Newsletters

Preferences Created by the Indian Child Welfare Act

The purpose of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is to preserve and strengthen Native American families and culture. The ICWA attempts to accomplish that purpose by creating a legal preference for the placement of Native American children in Native American homes.

International Adoption - Requirements for Adoptive Parents

Under United States law, a married U.S. citizen and his spouse may adopt a child from a foreign country. If the spouse is not a U.S. citizen, the spouse must be a legal immigrant in the U.S. An unmarried person may adopt a child from a foreign country if the person is at least 25 years old.

Civil Harassment

Domestic violence cases involve a special relationship between the parties. The special relationship may be created by: (1) a family relationship, such as husband and wife; or (2) cohabitation, i.e., the parties live together. Civil harassment cases do not involve a special relationship between the parties. A civil harassment complaint may be filed against any person, even if that person is not a spouse or a cohabitant.

Child Support and the Military

Enforcement of child support with respect to active military personnel is different than that of enforcement of civilian child support. First and foremost, locating the military individual can be difficult.

Postmarital Agreements

A postmarital agreement, or postnuptial agreement, is an agreement executed by a husband and wife after they are married.