Making the decision to adopt a stepchild is one of the greatest things a stepparent can do. And while it may be an easy decision based on the parent-child relationship that has been built, the legal process can be more complicated. This is particularly true when it comes to terminating a biological parent’s rights so that you can adopt. Below, …
Facing the stress of divorce may be many Tennessee residents’ worst nightmare. However, when children are involved in these proceedings, parents may want to remember that their kids can also face a considerable deal of stress during this time. Therefore, individuals concerned with custody and other areas of family law should determine how to potentially make the situation easier on …
Transparency, Candid communication, Tailored advocacy These descriptors are the fundamental objectives in every client matter for the lawyers at Fidelis Law. From our offices in Brentwood, our legal team of attorneys — who collectively have decades of professional experience — seek to promote and advocate for the legal interests of our diverse clientele across select practice areas. We serve clients …
Many times clients come into our office and say that they, along with the biological parent, have raised their step child and now wish to formalize the relationship through adoption. This type of adoption is a way for people to legally know what they have emotionally felt for years: that the child is their own. Most of the time when …
I remember as a kid when my siblings and I would get into fights while traveling on trips, and my father would threaten “Do I need to pull the car over?” That was always enough to stop the dispute. Improper estate planning can bring back those memories – by rekindling childish jealousies among adult children. But this time, if you …
If it has been more than one year since your child support order was entered by the Court, it is probably time to take your child support in for a check-up. Chances are that either you or former spouse has had an increase or decrease in income since the time your child support order was entered, or have had a …
What will the Court consider in making the determination? In Tennessee, the Court has many statutory factors it must consider when initially determining custody as a result of divorce or a child being born to unmarried parents, or a change of custody from one parent to another. The Court must weigh each of these factors together and make a determination …
Wanting to adopt? What steps are required? The moment is still fresh in my mind because it is not something that happens every day. I have been in court plenty of times, but it’s not routine that people in a courtroom begin clapping. I would like to say it was because of my trial skills, but the reality is, the …
