Contracts for post-adoption contact between relatives and adopted children will be permitted in Tennessee beginning July 1, 2019. Contracts for continued contact with an adopted child were void and unenforceable under prior law. Post-Adoption Contact Requirements Contracts for post-adoption contact must be in writing and signed by all parties to be enforceable. The contract can [..]
Preparing for family mediation will maximize the benefits of this conflict resolution tool. Mediation is required in all contested family law cases in Tennessee. This includes divorce, paternity, custody, visitation, custody/visitation modification cases. What is Mediation? Mediation is a process through which an attempt is made to resolve or settle disputes prior to trial. The [..]
You have decided the marriage cannot continue and you need to tell your spouse you want a divorce. How you break this news to your spouse, and the steps you take both before and after, will depend upon several factors. The Uncontested Divorce An uncontested divorce in Tennessee requires spouses to reach full agreements. This [..]
We live in an age of rapidly advancing technology, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Will robots someday marry humans and one another? If so, what affect will that have on the institution of marriage and divorce laws? The Future of Robots and Artificial Intelligence Originally reported in The Sun and republished in The New York Post, Roboticist David [..]
Marriage in the U.S. has long been defined as a union between one man and one woman and now includes marriages between persons of the same sex. Could marriages between humans and robots be the next step? According to an article in the Guardian.com, a Chinese man has married his robot. No, a marriage between a [..]
Overview Parents who wish to relocate with their children more than fifty (50) miles from the other parent, or parents wishing to relocate outside the state, must comply with the requirements of the parental relocation statute found at Tenn. Code Ann. §36-6-108. There were several changes to the statute implemented July 1, 2018 of which [..]
You may have seen changes in your take home pay caused by the Tax Cut and Reform Bill signed in 2017. However, you may not be aware of the affect the tax bill will have on divorces especially those with alimony provisions finalized after December 31, 2018. Prior Tax Treatment of Alimony There are several [..]
Your divorce has been finalized and you are adapting to life as a divorced parent with the financial struggles and child custody arrangements that are your new reality. Your children are also learning to adjust to custody/visitation exchanges and living in two households. This can be difficult for children even when parents work well together. [..]
You and your spouse purchased your dream home. You have spent years decorating and making improvements. Your children attend school nearby and have made friends in the neighborhood. You think everything is perfect until your suburban dream is shattered when you are served with a divorce action. Typically, parties will agree to sell their home [..]
Persons marrying later in life, or entering into second marriages, have often acquired separate property in the form of real estate, investments, and other assets prior to the marriage. Protecting separate property from division by a Tennessee divorce court requires proper identification and management of the separate property. Tennessee divorce courts must classify property as [..]
