A parent’s drug or alcohol abuse can have a detrimental impact on a child’s welfare — it can also affect the outcome of a child custody or parenting case. While parents have a Constitutional right to raise their children, a judge may terminate parental rights in extreme cases. However, if a child’s welfare would be […]
Going to court can be intimidating. Not only is it likely an unfamiliar environment, but if you have to go to court, chances are you have something important at stake. In a family law case that could be custody (now called allocation of parental rights) or visitation (now called parenting time) of your children, whether […]
Discussions of infant adoption often center around the baby, the birth mother, and the adoptive parents. Adoption terminates a birth mother’s legal rights to her child, the father’s legal rights, and establishes parental rights in the person or couple adopting the baby. What place does a birth father have in this scenario, and what rights […]
It may happen in the heat of an argument, or after months of growing apart and talking about separation and divorce: your spouse asks you to leave the home you share (or tells you to). Whether the request comes as a shock, or is something you’d been dreading, you are probably wondering whether you have […]
Ohio law says that child custody matters, also known as the allocation of parental rights and responsibilities, are to be decided based on “the best interest of the child.” But who decides what is in a child’s best interest? Ultimately, that decision is up to the judge in the case if the parents cannot reach […]
Nearly half of married couples eventually terminate their marriages by divorce or dissolution, but most of us live our lives as if we are going to be in the other half. That leads to making decisions with the expectation that our marriages will last “until death do us part.” When that parting comes sooner, by […]
Plenty of parents argue over what first name to give their child. But sometimes parents may also disagree over what a child’s last name should be, such as when the parents are unmarried and have different surnames. Changing a child’s last name can be a big process depending on your circumstances, but if you have […]
With apologies to the Peace Corps, which coined the phrase, we would argue that parenting is really the “toughest job you’ll ever love.” And it can be even tougher for single parents. You don’t have backup, you don’t get sick days. It’s all on you, all the time. No matter how rewarding parenting is, most […]
Most of us found 2020 to be a pretty difficult year. Many people saw their income decrease, and parents of young children were faced with the need to keep their kids safe, fed, happy, and educated through the pandemic. In the best of times, parenting is challenging. Under the circumstances many parents faced last year, […]
Your divorce decree, dissolution decree, or parenting order is the “private law” governing the interactions between you and your ex-partner or ex-spouse. These legal binding agreements dictate the terms of parenting allocation, property division, spousal support, and more. Unfortunately, you may find yourself in a situation where the opposing party fails to comply with these […]
Melissa Graham-Hurd & Associates, LLC
4030 Massillon Road
Green, Ohio 44685
(330) 996-4099
(330) 643-0732
