No, you do not have to have a lawyer if you and your spouse are filing for an uncontested divorce in South Carolina. However, it is highly recommended that you seek the advice of a qualified family law attorney in all divorce cases. There may be some issues that you have not considered, and it may turn out that you are eligible for alimony/spousal support or certain property that you did not realize you were entitled Read More
Preparing for Divorce Part 7: Make a Plan for the Rest of Your Life
In our series on preparing for divorce, we have talked a lot about finances and dedicated several posts to this subject. This is because your financial life is extremely important, especially when you are going through a divorce. With two households to support on the same overall income, most people see a significant drop in their net income once the process is finalized, and you will need to form some new habits to Read More
Preparing for Divorce Part 6: Prepare a Post-Divorce Financial Plan
We’ve talked at length about finances in our previous two posts on preparing for divorce, and in this installment, we are going to wrap up our discussion about economics by focusing on your financial plan going forward after the divorce is over. We touched on this in Part 4 of our series when we talked about creating your post-divorce budget, but your financial life is much more than just tracking your income and Read More
Ruth Cate Receives Women United Leadership Award
Spartanburg attorney Ruth Cate has received the Women United Leadership Award from the United Way of Piedmont. This award is given to honor the achievement of an outstanding woman leader whose accomplishments are matched by her commitment to philanthropy. Women United is a group within the United Way of Piedmont that is dedicated to connecting, engaging, and inspiring women to transform the community. Comprised of Read More
Custody and Moving Out of State: What Rights do Non-Custodial Parents in SC Have?
When two parents do not live under the same roof, one of the parents usually has primary custody of the child. In most cases, this means that the non-custodial parent has visitation rights, which could be something like every other weekend with the child, rotating holidays, etc. This arrangement can work well as long as the two parents live close enough to each other that traveling to pick up and drop off the Read More
Preparing for Divorce Part 5: The Role of a Financial Advisor
In Part 4 of our series, we turned our focus to finances, discussing the importance of creating a pre and post-divorce budget. Budgeting can be a tedious task, and many people feel like it puts too many constraints on what they are allowed to do financially. In reality, a budget puts you in much greater control of your finances, and it is one of the best tools for helping people get through tough financial times, Read More
How to Prepare for Divorce Part 4: Create a Pre & Post Divorce Budget
In Part 3 of our series, we talked in detail about putting together your divorce team. This starts with choosing an attorney who focuses primarily on family law, has extensive experience both inside and outside the courtroom, and is someone you feel comfortable working with. We also talked about enlisting other professionals when needed to help you with more complex issues that may arise, and the importance of Read More
Preparing for Divorce Part 3: Develop your Support Group
In Part 2 of our series, we discussed getting organized for your divorce. Before you start the process, you need to make sure you have your ducks in a row. This means organizing your financial documents and records, taking steps to receive your communications and correspondence securely and safely, keeping detailed records of important events that happen during the process, and carefully managing how you discuss your Read More
Divorce Agreements and Enforcing Visitation
Once you have completed the divorce process and the final decree has been issued, all parties are obligated to adhere to its terms and conditions, unless they are modified later on. Unfortunately, some ex-spouses do not live up to their end of the agreement. One of the most common issues where there is frequently conflict between ex-spouses is with child custody and visitation. When the original parenting plan is Read More
Preparing for Divorce Part 1: Prepare Yourself Emotionally/Get Ready
Getting a divorce is one of the most consequential decisions individuals ever have to make. The process of ending a marriage that you have invested so much of your life into can be very stressful to say the least. The divorce process can last several months or more, depending on how contentious the case becomes and the complexity of the issues that need to be resolved. There is a lot of preparation involved, and it Read More
