Blog Posts in November, 2013

Who Gets the Ring?

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth are the latest celebrities in a string of Hollywood broken engagements. This raises the question — when your betrothal ends, who gets the ring? This issue is the subject of a recent Texas lawsuit where Buffalo Bills player Mario Williams sued his ex-fiancée, demanding the return of his $785,000 engagement ring. The lawsuit alleges that Erin Marzouki broke off the ...

Do Green Cards Have an Expiration Date?

The benefits of obtaining United States citizenship are many: ease of travel to other countries, access to many government jobs, the ability to vote, and the ability to sponsor family members for a green card, are among the many benefits. It used to be that anyone planning on permanently living in the United States would count down the days until they could apply for naturalized U.S. citizenship ...

How Does Marriage Affect Parental Rights and Obligations?

These days, men and women are waiting longer to get married and cohabitation is on the rise. This trend also brings about a rise in the number of children being born to unmarried parents. These couples often break up, just as married couples do, and then questions arise as to the parental rights and responsibilities of each parent towards the children. How will time-sharing work, and who will have ...

Five Financial Tips for the Newly Divorced

Divorce can be a challenging and overwhelming time. It may seem as if you are called upon almost daily to make decisions that you feel unprepared to make. While that is a completely normal feeling, it is important to take some key steps that can help secure your new financial future. Here’s a look at five steps to take to get you back on track: Check your credit report. During a divorce, your ...

Requesting an Alimony Modification

In the years after divorce, former spouses’ circumstances may change, rendering alimony arrangements unfair or unsuitable. In Florida, it is unacceptable to terminate or modify alimony payments without the permission of a court. However, it is possible to request an alimony modification from the court. Under Florida law, a request for alimony modification may be granted when either party can ...

Need Help? Hire an Au Pair

So you converted that extra room in your house to a guest bedroom only to see it collect dust. Instead of waiting for your family to visit once a year, you might consider putting the room to good use by becoming a host family in the au pair program administered by the U.S. State Department and other private agencies. The au pair program allows men and women from the ages of 18 to 26 who hold ...

Divorce and Special Needs Children

As a parent of a special needs child, you are likely aware of the many challenges that raising a special needs child can bring. You have also likely heard the statistics about the high rate of divorce among parents of special needs children. Is there something about raising a special needs child that perpetuates failed marriages? How can the interests of special needs children be addressed during ...