There has been a growing push in recent years to raise awareness about the dangers of drunk driving and texting while driving. Such behaviors pose real threats to safety on the road and lead to high numbers of unnecessary tragedies each year.
Even if you’ve never driven while tipsy, and you always wait until you’re parked to check your phone messages, there is another type of driving behavior that nearly all of us have been guilty of: drowsy driving.
It finally happened. You and your spouse decided to pull the plug. You’d been unhappy together for years. You saw this moment coming. Nonetheless, the decision to terminate your marriage is still a shock to the system. You’re consumed by a dizzying storm of emotions: grief, anger, disappointment.
And now—at one of the most emotionally turbulent times of your life—you’re expected to collect yourself and make one of the most critical decisions for your future: you have to pick a divorce attorney. Where to even begin? Just the prospect of tackling such a task seems overwhelming.
If you are separated in North Carolina, then you cannot reside in the same home, except under very limited circumstances. This separation waiting period must go uninterrupted, for a minimum of a year and a day. If you decide to pursue an absolute divorce, it’s critical that you document the ways in which you have followed this state law.
Here are some additional things you should know about separation in North Carolina.
We’ve talked in previous articles about the practical benefits of getting a prenuptial agreement before entering into marriage. A matrimonial partnership and a business partnership have more in common than you might think. You may enter into both partnerships full of optimism, expecting them to last forever. And in both cases, it helps to iron out conflict-raising practicalities ahead of time.
In this post, we discuss some issues you and your business partner should resolve in your “business prenup”—i.e., your partnership agreement—before going into business together:
When you and your spouse decide to part ways, there are a whirlwind of emotions to contend with. You may be filled with grief, anger and bewilderment. It can be easy to become consumed with how this dramatic life change affects you. When it comes time to break the news to your kids, many parents don’t give this conversation the forethought it deserves.
However, the way your kids learn about your separation will have a dramatic impact on them—probably for the rest of their lives. There is a right and wrong way to have this conversation. In today’s post, we examine some key strategies to make this conversation better for your kids:
When a couple with children divorces, the court usually orders the higher earning party to pay alimony and child support to the lower earning party. The court uses standard guidelines to calculate these amounts, which are heavily based on each party’s income.
Certain situations, however, may lead one party to seek to increase or lower the amount of such payments. If the higher earning party decides to quit their current job and move into a different position with a steep pay cut, for example, the lower earning party may try to make the case in court that their ex is simply trying to reduce their mandated payments.
Going for a bike ride may seem like a safe enough pastime, but it can actually be quite dangerous. Bicycle accidents often lead to serious injury or even death—particularly among children. 57 percent of all bicycle-related injuries treated in emergency rooms are for children under the age of 20.
Under North Carolina law, any child under the age of 16 must wear a helmet anytime they ride a bicycle. The goal of such legislation is to promote safe bicycling habits early on in life and to prevent serious head injuries in the event of an accident.
You and your ex were married for most of your lives. But after the kids were grown and the spark was gone, you started to question why you were still together. You made the decision to call it quits, and you went through the long process of dividing up all of your shared property from your years together. Now you have your own house, a personal bank account and a single stream of income.
One thing you may not realize, however, is that once you’re divorced, you could still qualify for Social Security benefits from your ex-spouse’s work history. Here’s how it works:
If you and your spouse have been wondering about whether to pursue stepparent adoption, make sure you understand the requirements before you get started on the process. In North Carolina, there are specific guidelines on who can file a stepparent adoption.
Specifically, North Carolina law requires:
Divorce can be long, emotionally draining and expensive. When many people begin the divorce process, they many not fully anticipate all of the financial factors that go into divorcing. Alimony and child support may be primary concerns, but they may overlook other important areas.
In today’s post, we provide tips for anyone going through the divorce process to make sure their financial affairs are in order:
Lancaster and St. Louis, PLLC
891 Central Drive NW
Concord,
NC
28027
Phone:
704-743-4204
Fax:
704-792-1279
Concord Law Office Map
