Montgomery County Divorce Law Blog

When you and your spouse don’t have anything in common

On behalf of The Law Office of Steven C. Girsky posted in Divorce on Friday, April 20, 2018.

Many people stay in a toxic or difficult marriage until they die. Others, on the other hand, make the hard choice to unravel their marriage so they can live happier lives, and perhaps look for a better relationship that reflects who they truly are and who they want to be.

Do you feel like you have absolutely nothing in common with your spouse's family and friends? Do you prefer skipping family functions or staying at home when your spouse goes out to socialize? You might be on the fast-track to divorce.

4 reasons people choose adoption

On behalf of The Law Office of Steven C. Girsky posted in blog on Tuesday, April 17, 2018.

Adoption is an extremely personal choice for you to make. As a prospective parent, you may have a lot of questions about adopting. If you are on the fence about adopting a child, you may be wondering why other people choose this route.

There is no single reason why someone adopts a child because every family is unique. However, here are some common reasons you may want to pursue adoption.

Are you supporting your children to deal with divorce?

On behalf of The Law Office of Steven C. Girsky posted in Divorce on Thursday, April 12, 2018.

If you're a divorcing parent and you're worried how your kids will deal emotionally and psychologically with the separation, you're not alone. Most parents worry about how their kids will experience and survive the emotions associated with the breakup of their mother and father.

Fortunately, concerned parents can do a few things to make sure that they support their children as best they can.

Is this why you and your spouse got a divorce?

On behalf of The Law Office of Steven C. Girsky posted in Divorce on Friday, April 6, 2018.

There are many reasons why couples get a divorce and – in most cases of a failed marriage – the reason for the divorce will not always be clear. However, in certain instances, one of the spouses may be able to precisely point his or her finger at the cause. Here are two common reasons for divorce that a spouse might point to in this regard:

Infidelity

Can you claim the adoption tax credit?

On behalf of The Law Office of Steven C. Girsky posted in blog on Sunday, April 1, 2018.

Expanding your family through adoption is a beautiful thing. Bringing a new child who needs a family into your life is a noble pursuit. However, it can also be complex and expensive. Adoptions can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Whether you complete a domestic or international adoption, you may wonder how this will impact your taxes. Thankfully, you may be able to claim an adoption tax credit. Here is some important information you should know about claiming this credit.

What activities does a young child enjoy?

On behalf of The Law Office of Steven C. Girsky posted in Child Custody and Visitation on Friday, March 30, 2018.

Have you recently been awarded visitation rights to spend time with your preschool-aged child? The joy of time spent with your child is like no other, but it can also feel stressful if you don't know what to do with your preschooler. Don't worry. It's not uncommon for single fathers and mothers - especially those who didn't have visitation rights before - to be at a loss for ideas. If you fall into this category, here are two fun activities to get you started in the right direction:

Play toss with something soft: Your preschooler can learn a lot from playing toss with a soft object. If you have a light bean bag or a Nerf ball, you can have a lot of fun helping your child learn how to catch - while building his or her fine motor skills. Other ways your child can build coordination involves playing hopscotch. This is yet another way to learn how to throw and judge distance, especially if your child has trouble with playing catch.

The question of divorce becomes moot if you were never married

On behalf of The Law Office of Steven C. Girsky posted in Divorce on Thursday, March 22, 2018.

There are plenty of spouses in Tennessee who have spent years together believing they were married, but in fact, they're not really married. It's not so uncommon for spouses to be confused about their marital statuses like this.

In Tennessee, for example, a marriage performed by a minister ordained via certain online websites like Universal Life Church are not legally allowed to perform a marriage ceremony. Those married by these individuals are not actually married under the law.

How divorce impacts your taxes

On behalf of The Law Office of Steven C. Girsky posted in blog on Wednesday, March 21, 2018.

There are numerous changes to your life you need to make after a divorce, but there is one aspect people tend to overlook: taxes. If you divorced before December 31st of the previous tax year, then you need to change how you fill out your forms.

While your divorce attorney will help you get through the separation, you may need to rely on the services of a professional accountant to ensure you do not make any mistakes on your taxes after a divorce. You need to make sure you change your filing status to "single person." However, that is just the beginning.

The Hague Convention and international child abduction

On behalf of The Law Office of Steven C. Girsky posted in Child Custody and Visitation on Thursday, March 15, 2018.

In the not too distant past, if a foreign parent decided to leave the United States unlawfully with his or her child, the local parent would a very difficult -- if not impossible -- time of getting the child back. These days, the situation is different. We can thank the Hague Convention, an international treaty signed by 79 countries. It establishes guidelines for returning children to their home countries following an unlawful international abduction.

As long as the two countries involved in an international child custody dispute are Hague member nations, the terms of this treaty will apply to the situation. Foreign courts belonging to member nations must honor the child custody orders of the country where the child is considered to be the primary resident.

What are some upsides to a prenuptial agreement?

On behalf of The Law Office of Steven C. Girsky posted in Property Division on Friday, March 9, 2018.

Last week, we discussed some of the downsides related to prenuptial agreements. This week, we're going to cover the upsides. Indeed, it's precisely because of the numerous benefits associated with premarital agreements that spouses choose to draft and sign these documents.

Here are five of the most important things that spouses can expect to benefit from when taking the time to create a premarital agreement:

Protect the inheritance rights of children from previous marriages
Keep your business safe from the risk of being divided one day as a result of divorce
Protect one spouse from the debts and financial liabilities of the other spouse. In some cases, this could assist two people who otherwise might not be able to get married as a result of one spouse not wanting to assume the financial liabilities of the other.
Establish that you will be compensated for giving up a career in order to be a homemaker and help raise the family. Many stay-at-home parents do not realize the income-earning capacity that they are giving up by choosing to stay home with the children.
Place limits on the amount of spousal support or alimony that one spouse may be required to pay