What is a Material Change of Circumstances?
Wednesday, February 5th, 2020
Material change of circumstances is a bit of legalese that you hear often in regards to child custody. What it is, exactly, is less clear to those of us who aren’t legal professionals. The standard (or lack thereof) In Tennessee, your parenting time is set out in a permanent parenting plan. The parenting plan allocates […]
Read More »Adoption Bill Targets LGBTQ Individuals in Tennessee
Wednesday, January 22nd, 2020
Tennessee legislators have passed a new bill targeting LGBT individuals who hope to adopt or provide foster care in the state. This adoption bill allows child placement agencies to discriminate against any group that clashes with the organization’s religious ideals or internal policies. If Governor Bill Lee signs the bill into law, these agencies can legally […]
Read More »Voter Registration: A Guide to Making Yourself Heard
Friday, January 10th, 2020
Have you registered to vote? If not, you are not alone. Tennessee’s voter turnout is abysmal, coming in at just 28.5% in November 2014. In case it was not clear, that puts Tennessee in dead last when ranking voter turnout by state for 2014. 2016 saw an increase in votes cast (likely due to the […]
Read More »Can I Get My Ex to Pay for My Divorce?
Wednesday, January 8th, 2020
The cost of divorce is important to consider before beginning the process. While there are ways to lower that cost, many people wonder, “Can I get my ex to pay for it?” The short answer is: yes, though it depends on your situation. FIVE INSTANCES IN WHICH YOUR EX-SPOUSE MAY HAVE TO PAY UP 1. […]
Read More »Juvenile Court: What the Process Looks Like
Wednesday, December 11th, 2019
Children end up in juvenile court in one of three ways: 1. They are “delinquent,” meaning they broke a criminal law; 2. They are “unruly,” meaning they won’t listen to their parents; or 3. They are “dependent and neglected,” meaning their parents are not taking adequate care of them. In cases of alleged neglect, the […]
Read More »Health insurance during and after divorce
Tuesday, November 19th, 2019
During the course of a marriage, one spouse often carries the health insurance for the entire family. After a marriage ends, one factor that affects child support has to do with which parent provides health insurance for the minor children. Health insurance impacts other areas when going through a divorce, too. After a divorce, a […]
Read More »How do I send an unaccompanied minor on a flight?
Wednesday, July 24th, 2019
The idea of placing a minor on a flight unaccompanied might sound crazy. Many of Held Law Firm’s clients understandably balk at the thought of sending their kid on a plane with no parent. However, certain situations arise in which they may not have much of a choice. If a child is visiting a cross-country […]
Read More »Can’t afford a traditional divorce?
Monday, July 1st, 2019
What do you do if you can’t afford the divorce you know you need? Julia Roberts said it best when playing the role of exasperated housewife who learns her husband is cheating on her: “I don’t have time for the nervous breakdown that I deserve!” Many identify with this marriage low point, portrayed in the […]
Read More »How to legally change your name
Tuesday, June 18th, 2019
People may desire to change their name to one that they more closely identify with for a variety of reasons. Luckily, the name-change process is relatively simple in most Tennessee cases. Challenges tend to appear when one petitions for a name change on behalf of a minor child, or when the individual referenced is transgender. […]
Read More »Fritts, Northcott Use Discretion to Discriminate
Monday, June 17th, 2019
Right now, Grayson Fritts and Craig Northcott are making headlines for choosing to discriminate (or advocating for worse) against the LGBTQ community. This is an abomination, but these ideas are not exactly news. Consider this: prior to 1989, Tennessee law labeled “sodomy” a crime against nature and declared it a felony. If convicted, you would go […]
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