Adoption is a beautiful selfless act of love. For many, it is a way to form or extend a family while at the same time offering warmth, affection, and protection to children who otherwise might never experience these things - things that only a truly loving family and a stable household can guarantee. There is no doubt, that adoption can be a meaningful and enriching experience. However, the decision to adopt should Read More

Establishing paternity is an important legal process that guarantees certain rights both to the parents as well as a measure of legal and economic protection to the child itself. It allows the father to officially recognize his child and enjoy full involvement in its upbringing. Paternity is also crucial in securing either custody or visitation rights if the couple doesn’t decide to raise the child together. Read More

On July 13th, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a policy memorandum with new guidelines regarding issuing a visa application denial. The new guidelines make it both easier for the USCIS officers to deny an application and give them more authority to do so. The USCIS memo is just the latest instance of the current administration’s efforts to deliver on the controversial promise of Read More

In 2016, Florida law enforcement agencies received 105,668 reports of domestic violence. 63,193 of them resulted in arrests. While these numbers may seem staggering, the problem is even more serious at the national level. According to National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), in the U.S. a woman is beaten or assaulted every nine seconds; every minute, 20 people are physically abused by their intimate Read More

According to research, 17 to 25% of parents relocate within the first two years of a divorce, leaving behind the area where their former spouse may still be living. The reasons for a relocation vary—some move away due to new professional opportunities that have come up in another state; others because of a change in their financial situation; others still may simply feel the need to start anew in another place. Read More

When couples are in the middle of their divorce, the tax implications of the divorce are not usually at the forefront of their minds. However, the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) is changing this in some dramatic and unwelcome ways that may push many couples to speed up their divorce proceedings this year. The major issue deals with taxes on alimony payments. Under the prior tax laws, alimony payments (i.e. the Read More

Anyone considering immigrating to the United States under the current climate/administration will face many challenges. Same-sex couples and LGBTQ immigrants will face even greater immigration challenges, needless to say. That’s why it’s important to think through the following five things with your partner if you are considering making the United States your new home: 1) Same-sex spouses can petition to bring Read More

Like many heterosexual couples, many same-sex couples living in America today are made up of one partner who is a U.S. citizen and a partner who is a citizen of another country. For heterosexual couples living abroad, any child born of the partnership is automatically granted U.S. citizenship because one of the biological parents is a U.S. citizen. As same-sex couples are coming to learn though, this is not the Read More

The short answer to this question is that it depends. It depends on what crime the conviction is for, your immigration status, and where the conviction was made. What is certain, however, is that if you have a criminal conviction, no matter how minor or far back in the past, it is very important to have experienced legal counsel helping you with your immigration application from the beginning. What was the Read More

For immigrants who have been issued an order of deportation and those who are unable to reopen their case, the Stay of Removal offers one more chance to stay in the United States a little longer. A stay order temporarily stops the deportation from taking place during which time the immigrant is allowed to remain in the country legally. The Automatic Stay of Removal A Stay of Removal can be issued automatically Read More