DeTreville Law & Mediation, LLC
Mark Sanford’s Continuing Soap Opera, and How Mediation Can Help:
Mark Sanford has deluged all of us with the details of his personal life, and with his perception of those details. Most recently, Mr. Sanford took to Facebook and the newspapers to “update his constituents” on his personal life, and to announce he would finally retain the service [Read more…]
Charleston Family Court lawyers are frequently asked about the possibility of extending child support obligations beyond the age of emancipation, which, in South Carolina, is 18 or upon graduation from high school, whichever is latest, but never past age 19.
Frequently, the context of this question concerns the payment of college-related expenses, which is actually a separate issue altogether from the issue of child su [Read more…]
Within the past year, newspapers in the Charleston area were full of stories about a prolonged custody and adoption battle between an adoptive couple living in Charleston County and a biological father living in Oklahoma. While that case ultimately was decided by the US Supreme Court, and included issues of whether the child was a member of an Indian tribe, issues of notice were also argued. In any adoption case, the issue of notice to the people who are necessary to the cas [Read more…]
Beware of real estate lawyers (for example only) who are trying to make the rent by picking up a family law case here and there.
If you want to have an expensive war with your spouse, feel free to hire that attorney who was pounding the desk when you first met, and/or telling you that he/she would “take your spouse to the cleaners” – such behavior, and such words, are warnings to you that you are [Read more…]
As a Charleston family lawyer, I often get asked many of the same questions by my clients, especially early on in my representation. Here are some of those questions, with the answers, that may help you start to sort through your family law matter in its early stages:
Perhaps not surprisingly, this is the most commonly asked question, week after week, year after year. Simply put, having a physical relationship [Read more…]
A recent custody case in Michigan highlighted the perils that military parents may face when involved in a custody matter, particularly when on deployment. In that case, Matthew Hindes, active-duty Navy personnel who was deployed on a submarine in the Pacific Ocean, was threatened not just with the loss of his child, but also jail time and fines for failing to appear at a scheduled custody hearing. Ultimately, the local family court [Read more…]
South Carolina can be a dangerous place for a married or cohabiting woman. This state has a particularly rotten and well-deserved reputation for being a den of domestic violence. Every year, it seems South Carolina ranks #1 in the country for men killing women. As a Charleston Family Court lawyer, and one who keenly feels the need to help put a stop to this cycle of violence, I regularly me [Read more…]
Custody disputes can be among the most difficult cases for a Charleston divorce lawyer to handle. The difficulty is often compounded by the family tensions that existed long before the client ever walked in the door, tensions that are often multiplied by either a lack of or misunderstanding of South Carolina custody laws. One frequently misunderstood custody law is that regarding a child’s stated preference to live with one parent or the other. Parents want to know — will this make a difference in my case?
The short answer, as it so often it is in Famil [Read more…]
As a long-time divorce lawyer in Charleston SC, I have seen an entire generation of children processed (literally) through the court system as part of their parents’ divorce. Along the way, these children, many now adults with children of their own, have been analyzed, scrutinized, poked, prodded, debated, and carefully considered. Decisions and rulings beyond number have been made for them, and in their best interests, all as determined by the system. What we discover at this point, however, is that these children feel that they have not been heard, and they definitely have [Read more…]
Divorced or separated parents have to live, day by day, with the consequences to their children of the choices which they make as adults. Good choices for the children can be difficult to make, in the “fog” of separation or divorce. Whether you are separated, thinking about separation, divorced, or in the middle of a case on either, here are some suggestions from experienced divorce attorneys in Charleston for handling your extended summer times with your children:
