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 remotely from home or a satellite office or “virtually” anywhere. 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. The internet, email and other new technologies have become commonplace. What makes the
Going to court alone?
Abraham Lincoln once said that if you represent yourself you have a fool for a client. This is not always the case, but there is some wisdom in the saying. You wouldn’t consider performing surgery on yourself, would you? The number of unrepresented litigants is on the rise nationally and in North Carolina. The increase puts added strain on judges and clerks of court, and it may result in non-lawyers attempting to give legal advice. If you represent yourself, you risk not achieving your desired
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
Make The Most of Your First Meeting with a Divorce Lawyer
So you have decided to contact a divorce lawyer to schedule an initial consultation. What can you do to make that first meeting as productive as possible? Before you even make the call, learn all you can about the lawyer. Check out his or her website. What? They don’t have a website? Huge red flag. Does the lawyer’s website provide you with information about divorce law so that you can educate yourself before your consultation? If not, that is another red flag. If the lawyer’s website
Separation Agreement – To Incorporate or Not To Incorporate?
You and your spouse have a Separation Agreement. You been separated over a year. Now one of you wants to get the divorce. Should your Separation Agreement be incorporated in the divorce decree? The answer is: “It depends.” You first need to understand what it means to incorporate your separation agreement in the divorce decree. In order to incorporate your separation agreement, you would attach a copy of it to the divorce complaint and request that Court incorporate the separation agreement in the divorce judgment.
Child Custody Witnesses
If your child custody case ends up in court, who are the witnesses you need to testify? Well, it depends on the issues involved in the case. For instance, if your child has a medical condition that requires special attention, you may need a medical witness. If the child sees a therapist or counselor, that person’s testimony may be important. Teachers are a wonderful source of information. Are both parents involved in the child’s scholastic activities or is one parent more involved? Can the teacher
Why Is Harmony Good?
Ever wonder what it is about the Everly Brothers or Simon & Garfunkle that we find so appealing? Oops, sorry. I may be showing my age. OK, how about The Avett Brothers? What is it about the way Scott and Seth sing together that we find compelling? It’s harmony. Harmony, in the musical sense, is the combination of simultaneously sounded musical notes to produce chords and chord progressions having a pleasing effect. However, in a more general sense, harmony means agreement, accord, sympathy, peace. Harmony in this