On Behalf of The Law Office of Carrie M. Wilcox | Mar 25, 2022 | Family Law The questions that children have about divorce are often very different than the questions that adults have. Naturally, children are much more concerned with their living situation and not very concerned with assets or financial details. Once you tell your children about your upcoming divorce, odds are they’re going to have a lot of questions that you want to address. Talking to them about these things can put their mind at ease and make the whole process easier. And it may help you to know wha ..read more

On Behalf of The Law Office of Carrie M. Wilcox | Mar 15, 2022 | Family Law Divorce among couples in their 50s upwards has been increasing for several years. Is that because the law has changed to make it easier to do it at this age, or has it just become fashionable? Divorce laws do change with time, but divorcing in later life has not recently become easier in legal terms. It has, however, become easier in other ways. There is less social stigma The more people that do something, the more acceptable it becomes. The more acceptable something becomes, the mor ..read more

On Behalf of The Law Office of Carrie M. Wilcox | Mar 10, 2022 | Family Law People with different religious beliefs get married all the time. Compromise is often part of starting a family when people have different faiths. Sometimes, a Protestant undergoes the Catholic Rites of Initiation to have a church wedding with their fiance. Other times, an agnostic may not join the religion of their spouse, but they agreed to allow their children to participate in that same faith. For those with deeply-held beliefs or for whom their religion is part of their cultural heritage ..read more

On Behalf of The Law Office of Carrie M. Wilcox | Mar 8, 2022 | Divorce, Annulment And Separation It is not too soon to begin thinking about how your financial arrangements with your ex- or soon-to-be ex-spouse will affect both of you when filing your 2021 taxes. This is important because the federal tax code changed a few years ago regarding how separate maintenance funds and alimony get treated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) at tax time. Depending on your circumstances and the terms of any separation agreements or court orders referencing your marita ..read more

On Behalf of The Law Office of Carrie M. Wilcox | Feb 21, 2022 | Child Custody You know that couples who get married and then divorced often have to go through and make determinations about child custody after the divorce. They’ve had children together, and they share the responsibilities and the living space with those children. After the divorce, they have to divide up both the time and the responsibilities between the mother and the father. But what if you have a child with your partner and you simply don’t get married? Maybe you’ve never thought that you wanted to ..read more

On Behalf of The Law Office of Carrie M. Wilcox | Feb 7, 2022 | Child Custody Divorcing parents who want a custody agreement that focuses on their minor children sometimes have to think outside of the custody box. Since custody decisions are typically the hardest to hammer out in contested divorces, let’s look at one unconventional solution. “Bird’s nest” parenting plans are very child-centric because they eliminate many of the stressors kids face when moving between two parents’ households. Rather, the parents are the ones who spend their time with the kids in th ..read more

On Behalf of The Law Office of Carrie M. Wilcox | Feb 4, 2022 | Divorce, Annulment And Separation If you got married but later decided that you didn’t want to stay with your spouse, you may have two options. The first would be to go through an annulment, and the second would be to go through divorce. Not everyone can seek an annulment, but if your marriage meets the requirements, it’s something to consider. While both a divorce and an annulment will technically end your marriage, an annulment makes it so that, legally, your marriage appears to have never happened ..read more

On Behalf of The Law Office of Carrie M. Wilcox | Jan 22, 2022 | Child Custody When a marriage ends in a divorce or separation, the couple needs to develop an arrangement for the care and provision of their children. A parenting plan is a court-approved and enforceable arrangement that stipulates each parent’s rights and obligations concerning the care of their children. A well-thought-out plan is key to building a healthy relationship between the parents and children. It can also help prevent future conflicts. Most importantly, a good parenting plan should focus ..read more

On Behalf of The Law Office of Carrie M. Wilcox | Jan 10, 2022 | Child Custody Parents who split up need to ensure they do what’s necessary to raise the children to be productive individuals. One thing that they can do is work together so they can make decisions that are in the best interests of their children.  The co-parenting relationship should begin while the decisions regarding custody are being made. If you and your ex can be cordial during this phase, you’re able to set the stage for a productive, effective co-parenting relationship in the future ..read more

On Behalf of The Law Office of Carrie M. Wilcox | Dec 27, 2021 | Child Custody When a couple decides to divorce or separate, one of the issues the court will need to make a ruling on is child custody. During the ruling, one parent may get full custody of the child while the other gets visitation rights. However, it is important to understand that child custody is not cast in stone. Either parent may petition the court to review and modify the existing custody arrangement based on a number of factors. One of the reasons the court will consider modifying custody is ..read more