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Can I Make the Other Parent Pay for Private School Tuition As Part of a Child Support Obligation?

The North Carolina Child Support Guidelines provide a formula for determining the presumptive child support obligation for parties’ whose combined adjusted gross income is $300,000 per year or less. The...
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Can a Stepparent Be Required to Pay Child Support for a Current or Former Stepchild?

Under North Carolina law, the legal parents (either biological or adoptive) of a child are deemed to be primarily responsible for the child’s financial support. As such, a stepparent has...
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Can Alimony Be Increased or Decreased?

A court order for payment of alimony that is entered by a North Carolina Court may be modified or vacated if a judge finds that a substantial change in circumstances...
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Will My Child Support Be Reduced If My Income Decreases?

Courts have an inherent duty to protect the interests of minor children. Therefore, child support may always be modified by a court having jurisdiction to ensure that child support is...
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Can a Premarital Agreement Be Signed after the Marriage?

As its name implies, a premarital agreement (also known as a prenuptial agreement) is an agreement that parties enter into before marriage. To be considered a valid premarital agreement, the...

How Is Property Valued for Purposes of Equitable Distribution?

In North Carolina, the court ordered or agreed-upon division of assets and debts that occurs when spouses separate is called equitable distribution. For purposes of equitable distribution, the parties’ marital...

Part 2: Self-Help Legal Services: Helpful or Harmful?

Numerous online businesses have emerged in recent years that offer legal forms and information to enable consumers to create their own legal documents and perform many legal related services without...
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Your Spouse’s Suggestions

Unfortunately, client’s commonly believe that an opponent’s suggestions should routinely be rejected because they are either bad ideas, or they reflect some ulterior motive. Some clients want to automatically do...
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How Is the Date of Separation Determined (And Why Is It Important)?

The date of separation is determined by the actual date that the parties begin living separate and apart from each other in separate residences. Establishing separate bedrooms while living in...
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Why You May Need an Expert Witness or Other Professional to Assist in Your Divorce or Child Custody Case

Depending on the nature and complexity of the issues in dispute in your divorce or child custody matter, your attorney may recommend that you engage the services of non-lawyer professionals...
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Post-Divorce Steps You Should Take to Protect Your Assets And Financial Interests

If you have signed your separation agreement or a judge has entered a Judgment of Equitable Distribution dividing your marital property and debts, you are probably feeling relieved that this...

What Is Considered “Separate Property?”

In North Carolina, “separate property” refers to assets or debts owned by one spouse individually. Separate property is considered all property (real estate or personal property) acquired by a spouse...