The Power of Collaboration Over Litigation
By: Attorney Annelisse Velazquez-Fernandez A family law case does not always have to involve a courtroom battle. For some couples, the collaborative process offers a more private, cooperative way to resolve the issues that come with separation. In North Carolina, the collaborative law process allows spouses to work toward a settlement with the help of […]
The Power of Communication in Family Law: Why a Bilingual Attorney Can Make a Difference
By: Attorney Annelisse Velazquez-Fernandez & Attorney Natasha Castellano Family law touches some of life’s most emotional and consequential moments—divorce, child custody, support, adoption, domestic violence, and the many legal issues that shape the future of a family. Every case is different, but one thing remains constant: how well you and your attorney communicate can have […]
What We Wish Every Client Knew Before Their Custody Case Began
By: Attorney Annelisse Velazquez-Fernandez Every family law case is different, but after helping countless families through divorce, custody disputes, support matters, and other domestic issues, our team has noticed something: there are a few things we wish every client knew before their case even started. What follows is not necessarily legal advice – it is […]
Why Family Courts Look Forward, Not Back
By: Attorney Annelisse Velazquez-Fernandez One of the hardest conversations we have with clients sounds something like this: “They were never the one getting up in the middle of the night. They don’t know our child’s bedtime routine. I was at every doctor’s appointment, every school pickup, every sick day.” These are real sacrifices and they […]
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Your Rights to the Marital Home During Separation
By: Attorney Annelisse Velazquez-Fernandez If you are considering separation in North Carolina, here is something worth knowing before anything else: you cannot simply file for divorce and move on. State law requires that spouses live separately for one year and one day before divorce proceedings can even begin. That means establishing two separate households—with at […]
The NICU and Parental Rights: What Separating Parents Should Know about the NICU
By: Attorney Annelisse Velazquez-Fernandez September is NICU Awareness Month—a time to recognize the thousands of babies who spend their first days, weeks, or months in a neonatal intensive care unit. No parent imagines spending the first weeks of their child’s life in a hospital, but for thousands of families, that is exactly the reality. For […]
Stepparent Adoption in North Carolina: What Families Should Know
Stepparent adoption is one of the more emotionally meaningful legal processes a blended family can go through, and it’s also one that families often assume is simpler than it turns out to be. In North Carolina, the process legally recognizes a stepparent as a child’s parent, but getting there generally depends on one factor more […]
Contested vs. Uncontested Divorce in North Carolina. What’s the Difference?
An uncontested divorce in North Carolina means both spouses agree on every major issue, including property division, child custody, child support, and spousal support. A contested divorce means the spouses disagree on one or more of those issues, which typically requires additional negotiation, mediation, or a judge’s decision at trial. The history of your marriage […]
What Is Mediation in a North Carolina Divorce and Do You Have to Do It?
In North Carolina, mediation is legally required before a judge will schedule a trial for contested child custody disputes and equitable distribution (property division) cases. Under N.C. General Statutes § 50-13.1(c) for custody and § 50-20(h) for property division, parties must attempt mediation before their case can proceed to a courtroom hearing, making mediation not […]
Can Divorce Actually Be… Healthy? (Yes, Really.)
By: Sodoma Law Belmont Caroline W. Strauss Senior Attorney | Certified Parenting Coordinator Divorce gets a bad rap — and honestly, sometimes it deserves it. But what if divorce could be done the right way? I recently joined a local therapy group’s podcast to talk about exactly that. Here’s what we came up with. Good Reasons to […]