Family Law

Child custody and visitation rights cases happen on a very regular basis in the United States. It is often assumed that these proceedings affect the two biological parents that go through the court system and all of their immediate offspring. However, this is not always the case. Today, child custody proceedings take a variety of forms…

On March 7, 2016, the United States Supreme Court, in V.L. v. E.L., recognized second parent adoption, which allows a second parent of the same gender as the biological parent to adopt a child without terminating the biological parent’s parental rights. In the case, two Alabama women were involved in a relationship from 1995-2011. Using assisted reproductive technology,…

When dealing with child custody issues, a family law lawyer can be essential to preserving the parental rights of an individual. However, it is necessary to realize that just because a parent has a family law attorney, it does not guarantee that a judge will render a decision awarding custody in their favor. One thing…

The recent ruling of a California judge in family court was a hot topic of conversation in California family law matters. In fact, it was the first such ruling of its kind in California. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo ruled that a couple’s five frozen embryos had to be “thawed and discarded,” due…

Presidential candidate Donald Trump recently announced his immigration plan calling for the mass deportation of approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants.[1] However, Mr. Trump’s plan does not address what will happen to U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants. According to the National Counsel of La Raza, in 2008, there were approximately four million such children in the…

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent momentous decision in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), same-sex marriage is now protected federally in all 50 states. In effect, the ruling held that the 14th Amendment requires states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.  The Courts’ ruling…

The Law Commission of India, which advises the Indian government on legal issues, recently made recommendations that divorced parents be given joint custody of minor children. This recommendation was made in an effort to quell India’s prevalent gender bias in child custody laws that favor fathers over mothers. Directly impacted by this recommendation would be…