All posts by BowTieLawyer

Matthew operates the Thompson Law Firm, pllc, a Mississippi based Family Law firm emphasizing; Divorce, Child Custody, Child Support, Modification, Contempt and Appeals, handling family law cases throughout Mississippi. (601) 850-8000 Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms www.BowTieLawyer.ms
Divorce, Opinion

Know What is Going on in Your Case!

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There have been countless times that I have spoken to a potential client (PC, not to be confused with a personal computer), that has been represented by another attorney, and the PC does not know what is happening in their own case.  This is unbelievable to me.  They do not know what was filed, they do not know if it has been set for trial, they do not know who the judge is.

A Family Law case is just about the most difficult thing that you do as an adult, short of a death of a close family member.  And in some instances Divorce can be worse because it’s the “death” of a marriage and you still have to co-exist with the other party.  At least if they were dead you wouldn’t have to deal with them.  Glib humor aside, Family Law is hard.

David Castillo Dominici/ freedigitalphotos.net

As a client you should know what has been filed; a Joint Complaint or a Fault based Complaint, you should know if you have Court coming up, and you should know who the Judge is.  Now, if you were told all of this and chose not to place this info into your permanent memory banks because you have confidence in your attorney and your goal is to get through today, that is ok.  But, if you don’t know the details because it has not been explained to you, it is time for a sit down and a heart to heart, seeing eye to eye with your attorney. (BTW, all attorneys have been guilty of this a time or two…)  Don’t be afraid to ask  who, what, when, where and why?  Their job is to answer those questions.

Now in defense of attorneys, sometimes we do explain things and they are misunderstood or are somewhat complex and a short explanation has to do for the meantime.  Persons going through Family Law situations can be highly emotional and sometimes it’s information overload.  In that circumstance you may choose NOT to explain everything or  ask that a family member or trusted friend attend with the client for an in-person meeting.   Sometimes the attorney is speaking pig-latin, a bad habit.

As a client, ask what is going on. Know what is going on.  It is the rest of your life.  (It may just be another case for the attorney.)

Child Custody, Child Support, Modifications

Changing your Court Papers; Custody vs. Visitation

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Modification is the process that is used to change a Court Order.  We previously discussed how NOT to modify your papers here.

Below are the basics for the right way to modify your current Court Order.  Child Custody, Visitation and Child Support are always modifiable. However, each has a separate standard.  Each require that you prove something different…

1.  Child Custody is the most difficult to modify. The non-custodial parent, must demonstrate 1) a material change in circumstances,  2) adverse to the child, 3) in the home of the custodial parent.  In English, dad has to show that there has been a big change, harmful to the child and it was mom’s fault.  It does not matter how much better dad is doing.  It does not matter that he has a new job, making good money, and has remarried Mary Poppins.  The Standard concerns what is going on in mom’s house.

A material change could be bad grades, serious behavior problems, serious problems with mom or serious problem with mom’s new beau. Now, once you show the bad change, harmful to the child, and it’s mom’s fault, dad wins, right? No. That provides the Court the authority to go back through the Albright factors for the Court to determine which parent is in the best interest of the child.

2.  Child Support is modifiable upon a showing of  1) a material change in circumstances, unanticipated at the time of the Order and that either the 2) paying parent’s income has increased (or a non-voluntary decrease) in a meaningful capacity or that the 3) child’s reasonable needs and expenses have increased, or both an increase in income and needs.  It should be noted that Child Support is statutory, as noted here, and the paying parent’s responsibility to pay does not continue to increase, just because his/her income does.

3.   Visitation has the lowest standard to modify.  In order to modify visitation all one needs to do is demonstrate that the current schedule is not working.  This can be shown by showing that a party moved over several hours away making every other weekend unworkable or by showing that due to the child’s schedule, or a parent’s work schedule the visitation plan is not working.  This one is easier to pursue, but the outcome is not always predictable, so have a plan for what schedule will work if you are seeking to change it because of distance or a work schedule issue.

*Certain other aspects of Order’s can/may be modifiable as well; ie; alimony, other child benefits.

Matthew Thompson is a Mississippi Child Custody Attorney and reminds you to follow your papers.

