Tag Archives: divorce

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter & Divorce: What you Need to Know

05/14/2014 BowTieLawyer Leave a comment

Per Capita Use of Margarine and the Declining Rate of Divorce in Maine

A website that has emphasized Spurious Correlations has made the connection between Per Capita Consumption of Margarine in the United States and Divorces in the State of Maine. As one has declined so has the other.

While scientist cannot directly link a cause and effect, perhaps using less margarine may make a stronger marriage…

Matthew Thompson is a Divorce and Domestic Relations Attorney in the Magnolia State. Follow the blog:#BowTieLawyer Visit the website: #Thompson Law Firm You may also contact Matthew with your family law matter or question at (601) 850-8000

Child Custody, Divorce, Opinion

Happy Mother’s Day!

05/09/2014 BowTieLawyer Leave a comment

Mother’s Day is Sunday.

Make sure that the mother of your children is recognized. Mothers are the most influential force on a child. Dads are important, no doubt, but a hug from mom makes everything better.

Too often, in separated families, the dad takes the position that “well, she’s not MY mother” and leaves it to the kids to take care of. Don’t. Help your child get an appropriate Mother’s Day gift, every time.

Send flowers, give a card – handmade by junior is a winner every time, a gift certificate for a massage, a dinner, the movies, or bowling, whatever it is, Do it.

Thompson Law Firm wishes all of the Mother’s out there a Happy Mother’s Day!

Divorce

Is Your Lawyer Just Running Up a Fee?

05/08/2014 BowTieLawyer 1 Comment

Lawyers and their fees, the bane of the client’s existence.

Lawyers bill in several ways, most commonly with retainers and hourly billing. A retainer is unearned money that is placed in the lawyer’s Trust Account. As the lawyer works on your case, talks to you, meets with you, emails, texts, or thinks about you, the lawyer charges you. As your charged the money is pulled from the Trust Account into the lawyer’s Operating Account. When the retainer gets low the lawyer sends a nice letter, called a “Replenish Retainer” letter. It says send more money. The client then calls and asks “how much is this going to cost me?” The response is ALWAYS the same, “It depends.”

Another way to bill is Value Pricing, or fixed fee pricing. This is when there is a pre-negotiated or agreed upon price on the front end of the case. The client and lawyer agree to the fee, the timing and circumstances under which it is due. Here the client knows how much it is going to cost them. In my experience most lawyers do not like this method because “high fees” scare clients away and some lawyers are not comfortable quoting fixed fees because they may limit what they can charge.

There are pros and cons to each method. The hourly billing method is great if the matter settles quickly, but persons in the position needing lawyers are rarely in the settle-easy category. The fixed fee method allows you to plan, budget and make a fully informed decision.

Whatever method your lawyer uses, make sure you understand it. Make sure you appreciate the full cost and expense you are facing.

Thompson Law Firm uses the Value Pricing and fixed fee approach to handling your legal matter.

Divorce, General Legal

When to Have a “LIE” Ready to Go.

05/05/2014 BowTieLawyer 1 Comment

It seems that in Family Law everybody lies…

I have blogged on the Top 5 Lies of Divorce Clients, as well as It’s ok to Lie to your Children (sometimes). But, there are times where you should have a “lie” ready to go.

When are the Times When you NEED a Response Ready to Go?

When you are first meeting with the attorney and are not ready to disclose that to the other side. Have a story ready. If you are a terrible liar also take a short shopping trip or have lunch with someone so you can truthfully say that is what you were doing.

When you are investigating/following/checking up on the other side. Have a story ready for when you get spotted. I use several PIs for various aspects of what I do. They always have a detailed, believable cover story ready to explain their presence.

When you are not ready to “Show your Cards.” The other side wants to create a ceiling for what you want out of the divorce and you are not ready to say what you want. Have some response ready, however.

Should you lie? No. Are there times when it is in your own best interest to do so? You better believe it!

Matthew Thompson is a Family Law Attorney in Mississippi. Follow the blog: #BowTieLawyer Visit the website: #Thompson Law Firm You may also contact Matthew with your family law matter or question at (601) 850-8000 or Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms

Divorce, Opinion

A “Sterling” Reputation is No Longer a Good Thing

05/02/2014 BowTieLawyer Leave a comment

You would have had to have been under a rock, or dealing with a Tornado, to have missed the news about Donald Sterling.

The Clippers, an NBA team in Los Angeles who are not the Lakers, have been in the news because of the owners racially offensive remarks. Owner, Donald Sterling, was recorded saying racially charged, offensive and ignorant comments about his girlfriend associating “with black people.”

The NBA has banned Sterling for Life and has fined him $2.5 million. Sponsors are dropping the Clippers, players are speaking out against the owner, and the news media continues to dig for details on this story and Sterling’s life.

Sterling certainly does not enjoy a Sterling reputation or else that complement is now a fatality to this event.

