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YOU HAVE YOUR COURT APPROVED PROPERTY SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT: NOW WHAT?
This is a companion to my article, “So You Have Your Child Custody Agreement: Now What?” https://hunterlawfirm.net/so-you-have-your-child-custody-agreement-now-what/ I was prompted to write the first one because of a client who had a good parenting agreement but no clue how to enforce it. Six months after the court approved it, she found herself back in Court… View Article
Stupid Lawyer Trick #27 – The Trigger Happy Contempt Petition
I am painfully aware that I come across with posts like this as an arrogant “know-it-all”. Do you think I like that? I hate it! I write these things in spite of wanting to be nice and constructive, not because I want to hurt feelings or offend. I do want to share ideas that will… View Article
Collaborative Divorce: I Remain Unconvinced
Here is a Huffpost article and scholarly discussion of “Collaborative Divorce”. It left me cold with the terms “psychotherapy” and “psychotherapists”. Sorry, but I’m in the trenches, trying to save clients and their children. Cannot see that adding a layer to this often contentious cake will be an improvement. Anyone who has read my stuff,… View Article
E-Mail Pitfalls and Opportunities
I am impatient. I do not understand the lawyer who will dictate a formal letter, scan it, and fax it, or, God Forbid, “snail-mail” it! I still send letters, but I prefer a quick note, or even a substantive communication, typed in short, numbered, paragraphs, in the moment, and sent on its way. There are… View Article
Brand New WV Custody and Alimony Law
Note to my readers: I apologize for the limited nature of this post, but it is the end of a long week, and I need time to digest these major revisions to West Virginia’s Child Custody and Alimony Laws. This is a first impression. I am told that Senate Bill 51, which you can Google,… View Article
You Aren’t Going to Mediation! (Now what will you do?)
This article is aimed primarily at family court lawyers, but lay people may benefit. Let’s keep something in mind. Personal injury and civil mediation are different from family mediation. People are representing themselves in family court perhaps 70% of the time and somehow surviving. There are mandatory forms, parenting classes, and a form of “one… View Article
2018: Mediation Tips Revised
KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL MEDIATION: Fundamentals of Mediation Editors Note: This rambles a bit, so I have highlighted some keys in bold red. I sometimes forget how little the average litigant, and even judges, know about mediation. There are no riveting serial television dramas staring a team of courageous mediators. Although my wife loves “Bull”… View Article
Digging Down 2018 – Short and Sweet!
Digging Down 2018: Short and Sweet Here’s the deal. Whether you have a lawyer or not, you probably will get some forms that are mandatory for your case. Take them seriously. The authors of the forms know you probably won’t read the law or rules, so, with luck, the forms can guide you to providing… View Article