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Family Law

SC Family Law Blog

Covers topics such as divorce, custody, child support, financial issues, and other family topics.
By Ben Stevens

Post Frequency: 3.5/day

Last Entry: April 01, 2011 at 10:30:41

Online Tool Helps Determine Where to Meet for Visitation Exchanges

Posted on June 15, 2009
When divorced parents live close to each other, it's usually easy to determine where to meet to exchange the children. What happens when the parents live far apart, perhaps hours away from each other? If the parents can agree on an area in which to exchange the child, what type of place should they actually meet?Fortunately, there is MeetWays, an online resource that helps people easily find a halfway point between two locations...

Ethical Implications of Obtaining Witness Information on Facebook and MySpace Accounts

Posted on June 12, 2009
The increased use of social media has brought with it some interesting ethical questions for attorneys. For instance, consider the question of whether a lawyer can use a third party to obtain information from or about a witness on a site like Facebook or MySpace? The Philadelphia Bar Association's Professional Guidance Committee issued an opinion in March that says the answer is "no...

Keystoke Logging Software

Posted on June 10, 2009
Did you know that it's possible for someone to know vir everything that you do on your computer? As I posted last week at The Mac Lawyer blog, keystroke logging software allows you to secretly record all the keystrokes on a computer and surreptitiously send those keystrokes via e-mail to another one...

How to Tell Your Children About The Divorce

Posted on June 08, 2009
Children often fear they will "lose" one of their parents in a divorce. Here are a few tips to help reduce that concern when telling your children about your decision to get a divorce: Agree on what you're going to say. You and your spouse should discuss and determine what you are going to say before talking to your children...

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Can I Change my Child's Name?

Posted on June 05, 2009
Our firm frequently helps clients with issues concerning their children's names. Unmarried parents often want to change the child's birth name - whether to the Father's surname or to the Mother's surname. Married parents sometimes want to change the children's names during or after a divorce, especially if the marriage is of short duration...

How to Communicate During and After the Divorce Process

Posted on June 03, 2009
One of the most important tools for making cooperative parenting work and, for that matter, negotiating any issues in a divorce or raising any matters of concern is to discuss them in a reasonable and non-accusatory manner. In her excellent book, "Mom's House, Dad's House," Dr...

The Internet's Best People Search Tool

Posted on June 01, 2009
In Family Court cases, it is often necessary to locate or get information about someone, whether a spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, witness, expert, employer, etc. The internet has made this task much easier, but there are so many different search engines, where should you begin?Lee Rosen recommends the people search engine Pipl...

Spartanburg Family Attorney Interviewed by GSA Business

Posted on May 29, 2009
The Mac Lawyer – Family Attorney Turned Apple Guru A Spartanburg-based family attorney is making a name for himself nationally. Ben Stevens is the Mac lawyer, the No. 3 blogger in the American Bar Association Journal's Blawg 100. On April 2-4, he headed two technology seminars at the annual ABA Techshow in Chicago...

Importance of Changing Your Beneficiary on Retirement Accounts

Posted on May 28, 2009
Earlier this year, the United States Supreme Court issued an important decision that potentially affects family law cases all across the country. In Kennedy v. DuPont, the Court resolved a dispute between an ex-wife and the her ex-husband's daughter over the proceeds of a savings and investment plan (SIP) that was an Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) benefit plan...

Your Recession Survival Guide

Posted on May 27, 2009
Psychotherapist and parenting expert Jill Spivack has created a recession survival guide to help women develop coping strategies that include how to reduce costs, minimize stress and maintain healthy relationships. Her recommendations include the following tips:Increase physical activity to help relieve stressMaintain a positive attitude and remember you are not aloneCommunicate your feelings to your spouseFigure out solutions and work as a teamExplain the situation to your childrenSpell out what you will (and won't) spend money onThere are many other good suggestions (and much more detail) in the article below, and I encourage my readers to click this link to learn more...

Recession Survival Guide

Posted on May 27, 2009
Psychotherapist and parenting expert Jill Spivack has created a recession survival guide to help women develop coping strategies that include how to reduce costs, minimize stress and maintain healthy relationships. Her recommendations include the following tips: Increase physical activity to help relieve stress Maintain a positive attitude and remember you are not alone Communicate your feelings to your spouse Figure out solutions and work as a team Explain the situation to your children Spell out what you will (and won't) spend money on There are many other good suggestions (and much more detail) in the article below, and I encourage my readers to click this link to learn more...

So You Want to Change Your Name?

Posted on May 26, 2009
Over the years, we have had numerous cases where our adult clients wanted to change their name for some reason other than divorce. For example, some change their name because they?ve used a different name during their adult years on numerous records other than the name on their birth certificate, and now as retirement approaches, they need to get their records straightened out...

For Child Custody Purposes, Can A Parent Reside in More Than One State?

Posted on May 20, 2009
Today, my law partner, Paul MacPhail, addresses the question: whether for child custody purposes, a parent can reside in more than one state?Yes. Relying on a 1975 case, which held that ?? a person may have only one domicile, but may have several residences?, the Court of Appeals in South Carolina has recently issued an opinion that a parent can be a resident of more than one state for purposes of determining what state can modify a custody order...