Follow the blog: BowTieLawyer  You may also contact Matthew with your family law case, question or concern at (601) 850-8000 or Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms

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Child Custody, Child Support, Modifications

Modifying Your Divorce Without the Court, Think Again.

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This is an all too common occurrence.  Mom and Dad get divorced, rock along and a few years down the road they decide to change their deal.  They are getting along, at least better than before the divorce, and both are burned from their past experiences with attorneys and attorney fees.  So…they decide we can handle this like mature adults.  Dad wants a custody tweak, Mom needs a support adjustment – bam-shabang– let’s just do it.

Mom and Dad agree that the Order will be “modified.”  They switch to a week-on, week-off custody arrangement.  The kids are older, it works.  Dad starts paying support directly for the benefit of the kids. He pays for the child’s car and insurance, and picks up health insurance which was previously mom’s responsibility. Dad does not pay mom directly. It’s about the same money, probably.  What could go wrong?  A lot of things!

Court Orders may only be modified by other Court Orders.  Once an Order is issued and in place the parties are bound to follow it.  This is so ironclad  that the Court has a mechanism in place to enforce its Orders that can result in the breaching party having to pay fines and/or go to jail. This process is called Contempt.  If you are not following the Order in your case, you are subject to a contempt petition being filed by the other party.

But if we agreed what’s the big deal?  The deal is that Agreement is not worth the paper its written on if it is not approved by the Judge.  At some point in the future, and it never fails, Mom and Dad have a falling out, again.  Mom goes to attorney and tells him that Dad has not paid child support in two years.  Mom sues  Dad for Contempt for all of the “back” support and then “un-agrees” to the custody change and goes back to an every other weekend schedule for visitation.   Dad counter sues for a custody modification seeking custody now due to mom’s change and contempt over the health insurance issue.  The only sure thing now is that each has considerable contempt for the other and the Court is left to sort it out.**

Dad scrambles to get his “proof” that he paid the car and insurance, but that is not what was ordered.  Mom tries to justify her position on the visitation retread because that is what the papers said, as if her hands are tied now and the “papers” know best.  Had they done an Agreed Order and had it approved by the Court, they could have accomplished the same thing and not left the door open for future problems of having the old Order used against them.  Both would have been protected and still had the same “teeth” in enforcing their Agreement it would have just been enforcement of their new Agreement.  Now both have risk and have conducted, at least, actionable non-compliance with the Court order.

If you modify your Order/Agreement do it in writing, signed and approved by the Court. It’s the only way to guaranty that the Agreement is enforceable and for protection from being subject to Contempt for not doing what was in the prior Order.

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Child Custody, Child Support, Opinion

Dads Have Rights Too!

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(I recently spoke to a group of fathers, and a few others, about a Father’s Rights in a custody action. I also had a request, this week, from an online fan about blogging specifically about Father’s Rights. I agreed to do it, but these “Rights” apply to parents regardless of gender.)

Dads Have Rights Too!

One of the most frustrating things in my practice is a father who says he wants rights to his children but is unwilling to put his money where his mouth is, figuratively and literally.  Those dads want the “fun” parts of the job and to spend time with the children, but do not want to do the “work” and do not want to pay child support or think whatever they are paying is enough. So first things first, pay your support, pay it on time and pay it every time. And when the need arises pay for something extra. With the support issue out of the way, in an initial custody determination, be it a divorce situation or a paternity/custody matter, mom and dad are on a level playing field.  Yes, equal.  Equal at least as far as the facts support that statement.

Great Dad

 

In a divorce situation or a paternity/custody matter, mom and dad are on a level playing field.  Yes, equal.  Equal at least as far as the facts support that statement.

 

 

The Court must conduct what is called an Albright Analysis (blogged about earlier, click here).  This analysis looks at a number of factors including, the continuity of care* or who has been doing what for the child up to that point where you find yourself in Court, and what is in the best interest of the child. (*in initial determinations this is the biggest factor, barring extraordinary circumstances).

If you are dad and 1) have been doing the bulk of the child care, 2) are a good, 3) safe, and 4) active parent there is no genuine threat to you in a custody battle because of your gender.  However, if mom has been doing the 1) day to day care, 2) taking to and from school and3)  the doctor and 4) soccer and 5) everything else, and you, as dad, spend time with the children on the weekends when you are not at work – just because mom gets custody does not mean the system was fixed and the mom always wins.

