Tag: Memphis family law
If I had a dollar for every time a client told me what they thought child support was going to be based on what their neighbor said, I could retire. (I am not retiring. But I could.)
Child support in Tennessee is not a negotiation. It is not based on what seems fair to either parent. And it is...
Material Change in Circumstances: The Hardest Standard in Family Court
Posted in Big Latin Words.
People call me all the time wanting to change their custody order. And the first thing I have to tell almost all of them is the same thing:
Wanting to change it is not enough.
Feeling like things are different is not enough.
Even being right is not always enough.
To modify a parenting...
Irreconcilable Differences: What That Actually Means in Tennessee
Posted in Big Latin Words.
I had a client tell me once that she wanted a divorce because her husband chewed too loud. She was not joking. Or rather, she was joking about the chewing, but she was not joking about wanting out.
What she was really saying was what most people mean when they say irreconcilable differences:...
Divorce and Taxes: The Questions Nobody Thinks to Ask
Posted in Big Latin Words.
I am going to be upfront about something. In law school, I avoided the building where they taught tax law. I have made peace with that decision. I still do not sleep particularly well in April, but that is another matter.
I am not a tax expert. I am a family law attorney. But every spring, the...
The Best-Interest Factors Just Changed. Here’s What That Means.
Posted in Big Latin Words.
I had a client once who did not want a divorce. He did not understand why his wife wanted one. What he kept saying, every time we talked, was that he wanted everyone to have a soft landing.
So when it came time to work out a parenting plan, he agreed to a step-up arrangement. Supervised...
Stop Taking Advice From AI
Posted in Big Latin Words.
Back in February I sat down and wrote two months worth of blog posts. It felt good to be ahead for once. Everything was scheduled, ready to go, and I did not have to think about it.
Today I had an article queued up about AI. And when I went back and read it, I realized that what I wrote two...
Contempt of Court. What It Is and Why Judges Take It Personally
Posted in Big Latin Words.
If you want to see a judge lose their patience in real time, ignore a court order.
Not misunderstand it.
Not struggle with it.
Ignore it.
Courts expect mistakes.
They do not tolerate defiance.
And that is the difference between being corrected and being punished.
What “Contempt” Actually Means...
Half a Century Old: Divorce After 50
Posted in Big Latin Words.
Tomorrow I will turn 50. Once upon a time, that number sounded ancient. Now I know you just feel ancient. Truth is, I’m wiser than I was at 20, wiser than I was at 30, and I know that when I’m 60 or 70, I’ll look back and realize I’ll be wiser still. That’s what life is. You think...







