Family Law

What Happens When Abused Men Call Domestic Violence Hotlines and Shelters?

Posted on August 03, 2009
Over the years, I have been involved in many cases where a husband was physically abused by his wife.  I believe that all domestic violence is terrible and should not be tolerated – regardless of whether the victim is a woman or a man...

Guide to Family Law Cases in South Carolina

Posted on August 01, 2009
Do You Know the Answers to These Important Questions? Do you need an attorney? What should you consider when hiring a family law attorney? What are the most common mistakes spouses make when divorcing? What can you do to increase your chances of getting custody? How can you help your children during a Family Court case? What mistakes can cost you a fortune? How can you protect yourself before filing for divorce? What steps can you take to reduce the pain and expense of divorce? How can you protect your assets during a divorce? How can you protect yourself when being accused of child abuse or neglect Find out the answers in our free special report 'Guide to Family Law Cases in South Carolina'...

Five Situations When a Prenuptial Agreement is Necessary

Posted on July 31, 2009
The following Guest Post is from Kat Sanders: With over 50 percent of marriages that are solemnized ending in divorce, probably the best thing you could do before tying the knot is to finalize a prenuptial agreement. Just because you and your future spouse decide to reach a consensus on how you're going to manage a split, if it does happen, there's no need to feel guilty about sucking the romance out of your relationship...

Empowering Parents :: Part Four

Posted on July 29, 2009
Here is part four of the exclusive online presentation of "Empowering Parents" by Rev. Dr. Trey Kuhne, LMFT: Renew Your Marriage In the beginning of each new year, we make those useless resolutions to change some aspect of ourselves for 'the better...

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Charitable Activities for Families

Posted on July 27, 2009
Today's children often grow up in a world of luxury where food, shelter, and education are a given. Getting them involved in charity work at an early age is a great way to make them grateful for what they have and show them how generosity can be contagious...

Attorney's Responsibility for Payment of Service Providers

Posted on July 24, 2009
A question recently came before the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section Council as to what a lawyer's responsibilities are regarding payment of mediators in connection with a case.  The South Carolina Bar's Ethics Advisory Committee recently answered this question as follows: Question:  What are a lawyer's responsibilities regarding payment of service providers (court reporters, surveyors, mediators, etc...

Empowering Parents :: Part Three

Posted on July 22, 2009
I am pleased to continue to present the exclusive online presentation of "Empowering Parents" by Rev. Dr. Trey Kuhne, LMFT.  Here is part three: Parents Who Indulge Too Much In a recent continuing education offering for us therapists sponsored by Cross Country Education, I opened the pamphlet to read the following words describing the upcoming conference entitled: Overindulged Children and Conduct Disorder Treating Overindulgent Families: Overindulgence of children has become a serious issue leading children and teens to conduct disorder symptoms...

Nine Helpful Parenting Tips

Posted on July 20, 2009
Even the most experienced parents can learn something from the following tips from Lucille Zimmerman: If you've messed up, let your kids know and ask for their forgiveness. When you teach them how to forgive, they will know how to ask others for the same...

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests

Posted on July 17, 2009
Jeanne M. Hannah has began a new feature at her Updates in Michigan Family Law blog, called "Jeanne's Toolkit", which aims to help both new and experienced lawyers perform certain tasks.  The first tool helps you get to the right desk with requests in any state and at all federal agencies under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)...

Empowering Parents :: Part Two

Posted on July 15, 2009
This is part two of the exclusive online presentation of "Empowering Parents" by Rev. Dr. Trey Kuhne, LMFT: Where Does all the Time Go? Yeah, where does all the time go when you think about raising your child/ children. I bet for some of you it seems like it was just yesterday that they were toddlers and now they are teenagers growing up so fast...

Ending Disposable Marriage

Posted on July 13, 2009
The recently retired Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, Leah Ward Sears, wrote a compelling article for CNN.com in which she called for the end of "disposable marriage."  Her brother committed suicide, and she suspected that his bitter divorce at least partially contributed to it...

Successful Blogging for Family Law Attorneys

Posted on July 10, 2009
As you probably know from reading my blogs, my law practice leverages technology both to help our current and potential clients and also to market our services.  Along those lines, I want to thank the ABA Section of Family Law for mentioning me in its May 2009 E-Newsletter, as follows: During a recent interview family lawyer and Mac user Ben Stevens of South Carolina advocates "three C's (commitment, content, and consistency) for the blog to be a success...

Information About Marriage Licenses in South Carolina

Posted on July 09, 2009
To get married in the State of South Carolina, you need to obtain a marriage license. The following requirements apply to both residents and non-residents: The bride and groom must appear together at the office of a South Carolina county probate judge and file a written application...

Empowering Parents :: Part One

Posted on July 08, 2009
I am pleased to bring you the exclusive online presentation of "Empowering Parents" by Rev. Dr. Trey Kuhne, LMFT.  I will publish this seven part series over the next several Wednesdays, and I hope that it is helpful to you.  I want to thank Dr...

Free E-Book :: Teen Guide to Divorce

Posted on July 07, 2009
The Rosen Law Firm in North Carolina has many great resources on its website.  One of the best is "A Teen Guide to Divorce, Surviving Your Parent's Divorce", a free E-Book that helps teens sort through the issues that they often face in these situations...

