Visit Cordell & Cordell’s website to register for Father’s Fridays: https://cordellcordell.com/fathersday/ Cordell & Cordell is thrilled to announce the launch of their upcoming live webinar series, Father’s Fridays. This engaging and informative series aims to provide invaluable support and guidance to fathers who are facing the challenges of parenthood head-on. With special guests joining each week, the webinars will cover numerous topics from ways to make memories with your kids to discussions of what being a dad is all about. Fatherhood is a rewarding yet complex journey that requi ..read more

Question: I have been divorced for three years and the home my ex-wife is living in is still in both of our names. How do I get my name off the mortgage? I want to buy a new home and do not need my name on this debt.  Answer: While I am not licensed to practice law in your state and am unable to give you legal advice, I can give you some general observations on this issue based on the jurisdiction where I practice. Where I do practice in Virginia, the court will generally order a specific time period that the parties have to effectuate transfers of property. If the court does not order it ..read more

If you are going through a divorce, do not pay expenses for your soon-to-be-ex-wife, such as marital home mortgage payments, and expect the court to give you credit for it later. The following case study example is loosely based on the facts from a recently released Appellate Court decision in Nebraska. The Facts Jack and Jill decided to get divorced. They had two children. Jack had worked during the marriage and was the main income earner. Jill worked part-time but, for the most part, spent her time raising the children. When they separated, they were able to work out the short-term financial ..read more

There is way more to sort through when getting divorced than most couples are prepared to deal with: child custody, alimony, who is going to move out (divorce tip for men: don’t move out!), etc. Even more perplexing is what to do with the marital home. For many divorcing couples, the house, which was once their greatest financial asset, has become their biggest liability. So couples are looking for financial advice on divorce and wondering what are the available options for dealing with the marital home? 1. Refinance If one spouse moves out and wants off the deed, the other spouse is going to ..read more

One of the biggest challenges divorced dads face in the days following a divorce is figuring out how to budget responsibly. With inflation hitting record levels, this task is more daunting, and important, than ever. Divorce is often very expensive. During a recent podcast, Cordell & Cordell attorneys discussed strategies you can utilize during your case to help limit overall costs. But once the dust settles, it is still going to be important to get your finances in order, especially if you are left with monthly child support payments.  Many single parents have a tough enough time payi ..read more

Parental alienation is often a concern during high-conflict divorces and child custody matters. It is not present in every case, and it can be very difficult to recognize with certainty even when it is actually occurring. One reason alienation can be so difficult to recognize is that the offending behavior typically occurs when the other parent is not around. There may be attempts by one parent to remove the other parent from the child’s life. This can occur through loyalty games with the child, or making the child choose between parents in various ways. In other circumstances, a parent may d ..read more

If you are a father who has recently gone through a breakup or are considering separating from your spouse, you are likely wondering how does divorce affect children’s academic performance. Divorce can be earth shattering for children, and one of the biggest challenges for divorced parents is helping their kids through the process. This is hard enough when the children are under the watch care of their father or mother. Once they head back to school and spend most of the day away from Mom and Dad, parents are often left feeling helpless. Divorced Parents’ Effect on Children’s Education Numerou ..read more

Cordell & Cordell Executive/Managing Partner, CEO Scott Trout and Litigation Attorney Michael Carano Jr. discuss how to effective communicate when co-parenting with your ex-spouse. They discuss the importance of communicating effectively when co-parenting, its potential impact on your parenting time, how to communicate when your ex is disagreeable, tools for proper communication when co-parenting, and more. Click the link above to listen to the full podcast episode. Also make sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or whichever podcast app you prefer ..read more

Clients of Cordell & Cordell often ask their divorce lawyer if they can be legally forced to pay the costs of sending their children to private school. Usually it’s the ex-wife insisting on private school education at the cost of the father, who argues that a public school is just as good a fit for their children as a private institution. Case law sheds significant light on this issue in providing that only under certain conditions and circumstances can a court force a party to pay for private schooling on behalf of the minor child. Case Law For instance, in Drury v. Racer, 17 S.W.3d 608 ..read more

Question: My ex-wife and I share 50/50 custody and disagree about changing our kids’ school districts. She wants to pull our kids out of the school district they have been in their whole lives (the one in my neighborhood) and enroll them in a school district closer to her a few miles away. How does changing school districts with joint custody work? Can my ex-wife place the children in another school district without my consent? Answer: Joint custody and school decisions can be very complicated. When the parties both have legal custody of the children, also known as joint legal custody, both pa ..read more