Divorce
How to Prepare for the Initial Meeting with a Divorce Lawyer
Divorces are traumatic experiences for most people. If there are children of the marriage, divorces are even more stressful. There are normally many issues that must be resolved in addition to the divorce. These extra issues include property division and alimony. For kids, child custody and child support issues must be resolved. One of the…
Read MoreWhat Kind of Technology Can Legally be Used in Family Law Matters?
Have you ever been in such a relationship where you want to end things as quickly as possible? With today’s technology it is easy to break things off with your significant other if you aren’t married. You can send out an email, shoot them a text, or even simply leave a voicemail for them to…
Read MoreIs Divorce Bad for the Kids?
In all our years of helping clients and families, we’ve lost track of the number of people who have told us they wished they could have “stuck it out, for the sake of the children.” The truth is, yes – divorce can cause problems for your children, but in many cases, a bad marriage can…
Read MoreHow the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 Affects Divorce and Alimony
Spouses who are considering a divorce or negotiating a divorce need to understand how the recent federal tax law, signed in December 2017, affects their taxes. The main change in the tax law affects the payment and deduction of alimony. The new law also affects how businesses are valued which, in turn, affects the equitable…
Read MorePractical Tips for Surviving Divorce During the Holidays
Going through a divorce during any season is traumatic. It is especially difficult for spouses and children during the holiday season, when so much attention is on spending time with family. During the winter holidays, parents are accustomed to taking family photos, spending time with relatives, sharing the joys of parenthood, reflecting on the past…
Read MoreEmotional and Verbal Abuse Can Ruin a Marriage as Much as Physical Abuse Can
According to an article in Psychology Today, about three million domestic violence cases are reported each year. What’s not often reported is how emotional abuse is often horrible in itself and how emotional abuse is often a strong indicator that physical abuse will follow. Emotional abuse can be hard to recognize for several reasons. Often,…
Read MoreFacing the Reality That It Really Is Time to Divorce
One of the hardest difficulties for spouses is admitting that your marriage isn’t going to work. It’s especially hard when there are children involved. Most spouses try go the extra mile before deciding that divorce is the right choice. The extra mile usually means reviewing your marital difficulties with family and friends. Sometimes, it means…
Read MoreWho Keeps the Family Pet in Divorce Disputes?
For many spouses and children, the love for a family pet is almost as much as the love they have for each other. The loss of a Frodo, Spot, Muffins, or any pet can be a traumatic experience. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, in 2012, more than 43 million households had a family…
Read MoreHow to Protect Yourself if Your Business Partner is in the Middle of a Divorce
A recent post in the Bangor Daily News in Maine discussed how business partnership contracts usually focus just on the partners – not their spouses. Under Tennessee divorce law, spouses going through a divorce generally have claims against their spouse/partner’s business interests. This interest can create many problems for the other owners. In some cases,…
Read More7 Pieces of Advice from Those Who Have “Survived” a Divorce
Divorce is the process of ending the marriage contract. It may sound simple, but divorces are rarely easy. Getting divorced is the second most stressful experience–with the death of a spouse or loved one being the first—a human being can endure. Given that roughly half of the marriages in the United States end in divorce,…
Read MoreThe Danger of Being Married by a Mail-Ordered Ministry in Tennessee
With the rise of the Internet, many people and organizations saw creating an online ministry ordination business as a way to make money and help people get married. USA Today reported a story about an easy way to terminate a marriage – show that the marriage was never valid in the first place. The story…
Read MoreMajor Reasons Marriages Fail
A recent Huffington Post article reviewed why marital relationships fail. Our divorce lawyers represent spouses and parents who are struggling with their marriage. Some marriages can be saved with communication and work. When the marriage can’t be saved, we guide wives and husbands through the divorce process. Often divorce disputes can be settled amicably –…
Read MoreContested Divorce or Uncontested Divorce?
Today, we wanted to take a broad look at the differences between contested and uncontested divorce, and clear up some misconceptions you might have. A contested divorce must have grounds for why the marriage should be ended, some of which include: Adultery Abandonment Substance abuse Domestic violence Desertion An uncontested divorce is one where both…
Read MoreDiscovery of Hidden Assets in High-Asset Tennessee Divorces
In a divorce, a spouse with a lot of wealth may try to hide assets in order to make their income appear lower than it is, and so that these assets will not be a part of the Tennessee equitable distribution award. Experienced divorce lawyers are needed to determine what assets can be hidden, where…
Read MoreVirtual Visitation: How Technology Helps Divorced Parents Stay Close to Their Kids
One of the most difficult and emotionally fraught parts of a divorce is the issue of child custody. Working through the details of custody, visitation, and parenting plans can be some of the most frustrating and intense parts of your divorce agreement. However, it is important to remember that everything is for the benefit of…
Read MoreTennessee Has the 10th Highest Divorce Rate in the Nation
“Until death do us part” is a lovely sentiment, but in today’s world, not a realistic one. More people are getting divorced than they did several decades ago, for myriad reasons—we are living longer, more women are financially independent, and divorce is no longer as taboo as it once was. It is likely you knew…
Read MoreNew Divorce Forms Available for Tennessee Parents
Divorce inherently comes with any number of complications and issues. Until 2017, parents in Tennessee who had come to the difficult decision to divorce were faced with numerous legal constraints that other couples were not subject to. With the publication of new forms streamlining the process for qualifying parents, divorces in Tennessee can be obtained…
Read MoreDivorce Granted to Same-Sex Couple in Controversial Custody Case
When Sabrina and Erica Witt decided to end their marriage, they didn’t expect to become national news. But when protesters and lawmakers tried to intervene in the custody of the couple’s child, conceived through artificial insemination, the simple divorce became much more complicated. Knox County Circuit Court Judge Greg McMillan ultimately changed his ruling to…
Read MoreUnderstanding Father’s Rights in Your Tennessee Divorce
Fathers may feel guilty when seeking a divorce in Tennessee if they have children they want to remain actively involved with raising. It’s important to understand your rights as a father in your divorce, especially because a marital split does not in any way mean you are foregoing your paternity rights. If you want to…
Read MoreThe Benefits of Establishing Paternity in Tennessee
Establishing paternity doesn’t always mean that you are the biological father of a child. Paternity, as a term, does mean fatherhood; but in the family law of Tennessee’s legal sense, establishing paternity is actually the act of determining a child’s “legal” father. Fathers, whether they are biological parents or not, have both rights and obligations…
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