Vying for a Sterling reputation? I think not.

Divorce, General Legal

Different Laws in Different States (Get Advised by an Experienced Attorney in Your State)

02/28/2014 BowTieLawyer Leave a comment

All States have Family Law Courts, but not all Family Laws are the same throughout the Country.

Often I get calls from potential clients from other states. Either they were originally from here and did not know who else to call, their case was originally decided here, or they just heard that State “X” has a certain law. Where you can sue or be sued really regards jurisdiction, blogged previously. Today is about the fact that the law is different from State to State.

There is no uniform code of family law. All states are required to have a child support formula, but not all states calculate it the same way. All states have provisions for divorce, but some states prefer “No-fault” divorces while some require you to have fault grounds, if an agreement cannot be reached. States have different burdens of proof, residency requirements and waiting periods.

Just because your cousin’s friends got something in her divorce in Texas does not mean you can get it in Tennessee.

Matthew Thompson is a Domestic Relations Attorney in Mississippi. Be sure you call an attorney in the appropriate State.

Follow the blog: #BowTieLawyer Visit the website: #Thompson Law Firm You may also contact Matthew with your family law case or question at (601) 850-8000 or Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms

Child Custody, Divorce, General Legal, Irreconcilable differences, Visitation

Common Divorce Vocabulary- 8 Terms to Know

02/19/2014 BowTieLawyer 2 Comments

Lawyers have their own language. It’s a mishmash of legal jargon, Latin phrases, arcane vocabulary words and .50 cent words to make us sound smart. Here are just a few of the common terms.

Final Judgment of Divorce, or Final Judgment or Decree of Divorce or Final Order of Divorce.

This is the technical divorce. This is the document that once signed by the Judge and filed by the clerk means you are divorced. Every single case will have this document.

Property Settlement Agreement, PSA, Marital Dissolution Agreement, MDA, Final Separation Agreement, etc.

These are your “divorce papers.” This recounts your rights, obligations, and the terms of your divorce. If your divorce ended via an Agreement you will have one of these.

Opinion of the Court.

These are your “divorce papers” if the Judge decided your case. If you did not agree, but went to Court and the Judge ruled you will have, most likely an Opinion and Final Judgment.

Qualified Domestic Relations Order

This is how divisible retirement accounts are divided and apportioned to each party without tax consequences. Commonly referred to as a QDRO (pronounced quah-drow) . Depending on what you do with the funds after the QDRO transfer ultimately determines if there are taxes, what amount and penalties, if any.

No Fault Divorce.

It’s not technically “No Fault” in Mississippi, but rather Irreconcilable Differences or (ID). This requires the parties to agree to the divorce and all the terms, which include custody, support, alimony and division of the property both real and personal. This would be detailed in the Property Settlement Agreement.

Fault Divorce.

A divorce granted on fault grounds; adultery, cruelty, drunkenness, drug use, etc.

Real Property.

The house(s) and land.

Personal Property.

The stuff; cars, couches, TVs and spoons.

Child Custody

A determination of both legal and physical child custody. Sometimes referred to as primary or joint or sole or paramount. Each possibly meaning something different and then Visitation thrown in for good measure.

Matthew Thompson is a Mississippi based Family Law Attorney and Adjunct Professor of Domestic Relations. Knowledge is Power, the more you know…

Follow the blog: #BowTieLawyer

Divorce, Food Related

The Day I Ruined Valentine’s Day!

02/14/2014 BowTieLawyer 1 Comment

It’s Valentine’s Day. A day earmarked for outward expressions of love, roses and all things pink and red. It is also just another day.

In the Family Law arena, Valentine’s Day can be a litmus test. It determines the state of your union. It could either be a day where he proves he loves you, he proves he loves someone else, or a day just like any other.

One of my favorite Valentine’s War Stories happened a few years ago. I was meeting a friend/client for lunch on V-day. (Don’t worry, I had dinner plans with the significant other, too). As I entered the restaurant I locked eyes with an already seated guest. I gave the acknowledging head nod, meaning I know I know you, though, I was thinking I’m not sure how. I walked past the table, noticing he was on a romantic lunch date with his squeeze. As I met my party for lunch it dawned on me. I know how I know that person. I represent his wife!

As I put the pieces together, I realized his Valentine’s date was not his wife, my client. It was the other woman! My lunch-mate asked me why I had “that” look on my face and I said I am familiar with the table in the corner. He asked, “You mean the couple running out of here?” As I turned to see, sure enough they high-tailed it out of the restaurant before they could enjoy their Valentine’s meal. I ruined their Valentine’s, or at least I like to think so. (The case settled shortly thereafter).

Valentine’s Day is ultimately just another day. Sure, it’s a great time to let the ones you love know it, but so is the day before and the day after.

Matthew Thompson is a Mississippi based Divorce Lawyer, and though he does not ruin many Valentine’s Days, when he does, he ruins it for your soon-to-be ex-spouse.