How to Modify Alimony Payments
Wednesday, May 20th, 2020
When a divorce is finalized, there may be an award of spousal support known as alimony. After time passes, one of the parties from the divorce may want or need to modify alimony payments. The first step to determining if the alimony payments can change is to determine the type of alimony awarded in the […]
Read More »How to File for Divorce if Your Spouse is in Jail
Friday, May 15th, 2020
If your spouse is sentenced to jail time or incarcerated for a considerable period of time, you may wonder what your options are in terms of divorce. A quick answer is that you can still pursue a divorce in Tennessee even if your spouse is in jail. One of the obstacles to overcome is proper […]
Read More »Establishing Paternity: The Basics
Wednesday, May 13th, 2020
When two people have a child out of wedlock, the father does not automatically have rights to the child. This is true even if the father’s name is on the child’s birth certificate. In Tennessee, a father can sign a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity at the hospital when the child is born. This effectively gives […]
Read More »COVID-19 and Homelessness in Knoxville
Friday, May 8th, 2020
What do you do when you have no shelter to shelter-in-place? Community leaders and city government officials are confronting that question as two humanitarian crises overlap on the streets of Knoxville: COVID-19 and homelessness. THE NUMBERS Houselessness is a growing problem in the city of Knoxville. The Knoxville Homeless Management Information System (KnoxHMIS) reported a […]
Read More »Abandonment and Terminating Parental Rights
Tuesday, May 5th, 2020
Before a child can be adopted, the biological parent(s) must have their rights terminated. The most common (and easiest) way to terminate those rights is to prove that the biological parent(s) have “abandoned” the child. A parent is guilty of legal abandonment if, for a period of four consecutive months, they either fail to visit or […]
Read More »Custody Arrangements: What is 2-2-3?
Friday, May 1st, 2020
There are many different possible custody arrangements. Which arrangement you settle on is dependent on the best interest of the child. When it comes to 50/50 custody, deciding how to split that time can be a painstaking process. One of the most common arrangements is “2-2-3.” In a 2-2-3 setting, one parent has the same […]
Read More »Visitation and Custody During the Pandemic
Friday, April 17th, 2020
Visitation and custody during the pandemic is complex and uncharted territory. At Held Law Firm, we are flooded with calls from clients worried about their children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number one question we hear relates to whether Governor Lee’s Executive Order allows certain activities for children. The second concern is that the other parent is not […]
Read More »Transgender Parents and Custody Disputes
Monday, April 13th, 2020
Determining whether a parent is fit for custody can be complicated. Transgender parents going through a divorce face the alarming possibility that their identity could factor into a court’s ruling on custody. While courts cannot deem a parent “fit” based solely on gender identity, some states have upheld the termination of transgender parental rights without […]
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