Telephone number spoofing scam affects NC citizens and law firms

Image of a man's hand using a mobile phone in a corporate atmosphere.

We have been warned by North Carolina Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company of a new scam affecting citizens of North Carolina. In this new scam, the caller purports to represent a law firm collecting a debt. The caller threatens the citizen with arrest if the debt isn’t paid via credit card during the phone call. The…

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Costly Divorce Mistakes: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You.

Image of man standing on a blue background with his hand over his forehead as if ashamed of the mistake he has made.

In an effort to save money during divorce, many couples turn to self-help legal forms and generic advice found on the Internet rather than hiring a family law attorney. When parties attempt to represent themselves in the divorce process and forgo the benefit of legal counsel, they place themselves at risk of adverse legal and…

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

Image of a group of private school students wearing school uniforms in a study session.

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 child support guidelines allow various factors to be taken into consideration when determining each parent’s presumptive child support obligation. These various factors include, but not…

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Gifts during Marriage – When a Gift Is Not a Gift

Image of a woman with her hands held together in front of her holding a small white package with a red bow.

Separate property is considered property (either an asset or debt) that belongs to one spouse individually. Separate property is not subject to equitable distribution and its value is not included in the marital estate. Separate property includes: property that was owned by a spouse prior to marriage; property acquired in exchange for separate property; and…

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Can a Premarital Agreement Be Signed after the Marriage?

Image of a file folder attoped with a gavel labeled Prenuptial Agreement.

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 agreement must be in writing and signed by both parties before the marriage. The agreement becomes effective when the parties are married. In the event…

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