Now the law does recognize a term called the tender years doctrine – which states a very young child should be with the mother, unless there is a compelling reason why the child should not, ie: mom is unfit- meaning a danger to the child.  Sometimes if your child is very young and mom has the controls you just have to bide your time.  The tender years ends between 2-3 years of age, with no definite, exact age.

But dads can and do get custody if the facts are there to support that outcome.

The other big peeve is dads that do not exercise their visitation.  There is common acceptance out there that standard visitation is every other weekend (EOW), Friday to Sunday, Wednesday afternoons when you don’t have the weekend, alternating major holidays and 4-5 weeks in the summer.  And some dad’s don’t take advantage of it.  I call “standard visitation” a misnomer because there is technically no such thing as “standard visitation,” though that is in fact what is quite often ordered and/or agreed to.

But there is also a trend, over the last several years, where dads are getting more time, if they want it and meet a few other requirements.  If dad has been an involved dad, wants more time and the parties live in the same community that EOW can be expanded to Friday to Monday or Thursday to Monday of every other weekend.  Research shows that dad being responsible for a school night results in the kids doing better. It also makes dad responsible for time that is not all “Fun” time AND it puts most of the pick-up and drop-offs at school, which means less of a chance of an altercation with mom.  Dads can be more than every other weekend dads if they are willing to do it.

Go to their ballgames, school programs, and dance recitals.  Know who their teachers are and doctors.  Don’t rely on mom for all of that and be mad when she does not give it to you.  Get it yourself.  How?  Go to the school. Call the Dr.’s office. Mississippi law provides  a means for you to have the right to those records.  MCA Section. 93-5-26. (click here).

Finally, don’t be intimidated by mom and her lawyer. Hire a lawyer. (Don’t say you can’t afford one, you cannot afford to NOT have an attorney).  Mom and her attorney will not run you over unless your conduct provides them the truck to do it. And if your conduct does provide that truck, STOP.  Act right. Do it for your children and yourself.

Child Support

21 (And We’re Not Talking About BlackJack) Age of Majority – Emancipation

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The age of majority in Mississippi is 21.  That means you pay child support and provide benefits for your child until he or she attains the age of 21.  It is NOT 18.  While your child may think he or she is grown at age 18, the state of Mississippi says otherwise. MCA 93-11-65.  The age of majority is also synonymous with emancipation, though a child may be judicially emancipated prior to 21.

So you are paying until 21, but there are exceptions.

Emancipation is a process of having the child “declared” an adult  shall occur upon the child;

  • Marrying
  • Joining the military and serves on a full-time basis
  • Is convicted of a felony and is sentenced to incarceration of two (2) or more years for committing such felony

Other forms of Emancipation include Court-Ordered Emancipation when your child;

  • Discontinues full-time enrollment in school having attained the age of eighteen (18) years, unless the child is disabled
  • Voluntarily moves from the home of the custodial parent or guardian, and establishes independent living arrangements, obtains full-time employment and discontinues educational endeavors prior to attaining the age of twenty-one (21)
  • Cohabits with another person without the approval of the parent obligated to pay support; cohabits generally means living together as if husband and wife.

Mississippi has lower rates, meaning amounts of child support, when compared with other states nationally, however, Mississippi makes up for it by extending payments to 21 in most instances.

Click here for Mississippi Child Support Rates

Pay your child support and pay it on time.

Matthew Thompson is a family law attorney that files Contempt actions against persons that are not paying their Child Support.  Don’t be one of those persons!   Trust the Bow Tie.

Follow the blog: BowTieLawyer    Visit the website: Thompson Law Firm

You may also contact Matthew with your family law case, question or concern at (601) 850-8000 or Matthew@wmtlawfirm.com.

Child Custody

Physical Custody; An Albright Analysis

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If there is going to be a fight in a custody case it will be over physical custody. Physical custody is different than Legal custody. Physical custody concerns which parent has actual, physical possession of the child. Within Physical custody there are officially only 2 types;

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1) Joint Physical custody which by statute means each parent spends a significant portion of time with the child (though it does not have to be 50/50); and much more common is the second type

2) (Sole) Physical custody to one parent, subject to the other parent’s visitation. This is far more common in Mississippi.  A lot of your Agreements may have the term “primary” in the physical custody language and some Judges even insist that it be specified, but “primary” has no statutory significance, meaning it is not a term that carries legal meaning.  Lawyers, including myself, still use the term however.

