Raising Grandchildren

In this day and age there are a lot of grandparents raising their grandchildren for numerous different reasons. Sometimes the grandparent may seek custody of their grandchild due to the parents' incapacity to raise the grandchild. Other times the grandparent may have no choice but to raise the grandchild due to the situation at hand.

Marital vs Separate Property

There are two distinctions with respect to property and property division in divorce proceedings. The distinction involves which type of property the property constitutes for purposes of division.

Termination of Spousal Support

Spousal support is defined as a court-ordered obligation to provide support to a former spouse. Spousal support was formerly called alimony in most states. Once a decree of divorce enters, an obligation to pay spousal support will terminate as provided in the parties' support agreement or the court's order.

Sterilization of an Incompetent Individual

Sterilization of an incompetent individual is a hotly contested area of the law. Some states permit sterilization requests and others do not. From a traditional standpoint, the decision of whether to sterilize an incompetent individual is a family decision.

Adoption and Safe Families Act - Permanency Plans and Hearings

The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) requires states to conduct a permanency hearing within 12 months of a child's placement in foster care and at least every 12 months thereafter for as long as the child is in foster care. The date of the child's placement in foster care is the earlier of the following two dates: the date of the first judicial finding that the child is abused or neglected, or 60 days after the removal of the child from his or her home.