By Suzanne Chester In October 2020, I wrote about the weaponization of the charge of parental alienation in family court, and how it obscures the multiple legitimate reasons children have for rejecting contact with a parent. In 2022, three influential organizations took a public position on this issue of parent-child contact problems. The American Professional […]
By Elysia Prendergast-Jones and Sarah Hill McIntyre Elysia Prendergast-Jones and Sarah Hill McIntyre are Co-Chairs of the Pro Bono Committee of the Family Law Section. They have taken on the important task of serving the underserved in addition to managing regular cases. The Pro Bono Committee is always looking for volunteers to assist clients across […]
By Ketan Soni I’m thankful that I’m still your chair. You are probably thankful that Jill Jackson will be your next chair. Please don’t impeach me. We just had a Council meeting on November 17. Here’s an update on my goals. 1. Succession Plan: It’s going to get done by December 31, 2022. So far, […]
By Ketan Soni Jill Jackson has been a staple of the family law community in North Carolina for over 20 years. You may know her as a fierce litigator, a seasoned negotiator, or literally a Wonder Woman™. (Ask her about this if you don’t know the reference.) In addition to these wonderful things, Jill has […]
By Elysia Prendergast-Jones The month of October brings awareness to many causes. It is Cancer Awareness Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Pro Bono Month. Let’s talk about what we can do as family law attorneys to bring some awareness to Pro Bono Month. The North Carolina State Bar asks each lawyer to commit to […]
By Ketan Soni Did you read my last post? Here it is. I’m still your chair. Jill Jackson is still your more pleasant vice-chair. Before reading the rest of this post, ask yourself: “Am I seriously going to be out-volunteered by Ketan Soni?” If the answer is: “Not while I still have breath in me!”, […]
By Alicia Mitchell-Mercer and S.M. Kernodle-Hodges “If one wishes to know how justice is administered, one does not question the policemen, the judges, or the protected members of the middle class. One goes to the unprotected— those, precisely, who need the law’s protection most! — and listens to their testimony. ~James Baldwin, “No Name on […]
By Lisa LeFante Let’s face it, being a lawyer is hard. Being a family lawyer is even harder. We all know that lawyers get a bad rap . . . What do you call 1,000 lawyers at the bottom of the sea? . . . A good start! Family lawyers get an even worse rap […]
By Meredith Parker Are you looking to broaden your knowledge of family law? Are you in need of CLE hours? Have you missed the excitement of attending a fun-filled, in-person CLE with your favorite family law colleagues? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you’re in luck – registration for the 2022 Family […]
By Ketan Soni Thanks for reading this post and for allowing me to be your Chair this year. Don’t sit on me too hard, please! Our esteemed and more likeable Vice Chair is Jill Jackson. If you’d rather not go through this entire post, there is a tl;dr version at the bottom. After reading this […]