In any client/attorney relationship, it is important to know how to access each other throughout the litigation to ensure that an open channel of communication is available. A frequent source of confusion comes from “Orders of Protection”, the way attorneys request time off for extended periods, including vacation, medical leave, or other personal situations. Attorneys [...]
During the course of separation or divorce, it can be easy for parents to get caught up in the intense emotions of the situation and focus more on themselves than on the needs of their children. In these high-stress scenarios, a parent may neglect a child or even behave in an abusive manner. Whose responsibility [...]
When parents go through legal separation or divorce, families are forced to find new ways to function. This includes allocating parenting time, as well as determining who has to pay for what. In some cases, parents can come up with agreements on their own, but there are also instances in which the court must decide. [...]
Family structures have changed dramatically in the last several decades. Now, households are managed by single parents or same-sex couples and include blended families who may have siblings, half-siblings, step-siblings, and/or adopted children. While same-sex marriage was only recently legalized at the federal level, the truth is that LGBTQ couples face many of the same [...]
We know going through separation or divorce can be hard. Trying to split one household into two while creating an equitable distribution of assets, it can be tough to manage the emotional strain of dissolving a relationship. If you and your partner share children everything gets exponentially harder. When parents separate, they must consider issues [...]
The topic of college expenses has been a hot one in the South Carolina Family Courts over the past decade. The short answer is yes, you can be required to contribute to college expenses, BUT this issue is at the sole discretion of the Family Court judge and they will ultimately decide whether or not [...]
There is no denying the upheaval caused by COVID-19. Lockdowns have left many adults either out of work or forced to work at home. With children learning remotely, both working and non-working parents have had to change their routines to watch children and help with schooling during the day. For separated or divorced parents, the [...]
In South Carolina, family courts operate under the presumption that it is in a child’s best interests to remain in the custody of their natural parents unless it can be proven otherwise. That said, there might be cases in which a non-parent can seek legal custody of a child, especially if the child’s natural parents [...]
CHARLESTON, SC – (04/5/2021) Over lunch, media executives LaDonna Andrews of Kirkman Broadcasting and Vanessa Gongora of Norsan Media discussed the strong intersection of social issues that affect both Black and Brown communities disproportionately in the Lowcountry. Both women decided there was more they could do to support the local nonprofits that serve their communities [...]
What is a QDRO? QDRO stands for “Qualified Domestic Relations Order” and it is the Order that is used to divide certain retirement accounts. When do I need a QDRO? Not all retirement accounts require a QDRO for division. For instance, IRA accounts can be divided without a QDRO while 401(k) accounts require a QDRO [...]
