Lifehacker.com, the outstanding software and productivity blog, recently published an article describing several free online resources to assist in finding public records information online. Among the categories discussed in this article are: Vital Records Phone Books Professional Licenses Criminal Records Obituaries Military Records Immigration Records Other (Google and Zabasearch) These resources can prove valuable when… Continue Reading
Monthly Archives: July 2007
Psychological Parents in South Carolina
Posted in Child Custody, Child Custody & Visitation, Children, Procedure, Relationships, VisitationA psychological (or de facto) parent can be defined as a person who has, on a day-to-day basis, undertaken a parental role through interaction, companionship, interplay, and mutuality, that fulfills a child’s physical and psychological needs and provides for a child’s emotional and financial support. South Carolina has adopted a four-prong test for determining whether… Continue Reading
Tax Mistakes to Avoid During Divorce
Posted in Divorce, Divorce & Separation, Financial IssuesReasons to consider filing your taxes separately from your spouse: You don’t trust your ex. When you sign a joint return, you can be equally liable for all taxes, penalties and interest owed. If your ex-spouse doesn’t pay, the IRS can come after you for the whole amount. However, you might be able to claim… Continue Reading
Should Parents Be Entitled to Have Attorneys Appointed to Represent Them in Child Custody Cases?
Posted in Attorney-Client Relationship, Child Custody, Child Support, ProcedureA mother who lost custody of her three children in a divorce has argued to the Washington Supreme Court that she should have had an attorney appointed to represent her. The woman, who only has a ninth-grade education, attempted to get pro bono representation, but she was declined because of the complexity of her case. … Continue Reading
Even Celebrities Can Benefit from Parenting Classes
Posted in Child Custody, Child Custody & Visitation, Children, Dispute Resolution, VisitationToo often in child custody cases, children are asked the following questions or subjected to these comments: “Who do you love more? ‘Mommy’ or ‘Daddy?’” “Was mom’s boyfriend there?” “Your father is always late on payments.” Children should never be put in the position of having to deal with “adult” issues. Just because their parents… Continue Reading
Child Support When The Child Is Not Yours
Posted in Child Support, Child SupportFor many people, conceiving a child is easy, but figuring out who should pay child support for that child can be complicated. In South Carolina, if a child is born during a marriage, the husband is presumed to be the legal father of that child. If the wife had an adulterous affair, the husband will… Continue Reading
Top Ten Divorce Myths
Posted in Divorce1. Because people learn from their bad experiences, second marriages tend to be more successful than first marriages. Although many people who divorce have successful subsequent marriages, the divorce rate of remarriages is in fact higher than that of first marriages.1 2. Living together before marriage is a good way to reduce the chances of… Continue Reading
Preparing for Divorce :: Step 11: Keep a Diary
Posted in DivorceThis is the eleventh installment in the series of posts by Michael Sherman of the Alabama Family Law Blog on the steps to take when it becomes apparent that a divorce may be imminent. His series takes an honest, practical approach in showing people how to protect their interests and make prudent preparations in such… Continue Reading
New Design and Facelift
Posted in MiscellaneousAs you may have noticed, this blog underwent a facelift over the weekend. After over two years and well over 600 entries, I figured that it was about time to freshen things up a bit. The folks at LexBlog worked with me on this new design, and they have been great to work with, as… Continue Reading
Are You “Momblocked”?
Posted in RelationshipsI read an article over the weekend about "momblocking." This new phenomenon refers to situations where fathers become so confident in taking care of their children that mothers can feel edged out, or "blocked". Fortunately, with enough reassurance and communication between parents, this situation can usually be resolved. Dr. Craig Garfield, a pediatrician and researcher… Continue Reading
New Study Discusses Depression in Children of Divorce
Posted in Children, Divorce, Psychological IssuesNumerous studies have found that people who grow up in a broken home have an increased risk of developing depression or having problems with anxiety later in life. However, MSNBC.com reports that a new study suggests that divorce may not be the root of the offspring’s depression after all, but rather that the cause of… Continue Reading
Largest Wedding Day in History
Posted in MarriageAccording to wedding-planning site TheKnot.com, today (07-07-07) is the single largest wedding day in Amerian history. Over 38,000 couples registered this day as their wedding date, and that is more than triple the number of couples getting married on any other day of the year. I wish them all the best of luck as they… Continue Reading
Judgment Set Aside Due to Extrensic Fraud
Posted in Divorce, ProcedureLast week in Ray v. Ray, the S.C. Supreme Court found that the wife’s actions rose to the level of extrinsic fraud when she engaged in a scheme to hide assets from the court, using an unknown third party not subject to discovery during the divorce proceeding. The Court found that Chewning v. Ford Motor… Continue Reading
Does Living in Separate Bedrooms Count as Being Separated?
Posted in Divorce, SeparationQuestion: I decided a while ago that being married is just not for me anymore. When I told my husband about my feelings, he moved into the guest room in our house, and we have now been sleeping in separate bedrooms for about six months. I read that there is a waiting period in South… Continue Reading