Category Archives: Child Custody
In Determining Custody, Parent-Child Attachment Counts for More Than Financial Stability
Do you think you can persuade the court to give you custody of your children because your ex works two minimum wage jobs, having her relatives babysit when her workdays extend past the daycare center’s closing time, meanwhile you own your own business and set your own hours? Think again. The court will not… Read More »
Courts Base Child Custody Decisions on What Parents Do, Not on What They Promise
One of the most painful parts co-parenting is when your children come back from your ex’s house and spout the outsized, probably empty promises they heard. Dad says he’s getting us a puppy next weekend. Dad says we’re going to Disney World for Christmas. Dad says he will buy me a car when I… Read More »
You Need the Court’s Permission to Move Out of State If You Have Minor Children
It can be a relief to hold a divorce decree in your hands, especially after years of unsuccessful attempts to resolve your differences with your spouse, followed by a long and expensive court battle. You might feel that you are finally free from the miserable life you shared with your ex-spouse, but if you… Read More »
Luke v. Luke: A Child Visitation Case in Which a Disabled Parent Depended on a Child for Care
Courts must base their decisions about child custody and visitation on the best interests of the child without placing undue hardship on either of the parents. When both parents are healthy and live within commuting distance of each other, agreeing on and adhering to a visitation schedule is fairly simple. Parents simply specify as… Read More »
Beyond the (Reefer) Madness: The Straight Truth About Marijuana and Child Custody in Tennessee
If you are going to smoke weed, Tennessee is not the best place to do it. Tennessee’s laws leave very little wiggle room for medical cannabis use. The only cannabis product that Tennessee classifies as “medical cannabis” is CBD oil; anything that contains THC is plain old marijuana, an illegal drug even for people… Read More »
Can a Father Get Custody of Children After a Long Period of Not Being in Their Lives?
In a perfect world, former couples who have children together would divide their time with the children approximately equally, and they would keep to a schedule of transferring the children from one parent to the other. In real life, though, things do not always work out so neatly. The situation can get especially complicated… Read More »
A Family Lawyer Can Help You Navigate Issues of Child Custody When Your Ex Lives Outside Tennessee
The reason that Tennessee parenting plans address so many details is that there are so many issues over which divorced couples can argue. The things that annoyed you about your ex when you were married do not go away after you get divorced. If it was an ordeal to get your spouse to pick… Read More »
Teenagers Have a Right to Voice Their Wishes About Time Sharing with Divorced Parents
When a couple that has young children together divorces, they agree on a parenting plan, which the court requires them to follow. It determines which parent has the children on weekdays and weekends, as well as holidays and vacations when school is not in session. In theory, parenting plans last until a child reaches… Read More »
Krystal, the Tennessee Mother Who Abandoned Her Children, Resulting in Termination of Parental Rights
The Tennessee family court system prioritizes the best interests of the children in all its decisions. In most cases, that means that both biological parents have regular contact with the children, although the details about how much time the children spend with each parent vary from one family to another. In many families, a… Read More »
The Parenting Plan Form Helps Tennessee Parents Navigate Child Custody Issues
When divorce proceedings are prolonged, it is often because the couple disagrees about how to share custody of their minor children. Once the divorce is final and the court issues a child custody order, the relief that parents feel about finally being finished with an emotionally draining divorce, and finally being able to move… Read More »