How Coronavirus “Stay-at-Home” Orders Affect Family Law Matters
Navigating work and life with the new restrictions and changes brought about during the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the world is difficult for everyone. For families trying to deal with co-parenting, pending divorces, domestic violence, and other family law issues, these matters can become even more complicated. Courts and law firms across North Carolina are dealing…
Read MoreCoronavirus and Domestic Violence: Your Options
Everyone is aware of, and has been affected by, the COVID-19 pandemic spreading throughout the world. As a result, North Carolina and other states across the nation have enacted stay-at-home orders, designed to slow the spread of the virus and keep our citizens safe. Other than essential work and activities, most of us are staying…
Read MoreER Doc Loses Custody of Daughter over Coronavirus Fears
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on and our essential healthcare workers continue to treat and care for patients, one doctor has found herself caught between her professional life and personal life – and served with an emergency court order that’s severed ties between her and her four-year-old daughter. Dr. Theresa Greene, an emergency room physician…
Read MoreEpperson Law Group Opens New Office in Concord, North Carolina
Epperson Law Group, PLLC is pleased to announce the opening of our newest office location in Concord, North Carolina. The firm has decided to open a new office to better serve clients from Cabarrus County and surrounding areas. “Going through a divorce or adjusting child custody schedules can take time, and time is often the…
Read MoreWho Gets the Dog in a Divorce?
Divorces take their toll on spouses and children. After months or more of fighting over alimony, what’s the best child custody arrangement, who gets to keep the home, and a variety of other issues, there may be one last obstacle to overcome – and it’s a doozy. Who gets to keep the family dog? Pets…
Read MoreHow Lawyers Help Enforce and Defend Child Support Enforcement Actions
There are some parents who think the laws don’t apply to them. In child support cases, some parents need to learn the hard way (occasionally by spending time in jail) that their duty to provide for their children is a priority. As we have explained, courts have a variety of options to ensure that a…
Read MoreCan You Modify an Alimony Order In North Carolina?
In North Carolina, alimony can be paid in one lump sum, or in periodic payments. When payments are periodic, they usually last until the recipient of the alimony remarries, begins living with a new partner, or dies, or until a specific time outlined by the divorce decree. The North Carolina family courts consider a variety…
Read MoreHelp for Victims of Domestic Violence during an Outbreak
In order to flatten the curve of COVID-19, North Carolina has taken some drastic but necessary steps, such as the closing of all schools. One such step was to reduce the number of people going to local courts by postponing as many cases as possible in district and superior courts, starting March 16th. For many…
Read MoreDivorce Can Affect Your Health in Numerous Ways
Anyone going through a divorce knows it is an extremely stressful time: emotionally, financially, and legally. Your lawyers will fight to get you the best possible outcome when it comes to asset division and child custody agreements, and will work to ensure that your best interests are represented. All of this can be stressful, but…
Read MoreStrategizing Where to File for Divorce When You’re Military
Military life is tough enough when you’re single. When you have a family it presents many other challenges that aren’t always met with success. Pressures of moving regularly, one spouse may feel as if he or she has been abandoned while the other feels guilty about being gone a lot. It takes a toll. Relationships…
Read MoreShould We Use the Same Attorney for Our Uncontested Divorce?
You and your spouse have decided to call it quits, but you have vowed to remain the best of friends. You have simply come to grips with the fact that you’re not in love with each other anymore and you both deserve to be happy. Your kids are now old enough to understand and you…
Read MoreWhen Is It Time to Modify Spousal Support in North Carolina?
There are so many twists and turns to a divorce that it can be exhausting to keep up. When divorce has consumed your life, it’s understandable that you just want to put it all behind you as quickly as possible. Being able to get on with your life may require your financial situation to improve.…
Read MoreLet’s Talk About Bigamy
When you’ve decided your marriage is over and have mentally moved on, coming to terms with the fact that you still have to put a legal end to the relationship can be a tough hurdle for some. It can be tiring, stressful, depressing, and angering all at the same time. Few people look forward to…
Read MoreGoing through Divorce with a Spouse Who Has Been Declared Insane
In North Carolina, to obtain an absolute divorce, the parties have to be separated for at least one year and at least one of the parties must be a resident of North Carolina for six months prior to filing. Of course, there may be complications that arise when pursuing a divorce that can alter the…
Read MoreCreating a Postmarital Agreement Is a Smart Decision
The world has changed a lot over the last several decades, especially when it comes to certain views related to marriage. Financial topics used to be virtually taboo to discuss, as was the subject of divorce. However, with many more marriages ending in divorce these days, couples need to take a smart business approach to…
Read MoreAdultery Doesn’t Have to Mean the End of Your Marriage
Anyone who’s been in a relationship, much less married for a long time has done it. We’ve all looked at another man or woman and thought about cheating. Even if it was just a fleeting notion that you’d never act on because you are genuinely happy with your mate, it’s happened. We’re human beings and…
Read MoreSeparation Agreements: Not for Do-It-Yourselfers
First, a request; please don’t use a separation agreement from the internet. “Do-It-Yourself” legal documents, whether posted as templates or as samples by people that mean well, are not problem-solvers. They are problem-causers. We frequently see clients with separation agreements they believed were well-constructed and fit their particular situation, but in reality, the document was…
Read MoreDividing Retirement Plans – The QDRO
When you and your spouse divorce, your marital assets and debts will be divided between you. Often, the marital assets of greatest value are retirement plans, including pensions and profit-sharing plans such as 401(k)s. Unfortunately, dividing retirement assets is not usually as simple as transferring money from one account to another, or “cashing out” an…
Read MoreIssues Specific to Military Divorces
Serving your country is one of the most admirable occupations someone can choose. It’s also fraught with hardship. Many members of the military marry – and often, they marry young, which means their young spouses and children also serve and sign on to endure long-term absenteeism of their spouse. Both parties in a military marriage…
Read MoreI Think My Children’s Other Parent Is Unfit. How Do I Prove It?
Raising children is a tough job, especially today when life is so fast paced. Your kids have many needs and require a lot of attention and care. Education, health, and nutrition are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to caring for your children. You assume both you and their other parent have…
Read MoreThings No One Tells You after Your Divorce Is Final
There are so many pitfalls of divorce that you are unfortunately forced to learn as you go. Every divorce is as different as the people going through one so it stands to reason that while some events will be similar, everyone’s overall experience will be unique. At some point you begin to realize that adjusting…
Read MoreCan I Date While I’m Legally Separated?
Once you have come to terms with the fact that your marriage really is over, you may begin to think about starting fresh with a new relationship, or even just dating. For some people, moving on is a little easier than it is for others, and you can’t predict when you might meet the right…
Read MoreAn Affair Your Bank Account Will Remember: Losing Your Life Savings to a Hurt Spouse
If you have been in a relationship, chances are that you have at least thought about whether your partner was cheating, or what you would do if you discovered that he or she was having an affair. For the majority of people, when their romantic partner has slipped, it’s the emotional unfaithfulness that hurts most.…
Read MoreWho Are the People Who Assist with My Divorce?
When you hire a law firm to handle your divorce, you likely believe that your attorneys will handle everything going forward, and that your job has been reduced to providing periodic information to them and showing up for court. In some cases this may be true, especially if you and your spouse are splitting amicably…
Read MoreTying Up the Loose Ends of Your Divorce
It never fails. Your divorce is over, and you feel like you’re finally going to get some breathing room, but you still have some unfinished business to handle. Complying with the terms of your divorce decree can feel like a long, drawn out homework assignment, but the sooner you get through it, the sooner you…
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