What is the “Zero to Three” Initiative?

Effective January 1, Tennessee added five new courts to the Zero to Three initiative approved by the state Senate in 2017. The goal of Zero to Three, a nationwide endeavor, is to reduce the time children 36 months and younger spend in at-risk environments by providing their families with support services. The ultimate aim is…

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Can I Change My Divorce Decree After It Becomes Final?

  When your divorce is complete, it’s effectively “final,” but in life, things do change and that means you may need to change your divorce decree as well. As time goes on, either your or your ex-spouse’s life circumstances may no longer be the same, and certain issues in your divorce agreement may no longer…

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How the New Tax Law Affects Divorcing Couples

In late December, President Trump signed a $1.5 trillion tax overhaul bill into law 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). This bill ushers in some sweeping modifications to existing law, but two significant changes can directly affect couples going through a divorce—alimony deductions and the Child Tax Credit. Both of these issues are…

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Tennessee “Natural Marriage Defense Act” Delayed Again

A bill that died in the House last year found its way back into the House Civil Justice Subcommittee on January 17. And then found itself taken “off notice,” which means it will only come back for review at the sponsor’s will. This bill that seems to keep coming back is HB0892, the “Tennessee Natural…

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What are the Benefits and Drawbacks of Virtual Visitation?

One of the challenges facing divorced parents is their location relative to the location of their child’s other parent. If one parent needs to move, it can create a host of challenges: for both parents, and for the children. Virtual visitation can help keep a parent and child connected when a child lives too far…

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Shared Parenting: A Different Approach to Parenting After Divorce

It is generally accepted that children do better when they have access to a significant, bonded relationship with both parents. Unfortunately, the way life after divorce often works out, parenting time ends up being decidedly lopsided. Even when both parents are awarded joint custody, the child will typically spend the most time with one parent–which…

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Debunking the Most Common Myths about Fatherhood

There are many myths in our society, but few that have as much of an impact on family life as myths about fathers. Times are changing just as the cultural ideas about fatherhood and fathers’ roles are changing. When it comes to decisions about child custody when a marriage ends and both parties need to…

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6 Tips for a Successful Uncontested Divorce

With all due respect to Pat Benetar, love is not a battlefield, and divorce does not have to mean war. In an uncontested divorce, both parties agree to non-fault grounds. These are irreconcilable differences, or having lived in two separate residences for at least two years (provided you do not have children). If both parties…

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What Do You Want Your Child to Learn from Your Divorce?

So often, you hear about all the negative aspects of divorce, and the negative impact it can have on children’s lives in the long term. If the divorce is contentious, if there is a big custody battle, or if there is infidelity or other dramatic situations, it can upset children to see their parents fighting,…

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What Are the Legal Rights of Non-Custodial Parents in Tennessee?

When parents divorce, and their household is divided, determining who will have custody is often a difficult experience. But when custody is set, what often happens is that the child lives with one parent most of the time (the primary residential parent) and the other parent is granted visitation. Even when both parents share legal…

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