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By: Dana M. Horlick, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law Group
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Have you wondered how much of your estate is your spouse entitled? What happens to all of your assets when you die? Do you have much control over the disposition of your estate? Does having a will make a difference? To demonstrate the nuances involved in determining how much your surviving spouse is entitled to, I am going to set up a hypothetical, with a Greensboro couple – Rocky and Petunia. Continue reading →

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By Carolyn Woodruff, North Carolina Family Law Specialist, CPA, and CVA
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I am constantly amazed at how people going through a divorce “fight” over “stuff” like a tea cup, a train set, a doll, or a stuffed animal. Generally, when I am using the word “stuff,” I mean personal property like tables and chairs, jewelry, or sentimental items from childhood.  The items have very little monetary value usually (some jewelry and collectibles excepted).  Sometimes the items have great sentimental value.  So, why the fight? Continue reading →

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We previously discussed ways to protect gifted or inherited property from the claims of a child’s spouse, from the viewpoint of the parent making the transfers. It noted that the law already protects the amount of the gift or inheritance, plus any appreciation not caused by marital funds or efforts. Continue reading →

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By Kristina Pisano, Blog Writer, Woodruff Family Law Group
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I know, the last thing your teenager wants to do this summer is read. But, if you get creative with it, you might be able to get them to read a few books this summer. My 15 year old niece helped me with some of my summertime reading research, so most of this is in her opinion. She is a spirited teen who is a stellar soccer player and student, so I trust her opinion in leading me in the right direction for a good teenage view on literature. Continue reading →

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The previous two posts on premarital agreements have addressed future spouses who are considering signing a premarital agreement. The final two posts in this series will address the future spouses’ parents.

In particular, this post is directed at parents who have worked hard enough, and been fortunate enough, to accumulate significant property. You desire, naturally enough, to leave that property to your children. But you do not want that property to pass to your children’s spouses. How can this goal be accomplished? Continue reading →

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A premarital agreement, of course, requires the consent of both future spouses. Sometimes future spouses will disagree about whether to sign a premarital agreement. The last post in this series considered this situation by addressing the spouse who wants an agreement. This post will consider the situation by addressing the spouse who does not want the agreement. Continue reading →

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By Diana Westrick, Legal Assistant, Woodruff Family Law Group
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While life in the Triad is far from the Hollywood experience, celebrities have a way of infiltrating our lives in such a way that allows us to live vicariously through them. Key in point, how many of you have yelled at your television when an episode of your favorite reality show ends on a cliffhanger? Continue reading →

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The first few posts in this series discussed when prospective spouses should sign a premarital agreement. Simply stated, a premarital agreement should be signed when both parties want to apply different rules to divide their property and award support after the marriage than the law would otherwise provide. Continue reading →

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By Amy Setzer, Legal Assistant, Woodruff Family Law Group
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When you become newly divorced, a funny thing happens: everyone in Greensboro gets in line to provide (mostly unsolicited and sometimes contradictory) advice on how to move on with your life. It’s a remarkable phenomenon, indeed; all of a sudden you’re surrounded by expert attorneys and therapists. However well-meaning those folks may be, there’s something none of them can help you recover, and that’s your ability to trust. Continue reading →

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Previous posts regarding prenuptial agreements have discussed the validity of premarital agreements in very general terms, focusing on the broad concepts of procedural and substantive unfairness.  Procedural unfairness creates a very real risk that the agreement might not be enforced. Substantive unfairness is not so important, but it can create risk when the unfairness is extreme, or when the procedural fairness of the agreement is a close question. Continue reading →