1. Create a parenting plan or holiday schedule with the children, in advance, even if it is a temporary arrangement to minimize stress during the holidays. A good idea to assist with this process is to go by the children’s school calendars if they are of school age or daycare schedule if applicable. 2. Try to put differences with your spouse aside, at least through the holidays, to make the holidays focused on your Read More

Have you ever wondered about your property’s history?  Not just the title search information from when you bought it, but going way, way back, as far as you can go? It has always fascinated me to imagine who was here before us; did anything historically important happen, or was it just a plot of ground occasionally tread over by ancient hunter-gatherers making their way to somewhere else? My maternal grandfather grew Read More

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Family law deals specifically with the familial unit; spouses, parents and minor children. There are times where extended family members (i.e., grandparents, cousins, etc.) and interested parties (i.e., foster parents) are brought into family law matters, but the majority of cases are focused on the immediate family. Family law covers divorce, divorce from bed and board, equitable distribution, alimony, Read More

One of the most frequently asked questions we have encountered in real estate law is, “Why does my spouse have to sign?”  The answer to that question is, because North Carolina recognizes the existence of marital rights in real property.   Many couples today choose to keep their individual property separate, especially property owned before marriage.  But in North Carolina, real property spousal rights are written Read More

If you have found yourself responsible for administering an estate, you will undoubtedly have many questions. Acting as the executor of a will is a great responsibility that should not be taken lightly. Executors are held to a high standard of fiduciary duty and can be held personally liable if they do not uphold the integrity of an estate.  As executor, your responsibilities include: Managing the estate assets. Read More

Introduction Whether you are buying, selling, or refinancing real estate, an attorney is a required part of the process in North Carolina. You may have received a referral for an attorney from your real estate agent, lender, or even a friend. Perhaps you have reached out to an attorney that you have worked with before. No matter how you have chosen your attorney, most likely the first person you will talk to within Read More

A new Court of Appeals ruling allows LGBTQ North Carolinians to get domestic violence protections under state law.   The Court of Appeals issued an opinion on December 31, 2020 in M.E. v. T.J., a domestic  violence case from Wake County. The trial court denied Plaintiff's request for a DVPO because  she and defendant were a same-sex couple in a dating relationship. The trial court found that a  same-sex couple in a Read More