Ask a Divorce Lawyer: What is the determining factor in who gets custody of children?

Question: What is the determining factor in who gets custody of children?

Ask a Divorce Lawyer: I signed my paternal rights over to my ex’s new husband so why am I getting child support bills again?

Question: I live in Georgia but my 18-year-old child lives in California. In 1995, I signed a court document granting my paternal rights over to my ex’s new husband. (He was supposed to adopt him, but apparently never did.) Three years later, I start getting child support bills again. First …

Divorce & Taxes: Tax time has special meaning for divorcees

By Barry Finkel It’s tax time. As if taxes weren’t perplexing enough, divorcees have numerous considerations when calculating income and expenses – and filing tax returns. Year-end tax time requires special attention. When handled by an experienced family law attorney and a tax professional, returns can meet both the letter …

Ask a Divorce Lawyer: Why did the court order me to pay child support to the mother when the child doesn’t live with her?

Question: The father resides in Georgia, the child support case is in Florida. The child lives with the grandmother, the father pays $200 a month to grandmother. The mother of the child decides she wants to collect child support even though the child does not reside with her and she …

Ask a Divorce Lawyer: Can we move our kids out of the country if there’s no custody order in place?

Question: My girlfriend lives in New York and has children from a previous marriage. There is currently no custody order in place. Would she be allowed to move out of the country with the children since there’s no order?

Ask A Divorce Lawyer: Is it kidnapping when I am still married and take our son away?

Question: My wife and I are having an extremely difficult time right now on account of her troubles with severe depression and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. We have been together for almost 10 years, but the situation is worsening. I don’t think I can stay any longer. I feel very strongly that …

Ask A Divorce Lawyer: Can I send the IRS the divorce decree if she refuses to sign the proper forms?

Question: Every other year I have the right to claim my daughter on my taxes. This year is my year. We have joint custody and my ex-wife has primary physical placement. She is refusing to sign the form 8322 simply due to stubbornness and not because of any legal issue. …

Ask A Divorce Lawyer: Do joint bank accounts offer any protection from her draining the accounts?

Question: Last February, I told my wife that I wanted a separation. We went through a month of hell living together. She, to my total shock at the time, ended up getting an attorney and filing for divorce. I thought she would never do that. But what really shocked me …

Ask a Divorce Lawyer: My ex gave up custody but now wants our daughter back. Can she do this?

Question: My ex gave up custody of my daughter three years ago and I have signed legal documents to prove this. I have always let me ex see my daughter, but now my daughter is 13 and my ex wants her back. So she hasn’t returned my daughter for the last …

Ask a Divorce Lawyer: Do I have to pay child support for my stepson or just my biological kids?

Question: I am considering a divorce from my wife. We have three kids, and the oldest is my stepson and there is a prior custody agreement in place between my wife and her old boyfriend for my stepson. Our other children are 6 and 4 years old. My wife doesn’t …