If the parents cannot agree on Custody the Court will conduct what is known as an “Albright Analysis.”  Albright v. Albright, 437 So. 2d 1003 (Miss. 1983), is a Mississippi case from the early 1980’s that lists 13 factors that the Court must consider when making an initial custody determination.   The specific facts of your case are considered as they relate to each factor and the Court makes a determination as to which factor favors which parent. The Court also determines how to weigh each factor.  For instance, the sex of the child while considered, will likely not count as much as the continuity of care for the child. The paramount consideration is “the best interests of the children” A court should determine that by looking at the following factors:

1.       Age of the child.

2.       Health of the child.

3.       Sex of the child.

4.       Continuity of care prior to the separation.

5.    Which parent has the better parenting skills and the willingness and capacity to provide primary child care.

6.       The employment of the parent and the responsibilities of that employment.

7.       Physical and mental health and age of the parents.

8.       Emotional ties of parent and child.

9.       Moral fitness of the parents.

10.     The home, community and school record of the child.

11.     The preference of the child at the age sufficient to express a preference by law. (Must be at least 12, and it’s ONLY a preference)

12.     Stability of home environment and employment of each parent.

13.     Other factors relevant to the parent-child  relationship.

For additional information please click Dads Have Rights Too!

**Note, marital fault should not be used as a sanction in custody awards. Relative financial situations should not control since the duty to support is independent of the right to custody.  Differences in religion, personal values and lifestyles should not be the sole basis for custody decisions.

Matthew Thompson is a family law attorney and will fight for your custody and visitation rights.

Follow the blog: BowTieLawyer Visit the website: Thompson Law Firm

You may also contact Matthew with your family law case, question or concern at (601) 850- 8000 

Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms

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Child Support

Child Support; What you Owe?

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Mississippi Code Section § 43-19-101 specifically details the Child Support Award guidelines.

Number Of Children              Percentage Of Adjusted Gross Income   
1                                                             14%
2                                                            20%
3                                                            22%
4                                                            24%
5 or more                                        26%

Basically you take your gross income for the year and subtract state and federal taxes, and mandatory deductions.  This leaves you with your adjusted gross income. Divide this amount by 12.  This equals your monthly adjusted gross income.  Multiply this number by the appropriate percentage and that is the amount of child support you owe.  For example. Let’s say that you make $3,250 per month, gross. First, deduct state and federal taxes, Social Security and Medicare. (State $125, Federal $200, Soc Sec. $180, Medicare $47 = $552.00 in deductions.) $3,250.00 – 552.00= $2,698.00.  Multiply this by 14%.  $2,698.00 x .14= $377.72  Your monthly obligation is $380 in child support.

Below is the paraphrased statute and includes more detailed information for child support calculations.
The amount of “adjusted gross income” as that term is used in subsection (1) of this section shall be calculated as follows:
  1)  Determine gross income. 

What is counted towards “gross income” income for child support purposes?

  • wages and salary income;
  • income from self employment;
  • income from commissions;
  • income from investments, including dividends, interest income and income on any trust account or property;
  • absent parent’s portion of any joint income of both parents;
  • workers’ compensation, disability, unemployment, annuity and retirement benefits, including an individual retirement account (IRA);
  • any other payments made by any person, private entity, federal or state government or any unit of local government;
  • alimony;
  • any income earned from an interest in or from inherited property;
  • any other form of earned income; and
  • (Not to be Counted) However, gross income shall exclude any monetary benefits derived from a second household, such as income of the absent parent’s current spouse;

2) Subtract the following legally mandated deductions:

  • Federal, state and local taxes;
  • Social security contributions;
  • Retirement and disability contributions (except any voluntary retirement and disability contributions* and most are voluntary*);
  • If the absent parent is subject to an existing court order for another child or children, subtract the amount of that court-ordered support;
  •  If the absent parent is also the parent of another child or other children residing with him, then the court may subtract an amount that it deems appropriate to account for the needs of said child or children;

3) Compute the total annual amount of adjusted gross income based on the above,

4) Divide this amount by twelve (12) to obtain the monthly amount of adjusted gross income.

