Articles Posted in Cohabitation

4Divorced Parents Guide to Co-Parenting Through the Holidays

The holidays are times to celebrate with family, but if you are recently divorced or newly separated, this time of year can be extremely stressful. You are learning to navigate parenting from a new perspective, and at the same time, you are trying to provide your kids with stability and traditions. There are some tips you can use to help you get through this challenging time with your family.

Follow Your Parenting Plan

CohabCohabitation in North Carolina: What You Need to Know

Many couples choose to live together before they get married. The number of people who cohabitate has been rising steadily over the last 30 years. Many couples try living together as a prerequisite to marriage. It is estimated that as many as 75% of married couples lived together before they tied the knot. However, cohabitation does not always result in marriage. There are some things to consider when you decide to live with someone to whom you are not married.

Cohabitation is Not Legal in North Carolina

Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “When do you get alimony?”

When a married couple decides to file for divorce, a divorce attorney helps the couple determine if alimony (also called “spousal support”) is an appropriate factor to consider. When a spouse remarries, it can have implications on alimony. Read on for more information.

Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “How should I prepare if I intend to file for divorce in the near future?”

Unsurprisingly, marriage is seen as a nonnegotiable prerequisite to divorce. A court cannot grant a divorce and divide marital property without an underlying marriage. Though this would seem to make sense, there are instances where though a marriage may not be legally valid, it is recognized by courts as having occurred. We have previously discussed issues surrounding common law marriage, but this post deals with something a little different: the putative marriage doctrine.

Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “How will the judge divide our property?”

Millennials continue to remake various institutions across the country, not the least of which is the institution of marriage. Millennials have already been shown to put off marriage to a much later age than previous generations, preferring to cohabitate rather than take the plunge. A recent study identified another area in which Millennials are different: their interest in prenuptial agreements.

Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “Can I sue someone for breaking up my marriage?”

Many people have heard about common-law marriage, believing incorrectly that if you only live with a person for a certain number of years you can become legally married despite never going through the formal steps. While common-law marriage does exist, it does only under very limited circumstances and only in a small number of states. In fact, these days a variety of legal hurdles have been constructed to ensure that it is very rare for a court to acknowledge the validity of a common-law marriage.

Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “What can I do to gain custody of my child in North Carolina?”

A recent article discussed the trend among some couples, celebrity and otherwise, to consider new approaches to co-parenting post-divorce. One such trend, known as “birdnesting”, has been around for years, but appears to be enjoying particular popularity at the moment. Gwyneth Paltrow and her ex-husband Chris Martin do a version of birdnesting, while Anne Dudek, from “Mad Men”, and her ex publicly announced that they would pursue a birdnesting arrangement once their split is final.

Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “What does uncontested divorce mean?”

The family from television’s “Sister Wives” is back in the news after a federal appeals court restored Utah’s state ban on polygamy this month. In 2013, a federal district court had struck down main parts of that state law against bigamy, or holding more than one marriage license at once. The 2013 ruling found that the state law violated the polygamists’ right to religious freedom and privacy.

Charlotte Divorce Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Does adultery affect my divorce case?”

Have you ever thought about paying a partner for their fidelity? A recent case tells the tale of a couple who tried to contract for just that. It ends with the scorned lover suing his ex-girlfriend to recover over $700,000 in gifts that he gave her throughout the relationship and reporting the gifts to the IRS as income payments.

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