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Legal and practical advice Lucille P. Uttermohlen P. O. Box 278 Monticello, IN 47960 (574) 583-6661 |
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Welcome To Couple Or Not Couple-or-not is a site for families who are facing legal issues. When life brings you and yours in contact with the court system, you want to know what to expect. The information on these pages won't substitute for legal counsel. Your lawyer knows your case and your state's laws, and should be consulted on all important legal issues. However, the more you know about the legal system, the better you will be able to help your lawyer protect your interests. The information here is general. State laws differ as to specifics such as time deadlines and venue and jurisdiction requirements. Most other things are the same across state lines. For instance, a divorce ends a marriage, no matter what court grants it. The issues surrounding paternity, guardianship and adoption are similar no matter where you file. The punishments may be different, but murder, battery and drunk driving are crimes no matter who commits them or where they occur. If you have specific questions about your state's law, I will try to answer. However, again, I am only licensed to practice in Indiana, and even though I can research any state's laws and cases, I can't give you anything but general information about your own situation. In short, don't rely on what I tell you, especially if your own attorney disagrees. Any information I give you is for educational and informational purposes. With that warning in mind, please feel free to send me your legal questions, and I will tell you what I can. Law Questions And Answers If you have comments or suggestions, I would love to hear from you at: Questions And Comments If you want to discuss family law issues join me at my blog: Family Law Blog And, if you want to help me improve the government, or tell me to mind my own business and let wiser heads prevail, join me at my other blog: Law Talk On This SiteMarriageWho can get married? How are marriages dissolved without divorce? What is a pre-nuptial agreement, and is it a good idea are among the questions this section of Couple-Or-Not will address. Divorce When a marriage ends, the state makes certain provisions to manage the couple's affairs. These include laws about property and debts. Even more important, the post divorce care of the parties' children has to be considered. Paternity It is obvious who is the child's mother. Identifying the father is harder. This is especially true if the man doesn't believe he caused the pregnancy. Nowadays, it is easy to solve the mystery if the father isn't an identical twin. Guardianship When a child's parents can't or won't take care of him / her, the courts have to step in. If an adult can't take care of his / her own finances, or is otherwise unable to manage his / her own affairs, the state has to act. The court does this by appointing a guardian over the person and estate of the child or adult. Who can serve as guardian, and what will this person have to do are the questions answered here. Adoption Sometimes parents die, abandon or abuse their children and the kids have to go elsewhere for care. Sometimes, just one of the parents is AWOL, and the other parent and the child go on with their lives and develop a new family. The way the law accommodates these events is with adoption law. Adoption creates a family relationship between people who are not biologically related, or changes the degree of legal relationship between people who are. Probate You really can't take it with you. When you die, the government has to have a way to give your property to the people or institutions you want to receive it. If you leave a will, dividing your property isn't as difficult. The court will follow your directions as long as they are reasonable, legal and not against public policy. If you don't leave a will, the state decides who you would have wanted to benefit from your property. Bankruptcy There was a time when inability to pay debts could land you in "debtor's prison". Fortunately, those days are gone in the US, and it is possible to get relief if your debts are a lot more than you can ever pay. Title 11 of the United States Code provides 2 kinds of bankruptcies. A "Chapter 13" filing is for people who have more debt then they can pay, but have enough money to pay some of what they owe. A "Chapter 7" bankruptcy is for people who don't even have enough money to pay against their debts. Domestic Violence Domestic violence is a sad reality of American life. Adults and children of all ages are victimized by the people who should love them most. Animals, too are mistreated by people who are cruel or stupid, or both. We humans are special. After all, we can think and use tools. The fact that we, as a species, have been given so much should make us wonder about our duties to those among us who can't defend their own interests. Criminal Law At first, I hesitated to include this page. Crime doesn't seem to have a lot to do with marriage, divorce or any of the other subjects covered here. However, all of us know someone who is facing the criminal law system. It is frightening when a daughter, son, mother, father or friend gets arrested. Again, it would be helpful for their families to know what to expect. Represent Yourself In Court?If your case is complicated, hire a lawyer. There are things a lawyer can do to help you present your best evidence and arguments to a judge. However, if you are facing a simple matter, you can save legal fees by doing it for yourself. Many times what a lawyer does is file the proper forms with the right people. Legal Zoom can provide the forms and instructions and you can do your own leg work. If you're not 100% satisfied, you get your money back. Find out more by clicking: Legal Forms Terms Of Service |
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Lucille P. Uttermohlen P. O. Box 278 Monticello, IN 47960 (574) 583-6661 lucille @ couple-or-not.com on 
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