Most people in North Carolina know or have heard that in order to get a divorce in North Carolina you must be separated for at least a year. However, some confusion arises over when the one-year time period begins. Our attorneys are often asked, “When am I legally separated?” Read the rest of this entry »

Valuing the Business

When a couple gets divorced, typically, counsel for both spouses will hire an expert to value the business, and more often than not, the experts’ values are miles apart – sometimes to the tune of millions of dollars.

Getting a credible and supportable appraisal of the business is one of the most critical steps a divorcing business owner should take to protect his or her business.     To obtain an appraisal that is accurate and will be accepted as an “expert opinion” by the Court, getting the right advisors on board for legal and business-valuation advice is critical. Read the rest of this entry »

When spouses are getting divorced, North Carolina law requires that assets acquired during a marriage be valued so that the marital estate can be fairly distributed to the divorcing spouses.When a divorcing spouse owns a business, the business interest must be valued as part of the marital estate. Frequently, only one of the spouses actually operates the business, although the other may own shares. Read the rest of this entry »

In cases where the income of both parents exceeds $300,000 annually, the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines do not apply. However, the Child Support Guidelines can be used to establish a “floor” or minimum amount of child support. Read the rest of this entry »

Raleigh, North Carolina (Gailor Wallis & Hunt) –  In almost every case, one parent will be ordered to provide monthly child support payments to the other parent. In the event that the combined pretax income of both parents is less than $300,000 the court will probably calculate child support using the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines. Read the rest of this entry »

The tension in your home is unbearable. You and your spouse are at each other’s throats. It feels like “The War of the Roses.” Can you move out of the marital residence without any negative consequences? It depends. Read the rest of this entry »

North Carolina Family Lawyers Perspective - Raleigh, North Carolina (North Carolina Family Law News) — Roughly one in every 150 children is affected by autism, according to a 2007 federal survey. Given that statistic, and an increased incidence of divorce among families with special-needs children, specialists in the field of autism are forming protocols aimed at assisting autism-affected families through the difficulties of separation and divorce. Read the rest of this entry »

You couldn’t agree on anything when you were married why should it be any different after you are divorced? Prior to divorce, communication is usually strained if not broken. Often times, the process of separation and divorce only exasperates prior communication problems. Ask yourself the following questions to determine if you are one of the millions of parents for whom co-parenting doesn’t work.

Do disagreements arise regarding the interpretation of the parenting plan that is in place? Read the rest of this entry »

Raleigh, N.C. — April 3, 2008 — Sadly, over half of all marriages in the United States end in divorce. This leaves many people in need of reliable advice in their time of difficulty. Family law practices across the nation offer men and women a wide range of legal services for resolving matters related to divorce, however the Raleigh, North Carolina Family Attorneys of Gailor, Wallis, & Hunt (GW&H) is taking a greater initiative to help citizens of its state and across the country make informed decisions on who they should choose. Read the rest of this entry »

Once suspicion is aroused that your spouse may be committing adultery or having an illicit sexual relationship, what steps can you take legally to determine if your suspicions are correct.

Hire a Private Investigator: generally, hiring a private investigator who is experienced in divorce investigations is the best bet to confirm suspicions of adultery. The drawback is that private investigators can be expensive and there is no way to determine, in advance, how long the surveillance will take to discover evidence of the suspected infidelity. Read the rest of this entry »