Facebook No-No's for Divorcing Couples

Posted on July 06, 2009
Time.com recently published a list of Five Facebook No-No's for Divorcing Couples.  I have seen all of these in my practice at one time or another.  If you are divorcing, please consider not doing the following (before it's too late): Showing Off :: Pictures or discussions of new purchases or vacations are fun, but they might color the court's view of your finances and affect your settlement...

Client Criticizes Her Own Lawyer on Twitter

Posted on July 03, 2009
Family law attorneys have to have thick skins.  Think about it – in virtually every case, one of the parties doesn't like you very much.  In contested cases, it can sometimes reach the level of hatred.  Recall that I was called "the devil" by a party in open court several years ago...

Seven Signs That Your Significant Other Is Cheating On You

Posted on July 02, 2009
I have published several articles recently on the subject of cheating, affairs, and marital infidelity.  I recently found the following list of "tell-tale signs" that your significant other is cheating on you.  The list is written with the idea that the male is the cheater, but of course the logic applies in both directions: He won't let you see his social media sites...

Listen to Spartanburg Family Lawyer Discuss the "Effect of Economic Downturn on Families"

Posted on July 01, 2009
If you are interested in hearing my interview from the South Carolina Business Review about the effect the economic downturn has on families, you can CLICK HERE.  This interview was broacast on eight NPR radio stations across South Carolina on June 18, 2009...

Is Cheating Ever Justified or Deserved?

Posted on June 30, 2009
I was in a settlement conference recently in which the husband's attorney tried to argue that his client's adultery "was really o.k " because my client had suffered from depression and therefore wasn't a great wife.  Of course, I pointed out that was baloney and reminded him of the actual defenses to adultery...

Social Networking Sites Contain Valuable Evidence in Divorce Cases

Posted on June 29, 2009
Lawyers USA featured an article late last week about the types of information that can be found in social networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn.  The article correctly states that these sites have opened up a potential treasure trove of legal evidence, especially in divorce cases where a person's whereabouts, 'friends' and employment status are often relevant...

Who Owns the Engagement Ring? (Part Two)

Posted on June 26, 2009
Earlier this week, we examined the issue of who owns the engagement ring prior to marriage if an engagement is broken. In this second part, we look at the issue of who owns the engagement ring after marriage, if the marriage is later dissolved. In South Carolina, 'marital' property can be allocated or divided by the Family Court...

Suggestions to Help Deal With Your Former In-Laws

Posted on June 24, 2009
When spouses get divorced, they usually end their relationship with their former in-laws.  However, if there are children involved, it is not always easy (or advisable) to do so.  Under normal circumstances, children benefit from relationships with both sides of their family...

SC Governor Admits Adulterous Affair

Posted on June 24, 2009
After he gained national headlines by being "missing" for five days, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford reappeared today and admitted at a press conference that he's been having an affair with an Argentinan woman for about a year.  As part of his statement given at a press conference, Gov...

Who Owns the Engagement Ring? (Part One)

Posted on June 23, 2009
Prior to marriage, an engagement ring is generally treated as a conditional gift, rather than an absolute gift. In other words, the ring was given conditioned upon the subsequent ceremonial marriage.  Under Roman Law, if the parties jointly decided to call off the engagement, the ring was to be returned to the donor...

The Impact of Facebook and Other Social Media Sites on Divorce and Custody Cases

Posted on June 22, 2009
The impact of social media on the area of family law has been a hot topic recently.  I have recently posted several articles about this subject, and this week's Time magazine features an article discussing the impact of Facebook on divorce cases in America...

SC Children's Code and Conversion Table

Posted on June 19, 2009
The South Carolina Children's Code has been moved from S.C. Code § 20-7-10 et seq to the newly created Title 63 by virtue of Act. No. 361 of the 2008 legislative session, effective June 16, 2008.  Over many years, the Children's Code had become cumbersome and difficult to use, but the new S...

Judge Reprimanded for Facebook and Google Activities in NC Child Custody and Support Case

Posted on June 18, 2009
Last week, I posted an article addressing what types of information attorneys can obtain using social media.  The following article from the ABA Journal online addresses the types of problems that can arise for judges too: A North Carolina judge has been reprimanded for 'friending' a lawyer in a pending case, posting and reading messages about the litigation, and accessing the website of the opposing party...

Spartanburg Family Lawyer Interviewed About "Effect of Economic Downturn on Families" in Radio Interview

Posted on June 17, 2009
As I've previously discussed, the downturn in the economy is impacting families, and the practice of family law.  I was recently interviewed by Mike Switzer of the South Carolina Business Review about this subject.  You can listen to it tomorrow morning (June 18, 2009) at 7:52 a...

Five Tips for Effective Co-Parenting After Divorce

Posted on June 16, 2009
Raising kids with an ex-wife or ex-husband is rarely easy, especially if your split was less than amicable. However, you don't have to let your past affect your current actions towards your children's other parent.  Here are some tips that can help you manage a good relationship or just keep things running smoothly: Keep emotions in check...

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