Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “How will the judge divide our property?”
Although there is a degree of nobility involved in pursuing a minimalist lifestyle that attempts to obtain as little debt and unnecessary living items as possible, the reality is that for many Americans, building wealth and accumulating different types of property is a lifelong goal. When two people decide to get married, this decision often results in the combination of wealth and assets as they forge a path together. When the relationship sours and the couple decides to explore divorce, it can call into question what each spouse’s property ownership will look like in the future.
Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “What is an Absolute Divorce?”
Many people have skewed views of what happens in a courtroom. Television and movies have done a disservice to our understanding of what really goes in when you’re in front of a judge. We expect fireworks, tears, shocking revelations, audible gasps from the jury and if we don’t get it we’re disappointed. The reality is that in the vast (and I mean vast) majority of cases, you’re simply trying to hold people’s attention. Just as one example, discovery obligations and rules of evidence make it unlikely that surprises will occur, both sides usually see any “surprise” coming long before it’s ever presented in court.
Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “What are my custody rights if the other parent moves?”
Going through a divorce with kids can be incredibly difficult. Divorce is bad enough as it is, but the added stress of worrying how the divorce will impact your kids, the pain of creating new routines, of dividing parenting responsibilities and of creating a visitation arrangement that’s workable, is even harder. Given how difficult divorce with kids already is, it’s certainly not helpful for a judge to actively attempt to make the process even worse. This what appears to have happened recently in Kentucky, where one family court judge was recently reprimanded for treating divorced couples with children differently than those without.
Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: ” Is there some property that the judge cannot divide?”
Divorce is tough for almost everyone, but the Stephensons are having a particularly long and tumultuous time of it—with an emphasis on long. The multimillionaire founder of private hospital network Cancer Treatment Centers of America and his wife are now in their seventh year of divorce court and have finally reached the trial stage after failing to reach a settlement privately.
Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “Do I need an attorney to get a Divorce in North Carolina?”
Going to court can be a scary thing, even when you haven’t done anything wrong. The formal setting, the judge, the lawyers, all of that can lead to stress among those facing a divorce court appearance. People often fear saying or doing the wrong thing and waste unnecessary energy worrying about something that isn’t deserving of the anxiety. To find out some tips for how to conduct yourself in court and hopefully save stress for things that matter, keep reading.
Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “How can an attorney help me with my Divorce or Separation in North Carolina?”
In divorce court, as in any court, litigants must tell the truth. If they do not—aside from damaging their own case—they may face charges for perjury or contempt of court, and the fallout from telling untruths under oath may extend well beyond the courtroom, as a recent case involving a Louisiana police chief has underscored.
The chief in question is Lafayette, Louisiana Police Chief Kenny Vines. On January 20, Circuit Judge Ray Martin held Vines in contempt of court after determining that Vines had presented false documents to the court during his divorce case. Judge Martin fined Vines $100 and ordered him to serve a five-day jail sentence, although the jail sentence was suspended on the condition that Vines pay the fine.
The Fifth Circuit District Attorney’s office convened a grand jury to consider whether Vines should be charged with perjury in connection with false statements Vines made about the divorce documents while under oath. Last Friday, a Chambers County grand jury indicted Vines on perjury charges. As soon as Vines was informed of the indictment, he entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors.
According to a statement released on Monday by Fifth-Circuit prosecutors, Vines pled guilty to second-degree perjury and the perjury charge arose out of statements Vines had made to the Circuit Court while under oath. Vines was sentenced to six months in prison, but the sentence was suspended on the condition that he complete twelve months of probation.
Charlotte Divorce Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question ” I’m considering separating from my spouse; what actions should I refrain from doing?”
A spouse’s cruel words and outrageous treatment drove you to a divorce attorney in the first place, but now the divorce attorney is telling you the cruel treatment no more matters to your case than whether you broke your leg skiing or broke it getting hit by a car.
The point is, the leg is broken.
In medicine, of course, the answer is the fix the leg. In the world of marriages, a common answer to a couple’s problems—the opposite of fixing it—is to get a divorce. Many couples who arrive at this point turn to the legal system to find something they never experienced in their marriage: justice.
A family law attorney writing for the Buffalo Law Journal has a warning for justice seekers: In the family law courts, it’s business, not personal.
Family law attorney Steven Wiseman says courts use guidelines to render decisions on matters like child support and spousal maintenance. Courts have some discretion to deviate from these guidelines, but the fact that a spouse may have been “a lying, cheating, son of a you-know-what” is simply not relevant.
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