Parental alienation is an increasingly used tool in the war between divorced or divorcing parents. However, legal experts and psychologists differ about whether such a thing really exists. Depending on the expert, parental alienation syndrome, …

Does a parent’s failure to vaccinate their child constitute abuse or neglect? Some people do not believe in vaccinations because of religious reasons or fear of the government. Should their rights to privacy outweigh what …

Let’s consider an example. A married couple is getting a divorce. There is a custody dispute. The parties gather their evidence and understand that the court will make a custody decision based on the best …

In divorce situations, one spouse or ex-spouse may become legally obligated to make payments to the other party in the form of alimony or maintenance. Since these payments are often substantial, locking in tax deductions …

Third-party custody is often defined as custody of a child involving a nonparent. Each state considers a number of factors prior to awarding child custody to a third party. Usually, third-party custody occurs when the …

The HIPAA Privacy Rule provides individuals with the right to access their medical and other health records from their health care providers and health plans, upon request. The Privacy Rule generally also gives the right …

The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was enacted in 1978 in response to a crisis affecting American Indian and Alaska Native children, families, and tribes. Studies revealed that large numbers of Native children were being …

Abortion remains a hotly debated topic. What happens, however, when abortion intersects with family law? Currently, such considerations are non starters. A woman’s body is her body and her decision. We have seen fathers who …

Paralegals who draft divorce documents. Former, disbarred attorneys handling mediations. These are just some of the examples of legal “professionals” who hold themselves out as providing a service. Calls are being made to identify these …

In movies and stories we hear about common law marriage. However, common law marriage isn’t common. What we mean by this is that not every state recognizes common law marriage. The reason this is an …