Blog Posts in September, 2013

Divorce and the Presto-Chango Name Change

After a contentious divorce, you may want few reminders of your ex-husband, including his name. If you took your husband’s name when you got married, you may wish to get your maiden name back after your divorce. Changing your name back to your maiden name after your divorce is very common. It can also be empowering because it is one thing that your ex-husband will have no say in. He cannot force ...

National Putative Father's Registry: Good Idea or Bad Idea?

Recently, federal legislation was introduced that would create a national putative father’s registry to address the parental rights of unmarried men. The bill is called the Protecting Responsible Fatherhood and Promoting Adoption Act of 2012 and it would create a registry known as the “National Responsible Father Registry.” The parental rights of unmarried men are often in a precarious position ...

Sesame Street Toolkit Helps Children of Divorce Cope

Leave it to Sesame Street to be a leader in everything relating to children, including divorce. Children often have a difficult time when their parents divorce. They may think the divorce is their fault, or they may have a hard time understanding why they can’t see Mommy or Daddy every day. Children often have numerous questions regarding divorce, and their parents don’t always know what to say. ...

Florida Man Becomes First Approved for Same-Sex Green Card

One of the results of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down key portions of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has approved the first marriage-based green card to a legally married same-sex couple residing in Florida. USCIS is now reviewing immigration visa petitions filed on behalf of same-sex spouses in the same manner ...

College Savings Plans and Divorce

In the fall, many young adults are heading off to college. If you and your spouse have been saving for years for this event, you may wonder what will happen to the college savings plans if you divorce. Can your spouse or ex-spouse cash out all of the money, leaving your child with nothing for college? There are two types of college savings plans: Prepaid tuition plans set up to allow an individual ...