Articles Tagged with parental rights

3-1024x1024Child Abandonment in North Carolina

About 18.3 million children are living in families without their fathers, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That equates to about one in four children in the United States. Most often, it is a father who abandons a child, but a child could also be abandoned by a mother. Abandonment can occur in cases where parents are married, separated, divorced, or unmarried.

What is Child Abandonment?

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

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

When most people think of custody of children, they usually think of disputes between the biological parents. However, custody does not always have to involve a dispute between the parents. In certain circumstances, custody of a child might be awarded to someone other than a parent. This is called third-party custody. In order for custody of a child to be awarded to someone other than a parent, there are a variety of factors to examine to determine if third-party custody is appropriate.

Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “Can I keep my Kids from seeing the other parent?”

When thinking of adoption, most people think about a young child being adopted by a family that is going to take care of him or her for the rest of the child’s life. Not often does someone first imagine an adult is being adopted. Adoption does not have to be of someone under the age of 18. The number of adult adoptions that occur throughout the county each year is not available because that is not a statistic that is tracked nationally. Regardless of the statistics, it can be useful to know the basics of adult adoption.

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

The U.S. Supreme Court recently handed down an important victory for supporters of gay parental rights. How did they do that? By remaining silent. The case before the court concerned a lesbian couple in Arizona fighting over custody of their son. The case has been slowly making its way through the court system for years. An appeal was filed to the U.S. Supreme Court after a landmark decision last year by the Arizona Supreme Court, which abolished discrimination between gay and straight couples under state law. The worry by some was that the U.S. Supreme Court would agree to hear the case and potentially disagree with the state court. That did not happen, instead, the Court rejected the appeal, giving no reason for the decision.

Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “What children’s expenses are covered by child support?”

The desire to have a child of your own is a powerful one for many people. Though most are able to do so easily, there are many couples who cannot. Either due to age or infertility, it is not always an option to simply go out and have your own biological child. It is for this reason that some couples begin considering alternatives, including hiring a surrogate. Those who go down this road are required to put great faith in not only the woman chosen to act as a surrogate, but also in the legal system to ensure their rights are protected.

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

What is a mother? A father? A parent? Though these concepts have long avoided detailed examination by the courts, times are changing and specific definitions will need to be created or, in some cases, changed. As states continue to feel the impact of the Obergefell same-sex marriage case, they have found themselves increasingly drawn into disputes regarding what makes someone a parent, something that requires the courts to lay out a more precise and potentially different definition than in years past.

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

Most people remember that the Supreme Court’s momentous decision last year in the Obergefell case made gay marriage legal across the country. Despite the important decision, issues surrounding gay marriage, such as gay divorce or gay parental rights, continue to receive intense scrutiny and are the subjects of divisive legal battles. Though the hope among many was that the Obergefell decision would lead to clarity, the ruling, while answering one question definitively, left many others remaining to be hashed out.

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

The New York Court of Appeals (the state’s highest court) will grapple with a tricky legal question that has become increasingly important in the family law world: what is a parent? The answer to the question will impact hundreds if not thousands of custody disputes involving same-sex parents who for years have waged battle without the kind of legal clarity that exists in cases involving opposite sex partners.

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