Upcoming Changes in Alimony and Taxation
Under the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), alimony will no longer be tax-deductible effective January 2019. Currently, alimony or spousal support payments are deductible to the payer and taxable to the payee. This applies to all current divorce or support orders and any that are signed through December 31, 2018. Effective January 1, […]
What is Collaborative Law?
What is Collaborative Law? Collaborative Law is a method of alternative dispute resolution wherein the parties commit to resolve their dispute out of court. Because parties to a divorce often need to have a continuing relationship due to co-parenting of children, Collaborative Law is ideally suited to divorce and other family law matters. How is […]
What Are the Benefits of Mediation in Family Law Cases?
Mediation is a form of alternative dispute resolution where a neutral third party, the mediator, facilitates you and the opposing party, typically your spouse or the other parent, in negotiating a settlement in your case. There are several potential benefits to mediation. Benefits of Mediation Privacy Mediation is confidential. No one will know what goes […]
What is an uncontested divorce
People are often unsure of how the whole divorce process works in Mobile, Alabama. The term “uncontested divorce” refers to a divorce where the parties do not go to court, and the divorce is submitted solely on the written agreement of the parties. If you retain Herlihy Family Law and one of our divorce attorneys in Mobile, Alabama for an […]
What does joint custody mean
Wondering what does joint custody mean? Joint Custody is an arrangement where each parent has the children for equal (or close to equal) amounts of time. The most common schedule is that each parent has the children for one week at a time, typically exchanging the children on Fridays or Sundays. If you are considering […]
What is abandonment in divorce
Wondering what is abandonment in divorce? On an almost daily basis, clients and potential clients say to me, I can’t move out of the house because that’s abandonment, right? I recently spoke at a CLE for other attorneys, most of whom do not primarily practice family law, and some of the attorneys even harbored this misconception. Many […]
What is the Role of a Guardian Ad Litem?
A Guardian ad Litem’s job is to represent the best interests of the child in any given case, and the Guardian Ad Litem does not represent either of the parents. As such, the Guardian Ad Litem cannot give parents legal advice. Parents must turn to their own lawyers when they need legal advice. If the […]
4 steps to better managing your stress during divorce
Top 4 Tips for Managing Stress During Divorce Stress is a serious factor in modern life. Stress is particularly prevalent during a divorce, which is said to be the most stressful and traumatic event that anyone can experience, second only to the death of a loved one. Stress can harm your immune system, cause weight […]
4 Tips for Communicating with a High Conflict Person
4 Tips for Communicating with a High Conflict Person First of all, what is a high conflict person (HCP)? This term often refers to individuals who have diagnosable personality disorders, but divorce and custody litigation are times of high stress that can lead even healthy individuals to be on their worst behavior. HCP is characterized […]
What is a Guardian Ad Litem?
When it comes to divorce, child custody and visitation disputes are no picnic. These events can be a very emotional and intense process. Frequently in divorce, child custody, or visitation disputes a Guardian Ad Litem, also known as a GAL, will be appointed.In Alabama, a GAL is an attorney appointed by the court to represent […]