Entries by FamilyLaw

Uniform Parentage Act – Feedback Needed

By Jennifer S. Tharrington  Scope of project: The Uniform Parentage Act, if passed, would revolutionize parentage law in North Carolina and provide our state with a uniform legal framework for establishing a parent-child relationship regardless of how children are conceived. The reason this matters: Currently, there is little or no law in North Carolina that allows […]

The Trail of Tracing and Transmutation

By Kristen Sherwood Have you ever had a client ask, “What happens to my inheritance if I decide to separate from my spouse?” “Is this my separate property?” “What if I used this for [insert marital purpose here]?” Clients come in with the often-googled buzzwords “comingling” and “conversion” and think that since these funds were […]

Family Law Intensive Seminar: November 2023

By Barbara Morgenstern To the best of my recollection, the first Family Law Intensive Seminar was held approximately 25 years ago. It was the brainchild of a Rocky Mount family law attorney named J. Edgar Moore. I believe the first seminar was limited to 50 people and to family law specialists or lawyers who had […]

Empower Pro Bono

By Elysia Prendergast-Jones Attorneys hold a unique power to transform the lives of many. It is often funny how lawyers are one of the top hated professions, yet most people will need an attorney at least once in their lives. We have an opportunity to show the softer and more caring side of attorneys through […]

Joining Closely Held Business Entities As Parties in Equitable Distribution Actions

By Chris Graebe Full disclosure at the outset: I’m not a family law practitioner. My practice involves a wide array of business litigation matters, including so-called “business divorce,” but never actual divorce. I will retire happily never having represented a spouse in an equitable distribution matter. However, I have represented business clients who have been […]

2023 is Not “2020, Too”

By Ketan Soni Your new chair, Jill Jackson, comes on board next week! Here’s where I started last July. Introduction After reading this post, ask yourself: “What have I done to make things better?” The answer, partially, is: “Helping clients endure through one of the most difficult times in their lives.”

March 2023 Family Law Section Update

By Ketan Soni A. We had a Council meeting on March 23, 2023. It was gloriously held over Zoom. The next (and final) meeting for this bar year is on May 18, 2023, in Cary. Did you know that you can attend Council meetings remotely, thus eliminating travel? Well, now you know how easy it […]

Share the Love of Pro Bono

By Elysia Prendergast-Jones A new year comes with new commitments, new resolutions, and a fresh outlook on our impact in the community. This year, we want to invite you to start the new year by checking off your pro bono commitments for the year. Our family law bar is a very active bar with valuable […]