One of the most difficult concepts for lay persons to understand in the law is the rule stating that only relevant evidence is admissible in judicial proceedings. The concept would
Continue Reading A PAGE TURNER OPINION FROM MONTGOMERY COUNTY REMINDS US OF WHAT IS AND ISN’T RELEVANT IN A CUSTODY CASE
WHAT’S IN A NAME? MORE THAN YOU THINK
Periodically I am asked questions about name changes for children or whether a mother is obligated to use the biological father’s last name for the child (answer: she’s not). A
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NO EMAIL – IS YOUR LAWYER OLD SCHOOL OR IRRESPONSIBLE
A South Carolina attorney was recently disciplined for failing to have an active email address.
Despite characterizing herself as “retired” and not having a client in thirty years, the
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ADOPTION AND THE INDIAN CHILD WELFARE ACT
My colleague, Aaron Weems, blogged in the beginning of May about the Supreme Court’s decision to hear the case of Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl. The Supreme Court issued
Native American Adoption Decision Pending from U.S. Supreme Court
In this most recent U.S. Supreme Court term, the Court has heard two cases involving the domestic relations of a state. In addition to the arguments on same sex
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Adoptions
I am currently in the process of finalizing an adoption for a grandmother and her grandson. The grandmother initially came to me in 2009, but she unfortunately suffered a stroke
PENNSYLVANIA DRAWS A LINE WHERE INCARCERATION MEETS TERMINATION
One of the more nettlesome public policy questions courts are forced to address is when and under what circumstances are the rights of a child’s parent to be terminated. The right to procreate and to enjoy the comfort of one’s off spring has long been considered fundamental as a matter of constitutional law. But how is this right meaningful in a world where a parent has been or will be incarcerated for a substantial portion of the child’s minority? This is the question a unanimous Supreme Court sought to answer In Re: Adoption of S.P.
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Developments in Adoption Laws
A recent article in USA Today by Sharon Jayson highlights some of the changes in how Americans are adopting children. Referring to work by Mr. Adam Pertman, author of Adoption
Standing for Foster Parents to Assert In Loco Parentis Relationship to Children
Under Pennsylvania law, an individual stands “in loco parentis” to a child where he or she assumes the obligations of parenthood. In order to sustain an adoption petition predicated on a
Continue Reading Standing for Foster Parents to Assert In Loco Parentis Relationship to Children