The Dangers of “Distracted” Marriages
Thanks to a number of initiatives launched in Tennessee over the last few years, we’re all well aware of the dangers of distracted driving. Marriages, however, are also in danger of going off the rails – and distraction may be a leading cause. Think about it: the things that make texting and driving dangerous are…
Read MoreVictims of Domestic Violence Need Us All to Be Their Voice
October was National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the timing could not have been more critical. From Ray Rice and Greg Hardy to Mark Fuller, we finally saw the increase in awareness that domestic violence victims need in order to make a real difference in this country. We’re not there yet, but October’s focus may…
Read MoreTennessee Fares Poorly When It Comes to Child Custody Laws
The National Parents Organization recently issued its 2014 Shared Parenting Report Card, which they describe as “the first national study to provide a comprehensive ranking of the states on their child custody statutes, assessing them primarily on the degree to which they promote shared parenting after divorce or separation.” According to the organization, Tennessee –…
Read MoreSurrogate Mothers May Be Granted Visitation Rights
Let us say you are part of a childless couple and went through a surrogate in order to grow your family. You and your fiancée spend about $73,000 to ensure the safety and health of the child and the surrogate. The baby is born, and the birth mother decides she wants custody after all. The…
Read MoreModifying Your Parenting Plans and Support Payments
When you draw up your parenting plan, you base it on your current circumstances and the circumstances of your now ex-husband or wife. But sometimes things happen, and the parenting plan which worked for you at the time is no longer feasible. You may need to modify your parenting plan in order to keep providing…
Read MoreUncontested Divorce in Tennessee – Is it Really Possible?
Yes, it is possible to get an uncontested divorce in Tennessee. An agreed, or uncontested divorce, is a lower-cost, lower-drama option for those couples who have come to a mutual understanding that their marriage is beyond repair. If you and your spouse do not have children together who are under the age of 18, if…
Read More10 Tips for Positive Communication for Parents During the Divorce Process
There was probably a lot of eye rolling when the news came out about Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin announcing their impending divorce as more of a “conscious un-coupling.” We might think of this as an attempt at a kinder, gentler divorce rather than the adversarial “war of the Roses” that celebrity divorces often resemble.…
Read MoreWe Owe it to Our Service Men and Women to Keep them Safe While at Home
The men and women who serve our country face a number of difficulties when they return from their deployments – difficulties that civilians don’t always know about. The Uniformed Services Employment and Re-Employment Rights Act (USERRA) protects military members when they come home seeking to return to their employment. To better serve these men and…
Read MoreWhat Is Supported with Child Support?
If you and your spouse are planning to divorce and you have children under 18, one of you is probably going to have to pay child support. But many people don’t actually know what child support is for. The primary purpose of child support is to provide enough money to ensure that your child will…
Read MoreAll of Tennessee’s Celebrities Are Getting Divorced – or so it Seems
At least once a week, a headline pops up on the news about Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton getting a divorce. And every single week, one (or both) of them denies that it’s true. Over the past few weeks, however, the focus has shifted slightly to Gina and Pat Neely, the celebrity chef couple, and…
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