Family Law
If you have received an inheritance, or a gift, or anticipate receiving either in the future, you may be wondering how you can protect it from your spouse in the event of a separation and divorce. In North Carolina when spouses divorce all property acquired by either spouse during the marriage is automatically presumed to be “marital property” and therefore subject to equitable distribution. There are exceptions to the marital property assumption. One of those…
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If you are considering divorce and unsure where to start, you are not alone. Most individuals are intimidated at the thought of consulting with a divorce attorney because the process is unfamiliar and they don’t know what is expected of them during the meeting. Whether you are in need of an attorney to assist you in an emergency situation or you are considering a future separation and need to prepare, it is critical that you…
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Open vs. Closed Adoptions Adoptions can be either open or closed. In a closed adoption the identify of the biological parents remains annonymous. In an open adoption the biological parent identify is known. In addition, other background and medical information is disclosed to the adopting parents. The parties also may meet one another, and can remain in contact after the adoption is finalized, if that is the desire of all parties. Private Independent Adoptions When biological…
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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 child attends school may impact the quality of the child’s education, as well as the child’s happiness and overall development. Parents often feel strongly about decisions that can have a long-term impact on their child.
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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 no legal duty to pay child support for the benefit of a stepchild in the event the stepparent’s marriage to the child’s parent ends, either by death or divorce. However, a stepparent who has acted “in loco parentis”
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