Financial Resources Available for Grandparents with Custody of Their Grandchildren

By Robert "Chip" Mues   |   February 20th, 2008

Raising children takes a lot of money. There is some goods news. Many people are not aware that there are “public benefits” programs available which could help many grandfamilies pay for food and electricity or other monthly expenses including health insurance. The AARP Foundation has established an outreach program and has a new online tool called “BenefitsQuickLINK” and this tool can help adults who are over 50 years old find out if they or the children in their care qualify for any of the 15 benefits included in the tool.

To read the article about the work that AARP is doing and more details on these benefits, go to: Help for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

 … View Full Article → “Financial Resources Available for Grandparents with Custody of Their Grandchildren”

Grandparent Custody Issues From a Lawyer’s Viewpoint

By Anne Shale   |   February 17th, 2008

Grandparents Gaining “Custody” of Their Grandchildren: Why? How? Where?

In an ideal world, children should be reared by a loving and caring two-parent family, having both a Father and a Mother, with plenty of caring relatives to assist with parenting activities during times of stress, need, or illness. Today, we are seeing more and more Grandparents taking on the responsibility of primary child-rearing of their Grandchild or Grandchildren. For the sake of brevity, this article is directed to Grandparents seeking “custody” of one Grandchild though they may, in fact, be seeking “custody” of several Grandchildren. Why are we seeing and reading about this happening or phenomenon?

    1. Some parents have problems with untreated mental illness. Our firm recently assisted Grandparents in gaining “temporary custody” of their young Grandson as the child’s Mother has Bipolar Disorder, aka Manic Depressive Disorder. When she adhered to her medication regime, she could provide safe and effective parenting for her Son.
… View Full Article → “Grandparent Custody Issues From a Lawyer’s Viewpoint”

Domestic violence and some relevant statistics. What do they tell us?

By Robert "Chip" Mues   |   February 7th, 2008

Domestic Violence is defined as a pattern of behavior utilized to establish power and control over another person. It typically involves an escalating pattern of abuse where one party in an intimate relationship controls the other through intimidation, threats of violence or actual violence. The abusers frequently manage to virtually “brainwash” the victim into believing that it was his/her fault and the abuse or beating was deserved. According to the National Violence Against Women Survey, nearly twenty-five percent (25%) of American women report being raped and/or physically assaulted by a current or former spouse, co-habitating partner, or a date at some time in their lives. Forty percent (40%) of adult Americans say they know a woman who has been physically abused in the past year by a male. In 2006, Ohio Law Enforcement Agencies responded to 71,946 domestic dispute calls (Ohio Attorney General’s Criminal Indemnification 2006 Statistics). Of those calls to the police, 34,021 were categorized as domestic violence incidents.… View Full Article → “Domestic violence and some relevant statistics. What do they tell us?”

Avoid Headache, Safeguard Your Assets

By Robert "Chip" Mues   |   January 29th, 2008

Jeffrey Lalloway, publisher of the California Divorce and Family Law Blog, wrote this excellent article. I couldn’t agree more with his suggestions!

Lessen impact of divorce on credit

If you’re planning to file for divorce this year or are already splitting your assets with your soon-to-be ex-spouse, your credit is likely to take a hit.

Many people don’t realize that lenders do not honor court decrees that assign payment responsibilities for joint loans. The mistaken assumption that you’re off the hook for financial obligations can result in a series of missed payments that may trash your credit score for years.

This needn’t happen if you safeguard your credit before you file for divorce. Consider these tips from John Ulzheimer, author of “You’re Nothing but a Number” and an expert at Credit.com, a consumer personal finance site.

If you have joint accounts with your spouse, do your best to turn them into individual accounts so that it will be easier for the divorce court to split up your financial responsibilities.… View Full Article → “Avoid Headache, Safeguard Your Assets”

Relocation Issues

By Anne Shale   |   January 21st, 2008

Twenty to thirty years ago, there was no issue related to “relocation”. There was a custodial parent, usually the Mother, and a non-custodial parent, usually the Father. If Mother wanted to relocate to return to the home of her family, to join her new husband at his next assignment, or to find a better paying employment position, Mother simply relocated or moved to her next city or state of residence.

Today, the issue of “relocation” has become an issue of much importance. Fathers’ rights have come to the forefront as Fathers have become more involved in the rearing of their children. My Father never changed a diaper, never bathed or dressed me or my siblings, and certainly was not involved in other parenting tasks involving “hands on” care. His primary “job” as Husband and Father was to be the breadwinner for the family!

Many Fathers of today do share in the parenting responsibilities of their children; and, some Fathers have actually been designated as the primary care-givers of their children.… View Full Article → “Relocation Issues”

Penalty in Cincinnati for Bigamy

By Robert "Chip" Mues   |   January 18th, 2008

I learned of this Ohio bigamy case on Janet Langjahr’s excellent Florida Divorce Law Blog.

Ohio man is convicted of bigamy.
Man is sentenced to probation – and ordered to get a divorce from one of his three wives within six months.
Man fails to get divorce.
Man is arrested for probation violation.
Man is confined to house arrest.
Man is again ordered to get divorce.
Man faces jail time for probation violation and, presumably, original offense. But the judge doesn’t want to put Man in jail. The judge just wants Man to get a divorce from one of his wives.
However, that still appears to leave Man with one wife too many …

Continue Reading → in this Cincinnati Enquirer article: “Bigamist gets time to divorce a wife.”

Source: “OH: Penalty for Bigamy? Get a Divorce Already”, published by Janet Langjahr at her Florida Divorce Law Blog on January 6, 2008.… View Full Article → “Penalty in Cincinnati for Bigamy”

How to Select a Divorce Lawyer Pt. 2

By Robert "Chip" Mues   |   January 2nd, 2008

In Part 2 of “How to Select a Divorce Lawyer” attorney Robert Mues continues his key considerations in selecting the “right” divorce lawyer:

The “Hot Potato Shuffle”

Some family law firms shuffle clients between lawyers in the firm like they are “hot potatoes.” Clarify at the start of the representation the firm’s policy on the subject. While this type of treatment may work on a personal injury, criminal or insurance defense matter, it rarely results in high client satisfaction at the conclusion of a divorce case.

Guaranteed Results

The objective in hiring your divorce lawyer should be to find excellent representation not specific results. Be leery of any attorney who makes broad guarantees at an initial conference. There are many shades of gray in family law litigation. The ultimate results in any divorce case are impacted by the facts and oftentimes which judge is assigned the case. Therefore, it is usually premature to make definitive representations at an initial conference.… View Full Article → “How to Select a Divorce Lawyer Pt. 2”

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