A new child support worksheet became effective in Tennessee on May 10, 2020. The new child support worksheet is long overdue as this is the first substantial revision in nearly Fifteen (15) years which is when the income share approach came into effect in Tennessee. While the revisions are not monumental, the revisions include tightening of definitions and gray areas…
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Family Law
When Safer at Home is not Safe
The Covid-19 pandemic has led to schools and businesses shutting down. In East Tennessee, our governor issued Executive Order 24 last week which orders Tennesseans to stay in place except for essential activities. While some are relishing staying at home and a slower pace, there are others who live in homes with an unsafe partner or parent. According to the…
Open Adoption Agreements
Adoptions are typically plagued as the biological parent having some type of long-term issue that deemed them unfit; whether it be drugs, alcohol, or unfit living conditions. This is not always the case. Studies show that children who are adopted often struggle with reality v. fantasy. By reality I mean what their current situation is versus what their life would…
Books for Women Experiencing Marital Difficulties
Ladies, this blog is for you in particular (don’t worry fellas, your time is coming). At Burton McKinnish, PLLC we do not discriminate, we love representing Moms and Dads. Today is a special blog just for our Mothers that we have helped in the past and will be there for in the future. Who likes a good book? I do!…
School-Zone (and equal co-parenting time)
With school starting throughout the Eastern district of Tennessee it should come as no surprise that determining what school a child or children should attend is no easy task for domestic attorneys around our state. Historically, this decision was determined by the...
The Devastation of Divorce
Once upon a time, I was that girl. I loved to look at bridal magazines. I looked at every jewelry case I passed and dreamed of the day my beloved would fall on one knee and ask me to spend forever with him. The day of the proposal came and it was picture perfect –...
Why you need an attorney for your family
Having practiced for over a decade most people know what I do for a living. However, it is easy to be classified as a “family law” attorney or a “domestic attorney” (I prefer domestic diva, but alas, I digress LOL). Your family needs an attorney. No, not necessarily a family law attorney, but a family attorney – someone your family…
Do I need a Divorce Attorney?
In 2017, information is at our fingertips. A potential client can google divorce forms and pull-up a phonebook of forms to attempt to draft and file divorce pleadings on their own. The question comes up often in divorce cases where the parties have limited financial means or where they agree on what to do with respect to their children –…
Top Ten Things No To Do In A Divorce
Do not believe everything you read on the internet. Believe that your divorce is “just like your friend’s divorce.” Just like marriage and children –no two are alike. Belittle your spouse to your children. No judge wants to hear that little Suzy or Sally knows Dad was sleeping with the secretary and that is why Mommy and Daddy don’t live…
Top Ten Things To Do In A Divorce
Keep a list of questions you have for your attorney and communicate them succinctly and at One (1) time; Provide your most recent paystub, most recent income tax filing, and a copy of your monthly income and expenses to your attorney within Thirty (30) days of hiring counsel; List all of your assets and debts. Give the list to your…