Family Law Newsletter

Same-Sex Marriages

A same-sex marriage is defined as a marriage between two individuals of the same gender. The issue of same-sex marriages is a hotly debated topic. In the most recent election in the United States, more than ten states voted to amend their state constitution's and define a marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Most other nations do not recognize same-sex marriages as legally valid, nor do they allow them to occur. More...

Foster Care

Foster care is defined as the temporary placement of a child outside of her family. The child is removed from the family due to abuse or neglect issues. The child may be removed due to physical or sexual abuse by a parent or someone residing in the household. The goal of foster care is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the child. More...

Institutional Facilities for Delinquents and Civilly Institutionalized Juveniles

If a state institutional facility has deprived a juvenile of his right to mental treatment or has deprived him of any of his civil rights, the juvenile may opt to file suit against the institutional facility. There are two basic methods that the juvenile may seek with respect to relief. More...

Bigamy

Bigamy is the act of marrying one person while legally married to another. Bigamy is a criminal offense when it is knowingly committed. Bigamy is the wilful contracting of a second marriage when the contracting party knows that the first is still subsisting; or it is the state of a man who has two wives, or of a woman who has two husbands living at the same time. The punishment of the offence varies by state.More...

Proxy Marriages

A proxy marriage is a marriage where the parties were not physically present in the presence of each other. Someone stands in for the other party because either the bride or the groom is not physically present for the wedding. During the solemnization of the marriage, based upon a power of attorney, an agent acts on behalf of one of the parties. The marriage is presumed valid if it is valid in the country that performs the ceremony. More...