Child Custody FAQs for North Carolina Residents

adult and child hands

Child custody is a confusing, complicated, and emotionally fraught process that no parent ever wants to put their child through. To obtain the outcome that is in your and your child’s best interests, you need to work with an experienced Raleigh child custody attorney who can provide more detailed answers to the most frequently asked … Read more

Divorce: When Do We Create a Schedule for Our Kids?

Creating a schedule for your children and organizing your co-parenting plan is a critical part of a divorce. During this process, you may feel like you are neglecting your children and not giving them the proper attention they need and deserve. Depending on the relationship between you and your spouse after the divorce, declaring a schedule … Read more

3 Common Child Custody Questions

Child custody is one of the two biggest stressors during divorce. (Money is the other one.) That’s why it’s often the source of most questions asked during our Raleigh divorce workshop each month. While of every situation is different, we rounded up three questions from our recent workshops to answer here. Please note: You must … Read more

Custody Tips For Dads

father and son on a hammock

For Dads, custody can be difficult to win, even though the courts do not discriminate against dads. Whether you are a father going for full custody or joint custody, you should be prepared for a difficult child custody battle, especially if the child’s mother is also filing for custody. Consider the following tips to help … Read more

Child Custody And Planning For Summer

Believe it or not, summer is fast approaching. Before you know it, your kids will be out of school for the summer, and your normal custody arrangement will be changing for the summer. It’s especially important for divorced parents to plan ahead for the summer schedule. When creating your summer custody plans, it is possible … Read more

An Update On Custody Exchanges and COVID-19

The Wake County Family Court has issued a memo on court-ordered custody exchanges of minor children and how the COVID-19 pandemic affects it. The memo is below, or you can download the full PDF here. In light of Chief Justice Beasley’s recent announcement, the subsequent courtroom closures, and the new “stay at home” directives, we … Read more

How disputes can make child exchanges dangerous

When North Carolina parents have ended their marriage, they will likely still share custody of their children. At some point, they must physically exchange custody. The actual exchange of the children can be dangerous, especially if one or both parents are not able to resolve their differences. Usually, the parenting agreement outlines the exact place … Read more

Grandparent visitation issues

In North Carolina and throughout the U.S., grandparents play an important part in the lives of their grandchildren. While relationships vary from family to family, in many cases, grandparents provide emotional assistance, child rearing help and even provide financial support. Due to the complexities of modern family life, there are situations in which an existing … Read more

Different types of visitation after a divorce

When North Carolina parents are going through a divorce, disagreements over custody and visitation are not uncommon. However, knowing what to expect might help both parents make the transition more smoothly. In some cases, courts will order fixed visitation for the noncustodial parent. This might be weekends, weekday evenings or merely holidays. This might be … Read more

Jolie-Pitt custody agreement extended

North Carolina fans of actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt may be following their divorce and dispute over child custody. On Sept. 14, there was allegedly an altercation on a private jet involving Pitt. Less than a week later, Jolie filed for divorce. Pitt has denied that such an incident took place. In the meantime, … Read more

Domestic violence and child custody issues

North Carolina parents who are getting a divorce and who are also dealing with domestic violence might want to consider some myths that surround abuse and child custody. For example, a separation does not always result in a child being safe from domestic violence. One expert says she has often seen a parent try to … Read more

Parental alienation issues in divorce cases

When a North Carolina judge deals with a contentious divorce situation involving issues such as one parent claiming that the other has abused their child, there can be challenges in assessing the validity of such a claim. In some cases, allegations of child abuse may be justified and accurate. In others, however, a parent may … Read more

Ways a parent can help their child through a divorce

Children of divorced parents in North Carolina often have a hard time understanding their parents’ decision to separate. Many children develop unhealthy thought patterns after the divorce when they start blaming themselves or taking sides with one parent. Parents can help their children through this difficult time by refraining from negative talk about the other … Read more

Shepherd appealing parenting and support decision

North Carolina fans of “The View” may be familiar with the child support issues facing 48-year-old Sherri Shepherd, a former host of the television program. She went to court to challenge her responsibility for her child born through surrogacy, and the Pennsylvania Superior Court deemed her contract and child support obligations to be valid. The … Read more

Social media and child custody issues

North Carolina parents who are going through a divorce and negotiating child custody matters should be aware of a recent ruling that might set a precedent for the way social media posts are used in custody battles. The ruling involved using a Facebook profile as evidence in a custody dispute. Courts in custody cases give … Read more

Kelly Rutherford’s child custody case

A California judge has ruled that the state does not have jurisdiction to hear Kelly Rutherford’s custody case. For child custody cases in North Carolina and other states, children must have some connection with the state in order for a court to have jurisdiction. In Rutherford’s case, the children had only spent about a week … Read more

Kardashian breakup raises child custody questions

North Carolina celebrity watchers may already be aware of the breakup between Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick, who had three children together. There has been speculation regarding the likelihood of a custody battle between the two, as well as regarding the potential impact of Disick’s rumored substance abuse on the outcome of any such case. … Read more

The problems of international child abductions

Child custody and visitation disputes are often a major concern of North Carolina parents when they go through a divorce. While most of these issues are resolved, some parents take the extreme action of taken the child to another country in violation of a court order. According to the U.S. State Department, more than 8,000 … Read more

Seeking emergency temporary custody

Not all North Carolina couples who decide that it is time to get a divorce make the decision amicably. In some cases that involve children, one parent may fear for the safety of their child or fear that the other parent may inhibit them from visiting their child. If there are serious threats, a parent … Read more

North Carolina child custody and relocation

A custodial parent is generally not permitted to simply leave with any children in their custody, regardless of the reason. In divorce cases where children are involved, there is typically a clause that specifies that a custodial parent may not relocate outside of a given radius or area, must give a certain amount of notice … Read more

Overview of parenting agreements

Some parents in North Carolina who are going through a divorce or separation are usually able to agree on a custody arrangement outside of court. Many reach an agreement about child custody through informal negotiations while other parents use more formal mediation or collaborative law processes to settle their issues. Once an agreement about child … Read more

Making a parenting plan outside of court

If you and your spouse have minor children and are getting a divorce, you have to work out with whom your children will live and who has decision-making power regarding major decisions about their lives. In North Carolina, amicably agreeing to a parenting plan can save you from going to court and accumulating a high … Read more

Changing a custody order in North Carolina

As the lives and circumstances of divorced parents change, child custody orders may be changed also so that as you and your children grow and change, so can the terms of your child custody order. The law allows parents to request modifications to previously issued child custody and visitation orders in certain situations. In order … Read more

Virtual visitation is possible child custody matters

North Carolina is one of the first states in the country that have passed statutes giving courts the freedom to use virtual visitation when settling child custody issues. Several other state governments are looking at electronic communication tools as an option for parent-and-child visits, and they are considering laws to facilitate virtual visitations. Family courts … Read more

Get case review

Request a Callback

Submit a form below and we will contact you within 24 hours.