired before the spouses were married are the responsibility of the individual spouses. If a wife has a medical bill for treatments for the flu that she incurred before the marriage, then she is…

Here’s a scenario that’s more common than rare: Person A signs up for a social media platform, and reconnects with an Old Flame. Person A and the Old Flame end up talking, then flirting, and then professing their love for one another. Person A goes home and tells his or her spouse that he or…

If you have gone through a divorce in Tennessee, you know just how challenging the entire process can be. There’s so much to do during the process that you might not even think about updating your estate plan. We cannot stress just how important it is that you update these documents after your divorce, so…

It’s hard to ever think of divorce as being “fun” or entertaining. We understand how difficult and stressful ending relationships and providing for your families are. Still, some unique perspectives can be calming and maybe even offer some insight into your situation. With that said, here are some colorful divorce facts that we hope peak…

Seniors who are going through a “gray divorce” have many different concerns that younger couples. These concerns are based on such factors as they’ve accumulated more assets including retirement plans, they generally don’t have young children to take care, and they are more likely to have health issues. Gray divorce generally includes people who have…

Many couples have joint bank accounts during their marriage. Each spouse has the right to make deposits into the account. Generally, each spouse has the right to withdraw from the account any amount that is in the account. Spouses often create joint accounts for practical and romantic reasons. Practically, the couple is pooling their resources…

Sometimes, when parents get divorced, they become a bit competitive for the child’s affections. One parent may allow the child to get away with breaking rules. The other parent may attempt to buy the child’s affection. We caution our clients against this type of behavior, but we know that in some cases, it’s inevitable. There…

There are high-asset divorces and then there are high-asset divorces. NBC News recently reported that Jeff Bezos and his wife settled their family law matters. The end of the marriage became public when both spouses made announcements on Twitter. Mr. Bezos, according to the story, is the richest person in the world. In addition to…

State representatives in Tennessee have introduced a bipartisan bill that make joint custody, or shared parenting, the presumption in custody disputes. In Tennessee, when spouses divorce, decisions need to be made about which parents will have legal and physical custody of the children. Legal custody decides who will make decisions about the child’s health, education,…

The ability to obtain divorce records varies depending on the year you were divorced. Most recent divorce records from 1949 through 2019 can be accessed at the following office: Tennessee Department of Health Office of Vital Records 1st Floor, Central Services Building 421 5th Avenue, North Nashville, TN 37243 The records are kept in a…

Separations are a middle ground for most Tennessee couples. This means the spouses do recognize that that marital relationship isn’t working, but they aren’t ready to terminate the marriage. Separations generally require that the spouses live apart. Tennessee may resolve some issues such as child custody and child support at the time of the legal…