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Which Parent Gets to Choose Where the Child Goes to School?

The beginning of a new school year is a time when many parents are faced with making a decision regarding where their child should be enrolled in school. Where a...
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Why is ADR Encouraged?

Alternative dispute resolution can save financial and emotional costs. Not only is litigation expensive and time-consuming, but it can be very stressful. You may feel that an important part of...

Can I Withhold Visitation If the Other Parent Doesn’t Pay Child Support?

The unequivocal answer is “no.” Under North Carolina law, child support and visitation are separate matters and a parent's failure to pay child support is not a legal justification to...
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Does It Matter in a Divorce If One Spouse Was the “Breadwinner” During Marriage?

A common refrain that attorneys hear during the divorce process is: “I earned all the money during the marriage, so why should I have to give my ex half of...
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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...

What Should I Wear to Court (and why does it matter)?

The clothes you wear say a lot about who you are. By simply observing a person’s clothing, consciously or unconsciously, we form impressions about that person’s attitude, lifestyle, social status,...

Equal or Unequal? Should One Spouse Receive More Than 50% of the Marital Estate?

In actions for equitable distribution, North Carolina law requires that the court distribute the net marital and divisible property equitably between the parties. Equitably, however, does not mean equally. There...

Consequences to Consider for Failure to Pay Child Support

If you are experiencing financial hardship and having difficulty complying with a court order requiring you to pay child support, you might want to think twice before you become delinquent...

What is a Dependent Spouse?

Essential to an award of spousal support or alimony, the court must determine that the spouse requesting support is a dependent spouse, and the other party is the supporting spouse....
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What Is Cohabitation and How Will It Affect My Alimony?

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When alimony is paid pursuant to the terms of an order entered by a North Carolina Court, then North Carolina law governs the conditions under which the alimony terminates. Under...
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Is It Considered Abandonment If I Leave My Spouse?

Depending on your reason for leaving your spouse, your spouse may have grounds to allege abandonment, which is sometimes referred to as desertion. In North Carolina, abandonment is considered an...
Picture of a small boy in a field of grass holding a cluster of brightly colored helium balloons on a string

10 Tips to Minimize the Impact of Divorce on Your Child

Divorce can be a sad, scary and stressful experience for any child. Not surprisingly, a large part of a child’s reaction to divorce has to do with how the parents...