The Attorneys at Dixon & Moseley, P.C.
Strong, Trial-Ready Advocates Protecting Your Rights
The current state of marriage in the United States continues to shift and morph, adapting to the current climate of marriage and divorce in the country. The trends away from the traditional notion of “family” has caused a shift in trends from the traditional custody determinations. In previous decades, mothers were often granted custody over fathers. This was claimed to…
There are two (2) types of custody placements-initial and modification. Initial custody is determined at an early hearing-for example, a hearing to establish paternity or a final dissolution hearing in a divorce. Any change or amendment to custody after that initial custody determination is known as a custody modification. Initial custody and custody modification are based on several factors, and…
In custody matters, the best interests of the children are paramount, and the process seeks to determine who shall have physical and/or legal custody of the minor children of the parties. However, the parents are the parties to a custody matter, not children, and in fact, children’s statements are generally hearsay, and not admissible in Court under the Rules of…
The decision to get divorced can often be a difficult one, with underlying issues and bad feelings all around. Once the decision to get divorced has been made, there are still several matters to determine when moving forward with divorce and what can be accomplished with a divorce. 1) Jurisdiction. Generally, one of the first issues to determine before filing divorce…
In a matter involving custody, one big issue parents often face are records regarding the children- medical/health records are just one (1) common example. But who all has access to these records? In short, it depends. Generally, both the custodial and non-custodial parents are entitled to access to the children’s health records. Both parents are equally able to call up…
Society, and what comprises a family, has changed since the Leave it to Beaver days. Many more families are comprised by any mixture of parents, step parents, same sex couples, extended family members (aunts/uncles/grandparents), and even non married opposite sex couples cohabitating. The change in societal norms, and the construction of a family unit, has inherently caused the legislature and…
With respect to divorce actions and paternity actions, a court must determine which parent or both should have both legal and physical custody of a child, or children. Physical custody involves where the child sleeps the majority of the time (which parent the child is living with primarily and physically with). Legal custody is generally defined as decision-making regarding the…
Several recent blog posts have directly or indirectly addressed the shift away from the traditional family of a mother, father, and two children to a more blended family, often involving participation from extended family members and step-parents. Other third parties can even be guardians or custodians who are not related to the parties, but help raise the children. A recently…
When a child is born to a married couple, it may seem ridiculous to ask the question, who is the daddy? But, sometimes, this may not be a ridiculous question after all. Most all divorce petitions and decrees include the names and ages of the children born of the marriage (if under 21), but also include the statement “Wife is…
With our ever more mobile society, the notion of always living in the same state, county, or town, is a rarity. What happens however when two adults, divorced, or unmarried, have a child together, but are no longer a couple, and one parent moves away? Or, an unmarried couple that never lived in the same state, as long distance relationships…