Guest Post :: Tips to File For Child Custody

Posted on May 19, 2009
A divorce is always a traumatic experience, one that involves mood swings, rampant emotions and difficult decisions. But the worst part is the fact that you may be separated from your child/children because you chose to split with your spouse. A battle for child custody is not something you can take lightly, especially if the future and wellbeing of your child depends on it...

SC Family Lawyer in New Orleans, LA

Posted on May 14, 2009
I will be in New Orleans today through Saturday attending the ABA Law Practice Management Section Spring Conference at the Hotel Monteleone. As I have mentioned before, I am on the editorial board of Law Practice Today webzine and serve as an advisor on the Technology Core Group, both of which will hold meetings at this conference...

LexBlog Q & A With SC Family Lawyer Ben Stevens

Posted on May 07, 2009
Earlier this week, I was interviewed by LexBlog about my two blogs (this one and The Mac Lawyer). If you are interested in learning more about me, how I got into blogging, and the benefits blogs provide, you can read this interview by clicking HERE.Source: "Ben Stevens of The Mac Lawyer and The SC Family Law Blog: LexBlog Q&A" by Lisa Kennelly, published at Kevin O'Keefe's Real Lawyers Have Blogs.

Mother's Day Gift Ideas for Single Moms

Posted on May 07, 2009
If you have a friend or family member that is a single mother, you may want to consider one of the following gift ideas for her. Most of these gifts are free, and I'm sure that they would be well received and much appreciated by her:A weekend of baby-sitting...

Three Costly Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring a Divorce Attorney

Posted on May 06, 2009
Did you know that when facing a divorce, one of the most important decisions you make is choosing which lawyer to hire? Unfortunately, too many people make the wrong choice and the consequences can be disastrous. Michael D Sherman has written an excellent article on this topic, and the following are summaries of three costly mistakes and ways that you can avoid them: Mistake #1: Hiring a generalist...

Spartanburg Family Lawyer Serves on Faculty of "Law School for Non-Lawyers"

Posted on May 05, 2009
The South Carolina Bar periodically sponsors a "Law School for Non-Lawyers" across our state. This seven week series features various attorneys teaching the basic principles of many different areas of law, including criminal, civil, real estate, employment, bankruptcy, and family law...

Importance of Parents Exchanging Healthcare Information About Their Children

Posted on April 30, 2009
In child custody cases, each party's parenting skills are frequently a key issue. One particularly important area in which this can be seen is with regard to the children's medical care and health issues. For instance, parents can (and often do) argue over whether a child was taken to the doctor too much, too little, or too late...

How to Tell if Divorce is Adversely Affecting Children

Posted on April 24, 2009
For parents with children, negotiating a complicated divorce can leave even less time for the kids, regardless of the custody outcome. No matter what agreement is reached in regards to their care, your added stress will undoubtedly take some of the focus away from their needs...

Out-of-Wedlock Births on the Rise in U.S.

Posted on April 22, 2009
Did you know that nearly 40 percent of babies born in the United States in 2007 were born to unwed mothers? The National Center for Health Statistics reports that of 4.3 million total births, 1.7 million were out-of-wedlock births, which marked a more than 25 percent increase from just five years before...

Spartanburg Family Lawyer Featured in "Too Poor for Divorce"

Posted on April 20, 2009
As I previously posted, I was interviewed recently on WYFF about the effect that the economy is having on divorces in South Carolina. You can read the text of the story "Too Poor for Divorce" by clicking here, or you can view the video below:

More on "Marital Checkups"

Posted on April 17, 2009
Several months ago, I published an article which discussed the concept of having a martial checkup. If you are interested in learning more about this concept, you should click here to check out an article which discusses this concept in greater depth, focusing on the findings of James Cordova, Ph...

College Students Take to Stage to Address Domestic Violence

Posted on April 15, 2009
My law partner's oldest daughter recently took place in 'Finding Voice', a production at Converse College about the important issue of domestic violence. This play was quite unique, in that many of the words used on stage come from real domestic violence victims here in Spartanburg County...

DRAFT - debts during sep.

Posted on April 13, 2009
Question: The mortgage for my home is listed in the names of both me and my wife. She has a job, and we are living apart and going to get divorced. Can I ask her to pay one-half of the debts and expenses on teh house now? Many of our expenses are a result of our separation and her previously losing her job? Answer: In an action for legal separation or divorce, the Court will divide the marital assets and debts between the two of you in an equitable manner...

How Marital Debts Are Divided

What to Do if Your Child is Missing

Posted on March 31, 2009
Amy Wood recently published an article with the following tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children if you find your child is missing: Act immediately. Search your home and check with relatives, neighbors, and friends to try and locate your child...

Economy's Effect on Divorce in South Carolina

Posted on March 25, 2009
WYFF, our local NBC affiliate in Greenville, SC, ran a story yesterday which analyzed the effect of the economic recession on divorces in South Carolina. I was interviewed for this story, which you can see HERE. I noted that there has been a drop-off in the number of divorce filings over the last fifteen months, which was verified by the South Carolina Judicial Department...

South Carolina Family Law Blogger Featured at Career Counsel

Posted on February 20, 2009
Did you know that you can get career advice from South Carolina Bar members on the South Carolina Bar's website? Several Bar members, including Ben Stevens, participated in educational videos containing career advice, information on different types of law and tips for people interested in practicing in those areas...

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