I have come to the conclusion that the internet is black & white. Life, on the other hand, is Technicolor. Big issues are rarely simple. Big questions do not usually come with simple yes or no answers. That is what makes today’s political divide so unproductive and dangerous. Increasingly, people discuss (that is a kind word for it) these thorny issues on social media and any opposing opinions are deemed wrong, stupid or evil. On a personal level, we can fall into the trap of
Uncertainty vs. Co-Parenting
You’ve got to ask yourself one question, “Do I feel lucky?” If not, it is best not to gamble in the first place. Unless you feel like you have a chance to “win”, you would never roll the dice, spin the wheel or buy the lottery ticket. My question to folks dealing with child custody and co-parenting goes one step further: Do you want your children’s welfare left to luck? Of course, that is not entirely fair. The court system is about much more
Merry Christmas From Irvine Law Firm
Divorced Parents – Sullen Teenager
So your teen is acting moody and distant. That is not unexpected. Your teen may be reluctant to share with you because: (1) The other parent tells him not to; (2) He fears it will result in you then confronting the other parent; or (3) He is experiencing some inexplicable teenage drama that (in his mind) you would never understand. Sometimes you simply need to just move past his sullen attitude. Try not to let it influence your mood or the way you interact with
What’s The Deal With Common Law Marriage?
You probably have heard about common law marriage. You probably have a vague idea what it means. But, is it a real marriage? The answer depends on: (1) where you are now; (2) where you were when the common law marriage started; and (3) whether you did the things required by state law. State law of which state? Well, that depends too. The first thing you need to know is that common law marriages cannot be created in North Carolina. However, North Carolina will recognize
What is a Virtual Law Firm?
A virtual law firm is a law firm that does not have a bricks-and-mortar office, but operates from the homes or satellite offices of its lawyers, delivering services to clients using technological means of communication. Many traditional law firms already deliver some of their legal services via email. Many firms have internet portals that can be accessed by clients for file sharing and document review. There are businesses which are not actual law firms offering legal forms for sale online. Therefore, if traditional bricks-and-mortar law firms are using
Going to court alone?
There is an old saying that if you represent yourself you have a fool for a client. I admit it may have been a lawyer who coined that phrase. But, there is some wisdom in the saying. You wouldn’t consider performing surgery on yourself, would you? Jeff Jeffrey’s article, “Rise in unrepresented litigants raises ethical, logistical questions,” in the January 25, 2015 North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, points out that the number of unrepresented litigants is on the rise nationally and in North Carolina. The increase puts
Send Us Your Co-Parenting Tips
It’s time for new year’s resolutions. We promise ourselves we will eat better, exercise more, be better human beings. And more often than not, those promises take a back seat to the demands of every day. Part of the problem is that we set our sights too high. Rather than making these big promises to ourselves, perhaps we need to set goals and look at the incremental steps we need to take to move toward those goals. The same approach applies with divorced parents trying
Keep The Magic In Christmas
Parents, today and yesterday, have to cope with the everyday, mundane things of life. Even on snow days, my Dad would shovel the driveway and trudge off to work. Divorced parents today must coordinate the holiday visitation schedules. They must decide how to accommodate the two sets of grandparents into that schedule. Some have transportation issues to work out. I grew up in a small town in upstate New York. My parents, who now live in North Carolina, might say, “The winters were brutal.” My
The Industrial Revolution – A Lawyer’s Perspective
Remember learning about the Industrial Revolution? Yeah, I know it’s a Monday and you’re still foggy from the weekend, but try to remember. Before the Industrial Revolution we had the craft guilds. You had your tinkers, your tailors and I guess you had candlestick makers. More importantly, people got into the field by learning from someone already in the field. If you wanted to learn a trade, you became an apprentice to someone already in the trade. That had been the model of the law