5)  Multiply the monthly amount of adjusted gross income by the appropriate percentage

**The statute applies in cases in which the adjusted gross income as defined in this section is more than  One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($ 100,000.00) or less than Ten Thousand Dollars ($ 10,000.00), the court shall make a written finding in the record as to whether or not the application of the guidelines established in this section is reasonable.** (The figures above were changed by the MS legislature in the 2013 session from $5k-$50k, the above figures are the current amounts)

What else is included over and above child support?

6) All orders involving support of minor children, as a matter of law, shall include reasonable medical support. Notice to the obligated parent’s employer that medical support has been ordered shall be on a form as prescribed by the Department of Human Services. In any case in which the support of any child is involved, the court shall make the following findings either on the record or in the judgment:

(a) The availability to all parties of health insurance coverage for the child(ren);
(b) The cost of health insurance coverage to all parties.

The court shall then make appropriate provisions in the judgment for the provision of health insurance coverage for the child(ren) in the manner that is in the best interests of the child(ren). If the court requires the custodial parent to obtain the coverage then its cost shall be taken into account in establishing the child support award. If the court determines that health insurance coverage is not available to any party or that it is not available to either party at a cost that is reasonable as compared to the income of the parties, then the court shall make specific findings as to such either on the record or in the judgment. In that event, the court shall make appropriate provisions in the judgment for the payment of medical expenses of the child(ren) in the absence of health insurance coverage.

Matthew Thompson is a family law attorney in Mississippi and encourages you to have an attorney review your support obligations annually.

Follow the blog: BowTieLawyer 

You may also contact Matthew with your family law case, question or concern at (601) 850-8000

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Child Custody, Divorce, Irreconcilable differences

What to do when your Differences Cannot be Reconciled?

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Irreconcilable Differences (“ID divorce”) is Mississippi’s answer to the NO FAULT* divorce.  Mississippi is not a true NO FAULT state. In MS both parties must agree to the divorce and to all the terms of the divorce, including ALL issues of child custody, child support, equitable distribution (how MS divides your stuff) and alimony, if any.  Every issue has to be agreed upon to gain an ID divorce***.  If ALL can be agreed upon, an ID divorce is just about the quickest and least expensive way to get a divorce in MS.

The basic process is;

1) File a Joint Complaint for Divorce (begins the 60 day waiting period**),

2) Exchange Financial Statements (called an 8.05),

3) Draft and sign an Agreement stating all of the details of who gets what, and who pays what (called a Property Settlement Agreement or PSA),

4) Draft and sign a Final Judgment (the actual divorce), and finally

5) Present all to the Judge for approval.

The Judge will review the Filings, Financial Statements and Agreement, and if the judge finds it “adequate and sufficient” will sign off.   Upon the signed Final Judgment being filed and recorded by the clerk- You are DIVORCED.

Well that is fine, but what if we thought we could agree and now we cannot? What can I do then?

Either party can prevent an ID divorce by;

1) Not agreeing;

2) Not signing anything;

3) Filing on Fault;

4) Filing a Notice of Withdrawal of Consent.

An ID divorce is the most often granted type of divorce in Mississippi and even most fault based divorces are converted into an ID divorce.  The benefit to an ID divorce is that it does not require adversarial positions to be taken in Court and it gives you, the parties, the ability to agree and have the say in the outcome of your situation.  Anything that could be had in a fault based divorce can likewise be achieved in an ID divorce, with the sole exception of having the divorce granted on fault.

* In a NO FAULT state either party can secure the divorce regardless if the other party agrees . In the event they cannot agree the Court can divide the property.

** The 60 day waiting period is the minimum time that the parties to an ID divorce must wait. It is designed as a cooling off period.

*** There is also the possibility of a hybrid situation where you and your spouse can agree on the divorce and agree to let the Judge decide the issues that you cannot agree upon.  This technique, however, has its risks and should not be gone into lightly and certainly not without consultation of an attorney.

You may also contact Matthew with your family law case, question or concern at (601) 850-8000

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