The Wright Firm's Weblog

Mom Giving Custody to Dad

We've come a long way, baby.  Women fought for and won the right to vote, to own property in their own name.  We can work in almost any industry, and we're cracking the glass ceiling. In a professional sense, women are no longer expected to just be wives and mothers anymore. 

But, should a woman have the nerve to give over primary custody of her children to their father, she is a villian. No matter what her personal goals, her professional aspirations, or even what works best for her family - society still expects her to keep the kids.  It is practically expected that a father will give up custody of his children to the mother.  Why demonize a mother for doing the same?

A recent MSN lifestyle article details the struggles moms go through in deciding to give primary custody to their children's father, by walking through the process with three moms who have been there.  Full article text can be found here:   http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/bigger-picture/articlemc.aspx?cp-documentid=20985039&GT1=32001

I think this pretty much speaks for itself:

In case anyone is still reading, I would like you all to note that assuming this couple lives in a community property state (like Texas), "Emily" will most likely be within her rights to use a joint account to buy the billboard. 

Momma Got the Truck

Since my last post was uncharacteristically non-sarcastic, I bring you - DIVORCE DECALS!

Picture courtesy of www.peopleofwalmart.com Thanks to Jr. Partner Cynthia Palmer for pointing this one out.

An interesting thought

Justice Anton Scalia of the United States Supreme Court was quoted recently as being concerned that some of the most brilliant legal minds and skilled litigators in this country are being wasted on - no kidding - the practice of law. 

Justice Scalia commented, "I mean lawyers, after all, don’t produce anything. They enable other people to produce and to go on with their lives efficiently and in an atmosphere of freedom. That’s important, but it doesn’t put food on the table, and there have to be other people who are doing that. And I worry that we are devoting too many of our very best minds to this enterprise."

See original story here:http://www.abajournal.com/weekly/scalia_worries_high_court_litigators_should_be_doing_something_more_product

Author's note:  I was so surprised to hear a thought like this from a Supreme Court Justice.  But now that I have heard it - I am a bit fascinated. So, what do you think world?  Are we wasting the smart kids by sending them to law school?  If anyone is out there, I'd really like your comments.

 

Fishy Business

I'm not really sure if this is genius or disturbing:

A Houston, Texas area woman was none too pleased that her common-law husband was splitting up with her, and even less pleased that he took back all the jewelry he had given her.  He took her gold - she took his goldfish.  Yes, really.  She also deep-fried and ate them.

When officers arrived at the woman's home, they found her sitting behind a plate of four fried goldfish.  She informed officers that she had already eaten three.

What does this have to do with family law?  2 things:

1) While there is such a thing as common law marriage (at least in Texas) there is no common law divorce.  If you are breaking up with a common law spouse, please contact an attorney.

2) Eating community assets is not the best way to effect a just and right division of community property. 

See original story here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,557760,00.html?test=latestnews

Now I Ain't Sayin' She A -

It's bad enough when your spouse tells you they've had an affair.  Even worse when they up and leave you for that person and end up marrying the lover.  But what if you also found out that two out of your three children weren't actually yours?  This particular set of facts made a British business tycoon angry enough to sue.

The Businessman and his wife were married in 1985, and had a child together in 1989.  A few months after the birth of their first (and turns out, ONLY) child, the wife began an affair with the man who became her second husband.  The lover was a business associate of the husband and had visited the couple's home several times.

The woman admitted the affair to her then-husband in 1997, but reassured him at the time that he (her current husband) was the natural father of all three children.  That same year, three of the Businessman's employees remarked on the uncanny resemblance the Businessman's youngest daughter bore to the business associate - the very man who turned out to be the child's real father.

To add more insult to injury, it is reported that the wife's lover made some very personal comments to the Businessman during a New Year's Eve party right after the birth of what the Businessman believed to be his second child:  

"Where did your second son get his lovely curly hair from?  Yours and your wife's is so straight."

"Are you and your wife going to have more children? "

The Businessman and his wife eventually divorced in 1997 and each remarried.  In 2006, the ex-wife took the three children abroad and has not let the Businessman have any contact with the children since.  He was informed via a letter from his ex-wife's attorney that two of the children were not biologically his.  This is after he had believed for over a decade that the children were his own, and he had been supporting them accordingly.

He is now seeking damages for the amount he spent raising his wife's lover's children from their birth through 2007, an amount the equivalent of just shy of half-a-million in U.S. dollars.

Editorial note: As I read this story, all that kept going though my head was the line from the Kanye West song "Golddigger" that goes something like:

"18 years, 18 years, and on the 18th birthday found out it wasn't his!"

Limited Edition

Hey, life isn't perfect - even when you're plastic.  When your dolls need help, they need a lawyer they can see eye-to-eye with.  So, in Honor of this week's Adavanced Family Law Conference, we present Lawyer Ken and Super Lawyer Barbie !

  Both feature snappy lawyer attire, with Barbie showing her downtown Dallas flair in a stylish silver blazer, and Ken showing an effortless cool in sunglasses and matching t-shirt. 

(Note: Ken works for a non-profit and does not buy into the whole corporate-America tie wearing thing.)

Both lawyers also come ready-equipped with a "red rope" legal document folder and a Pre-Nuptial Agreement.  Get ready to sign your life away!

So check out Lawyer Ken and Super Lawyer Barbie - only available at the Texas Family Law Foundation Silent Auction!

[Babie and Ken were styled and accessorized by The Wright Firm's own Marguerite]

Sweet Freedom

Okay, some of the images below are not for the faint of heart.  However, for the angry and heartbroken - they really take the cake!  

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the Art of the Divorce Cake:

 

This one is my personal favorite.  It also works for Broken Engagement Parties.

Hazardous for Your Health

According to a recent study, the ending of a marriage can cause a higher risk of chronic illness and mobility problems.  Divorced or widowed people have a 20% more  cases of  heart disease, diabetes and cancer, as well as a 23% more mobility issues like having trouble walking a block.

Co-author of the study Linda Waite says, "Losing a marriage or becoming divorced is extremely stressful."  Waite cites the financial and social difficulties of divorce as a major source of stress.  "What's interesting," Waite continues, " is if people have [divorced or been widowed] and remarried, we still see, in their health, the scars or marks -- the damage that was done by the event."

The research did show, however that people who had been divorced or widowed and then remarried did avoid the "double whammy" of being without the protective health effects of being married after having the health setback of the end of a marriage.

So if you have loved and lost - get out there and try to find love again.  It won't remove the scars of the past, but it will keep you healthier and happier in the future!

The author of this post feels compelled to add some sort of dry-witted sarcasm before she stops typing.  As such:

Look, there are essentially only 2 ways out of a marriage: death and divorce.  If you are really in a marriage that you need to get out of, taking the risk to your physical health and getting a divorce may be a better choice for you than waiting around for the other way out.  I'm just saying...

This post was not authorized by Patrick Wright

But I LOVE punditkitchen.com sometimes.  Case in point: