Often, after the parent of a child marries or remarries, the new spouse may desire to adopt the child. Still, the adoption process may seem foreign, especially since many people have had little interaction with adoption law. Here are a few questions and answers about adoption law as it pertains to stepparents.
Is the adoption process governed by federal laws?
The adoption process for stepparents is governed by state laws. These state-mandated regulations determine the requirements that must be met before a stepparent can complete an adoption.…
There are many people who choose to get a divorce. Divorces are incredibly common, especially among individuals who are in their second marriage. This is why it is important that all married couples understand that a divorce is likely, and so they need to prepare themselves so that they don’t experience too much emotional and financial pain. Here are some things you can do to protect yourself.
1. Get A Prenuptial Agreement…
Few life events can be as tumultuous as going through a divorce. The dissolution of a relationship that may have once held so much promise can be quite devastating and can often leave a person dealing with a slew of emotions. If you’ve found yourself in this situation, you may think that, because this is an individual that you knew on such an intimate basis, you’d rather not involve a third party.…
If there is bad blood between you and the other parent of your child, he or she might be tempted to falsify information to make you look unfit. Although what he or she says about your parenting might seem outrageous, there is a possibility that a judge might find the information credible enough to factor into his or her decision about custody. Therefore, it is important that you take action before walking into court to help disprove the other parent’s claims.…
Divorcing spouses are usually already prepared to divide the marital property and debts, but many couples fail to think past the usual homes, vehicles and family pets when it comes to assets. You may have a valuable piece of marital property hiding in your spouse’s retirement account, and you can access those funds without penalty if you do so during your divorce process. Read on for a better understand of how a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) works and how you can ensure that you get your part of this valuable marital asset.…
If you and your spouse are talking about calling it quits as a couple, you should know that divorce can be a stressful and complicated undertaking. When you consider that your act will legally separate two people who’s lives have been intertwined for some time, you can appreciate that there is more to it than just a few documents to sign. Because of the potential for complexity, a divorce attorney is critical.…
Should you and your spouse try to do a do-it-yourself divorce? If you and your spouse are able to agree on everything and the divorce is amicable, you might be tempted to file the entire case pro se, which is the legal term for an action done without the assistance of an attorney. While the temptation to avoid involving attorneys may be strong, there are some compelling reasons that you should each hire an attorney to at least review the documents you’ve created before you sign them and ask a judge to finalize them.…
A nursing home care plan is definitely something you should have written out with a professional nurse to ensure that when your loved one is ready to enter a nursing home, you are prepared to choose the right one. Here’s what you should know about the full purpose of a nursing home care plan:
The Plan is Individualized:
First off, the plan that you create is going to be individualized based on your loved one’s specific needs, health problems, and more For example, if your loved needs help showering, cooking, and working on other simple daily tasks, then the plan is going to emphasize this since you will need to choose a nursing home that has 24⁄7 staff that can work specifically with your loved one.…
When you and your spouse settled your divorce, the amount of alimony you were awarded might have been enough. Unfortunately, circumstances can change. If the amount of alimony you receive each month is no longer enough, you may be able to receive a modification. To do so, you’ll need to head back to court. It’s important to note that not all requests for increased alimony will be approved. Here are four reasons why the judge might grant your request for a modification to your alimony payments.…
Protecting those you love may be something you are already doing on a day to day basis. However, like many, you might not be too happy thinking about what will happen once you die. If you want to keep protecting and caring for people after you are gone, you’ll have to take some of the following steps to lower the chances that they will end up dealing with probate issues for years.…
