Recently, the North Carolina Court of Appeals has taken steps to hold medical professionals accountable when they become involved in legal proceedings. Family law attorneys in North Carolina are familiar with the process of a custody evaluation performed by a licensed psychologist. The Court of Appeals recently held that these…
Timing, as they say, is everything, and if you are appealing an Order in North Carolina, this is particularly true. Slaughter v. Slaughter, No. COA16-1153 was decided by the North Carolina Court of Appeals on July 18, 2017. While there were multiple issues on appeal, the issue that sticks out…
At the heart of many family law related disputes lie arguably the most difficult decisions regarding the children and their futures. At times it may seem unlikely that individuals in the midst of a divorce will ever agree on anything; fortunately, ensuring that any children involved receive a quality education…
Dear Carolyn, My daughter just graduated from high school, and she is college bound. Her father and I divorced three years ago. Her father paid child support, but I understand child support is ending now as she is already 18. I thought her father would surely pay (or at least…
Dear Carolyn, Now that summer is almost over and school will be starting back, I am reflecting on the summer trip with my two children, who are 9 and 11. Their mother and I are divorced, and I am trying to make summer memories with them that will last a lifetime. This…
Dear Carolyn, Visitation exchanges are almost always awful for my eight-year-old when the exchange is not at school. I am a Father with fifty-percent custody. I have Mondays and Tuesdays overnight. My ex has Wednesdays and Thursdays overnight. We alternate weekends. When school is out, we do the exchange at…
Dear Carolyn, I am in a custody battle with my ex-husband. My nine-year-old wants to live with me. Can my nine-year-old simply tell the judge this, and then we are done with this mess? I have heard a child can talk to the judge in “chambers,” but I am not…
Dear Carolyn, I am involved in an equitable distribution case and I have a closely-held business in the Triad, which was started by my father. He still owns the majority of the business. Eight years ago, my father gave me twenty-five percent of the business. I separated from my husband…
Dear Carolyn, My wife and I have been married almost two years. Recently, and unfortunately, her grandmother passed away. Her grandmother had no immediate means to pay for funeral and burial services. The costs were paid by my wife and me on our credit card. The family has considerable land…
Dear Carolyn, The court has just ordered me to participate in a child custody evaluation with a local psychologist. My children are seven and thirteen. I am a concerned Father, and the Mother has a new boyfriend that is “no good”. This new boyfriend is terrible around my children, and…