Tag: Shelby County court

Documents representing discovery process in Tennessee divorce

Discovery in Divorce: What You Have to Hand Over

She looked at the discovery requests and then looked at me. “They want everything.” “Yes.” “For five years?” “Yes.” “Even the…” “Yes.” The word discovery makes people nervous. It sounds like a fishing expedition. Like the other side gets to dig through everything you own. That is...

Property division representing equitable distribution in Tennessee divorce

Equitable Distribution: What Fair Means in Tennessee

Posted in Big Latin Words.

“Fifty-fifty, right? That’s how it works?” I hear that at least once a week. And I have to explain that Tennessee is an equitable distribution state, not an equal distribution state. I say that to every client at the start of the property conversation, and about half of them hear it as the...

Lady Justice statue with scales representing contested and uncontested divorce in Tennessee

Contested vs. Uncontested: Choosing the Right Path

Posted in Big Latin Words.

Two clients came to see me. Similar situations on paper. Both married fifteen years. Both with two kids. Both ready to be done. One of them was finished in sixty days with a settlement that both parties drafted together. The other one is still going, eight months in, with no end in...

Gavel representing court order enforcement in Tennessee family law

How to Actually Enforce a Court Order

Posted in Big Latin Words.

Getting a court order is half the battle. Sometimes it is the easier half. I remember a case a few years back. We spent months in litigation. Settlement conference. Failed mediation. Trial. My client won on almost every issue. The judge’s order was clear as day. And then the other side just…...

Gavel representing parenting plan enforcement and contempt in Tennessee

When Your Ex Won’t Follow the Parenting Plan

Posted in Big Latin Words.

She was supposed to drop the kids off at six. It was seven-thirty. No call. No text. Just… nothing. He sat in his car in the parking lot of the agreed exchange location, getting angrier by the minute. When she finally showed up, no explanation, no apology; he said some things he would later...

School supplies representing education disputes in Tennessee custody cases

Set Up the Next Shift

Posted in Big Latin Words.

Before law school, I worked in restaurants. Nobody called me Lawyer Bill back then. Every closing shift ended the same way. Somebody would come through and say, set up the next shift for success. Restock the line. Cut the lemons. Roll the silverware. Wipe your station down so the person...

Grandparent with grandchild representing grandparent visitation rights Tennessee

Grandparent Visitation Rights in Tennessee

Posted in Big Latin Words.

I got a call last month from a grandmother in her seventies. Her voice broke twice while she was explaining the situation. Her son had died. Her daughter-in-law had remarried. The new husband did not want the grandmother around. And now she had not seen her grandchildren in fourteen...

Legal documents representing name change in Tennessee divorce

Name Changes in Divorce: Simpler Than You Think

Posted in Big Latin Words.

Of all the things people worry about in a divorce, the name change question is one of the least complicated. Which is why I am a little surprised by how often it falls through the cracks. Here is what you actually need to know. You Can Include It in the Divorce Decree In...

Financial documents representing alimony and spousal support in Tennessee

Alimony in Tennessee: Who Gets It, How Long, and Why

Posted in Big Latin Words.

I spend more time explaining alimony than almost any other topic in family law. Not because the law is confusing (though parts of it are). Because everybody thinks they already know how it works. And almost everybody is wrong. The myths I hear constantly: That it is automatic. That it is...

House representing marital home division in Tennessee divorce

What Happens to the House in a Tennessee Divorce

Posted in Big Latin Words.

I had a client last year who wanted to keep the house more than she wanted almost anything else in the divorce. It was the place her kids had grown up. It was the neighborhood where she knew everyone. It was the only thing she felt she could control when everything else was falling apart. So...

Tag: Shelby County court

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