News + Insights

Student Loan Woes: How Marriage and Divorce Affect Student Loans

Written By Melody J. King

June 14, 2023

Student loans have become a familiar discussion among families and, more recently, a subject for debate between the federal government and the Courts. Knowing how student loans will be treated in the event of a divorce is…

Cartoon businessman looking a gap in walkway

Whose Business is it Anyway? A Business Succession Case Study

Written By Jane Francis Nowell

February 3, 2023

Three Ward and Smith attorneys provided an overview of succession planning, estate planning, divorce, and the separation of assets. The seminar — A Business Succession Case Study — used an interactive presenta…

Yours, Mine, and Ours: Estate Planning for Blended Families

Marriage, Divorce & The Family Business: Is What Is Mine Really Yours Too?

Written By William S. Durr and Juliana S. Inman

January 6, 2023

North Carolina's equitable distribution laws provide the framework for determining how property will be valued and divided when one or both partners in a marriage decide to separate. Before doing a deeper dive into how on…

Courts, Custody, & Choices: How to Address New or Existing Issues

Written By Juliana S. Inman, Paige E. Inman, and Lauren Taylor Arnette Quinn

April 23, 2020

As most people are well aware, the COVID-19 crisis has completely changed how we operate in our daily lives. One place that has felt a tremendous effect as a result of this crisis is our court system. Originall…

Wooden Parents on the opposite ends of a seesaw with kids in middle

7 Guidelines for Parents Sharing Custody of Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Written By Lauren Taylor Arnette Quinn

March 18, 2020

With the Governor's proclamation to close schools and restaurants to dine-in customers, now, more than ever, our children are a primary focus during these trying times. All parents are faced with the challenges of e…

Do You Hear What I Hear? A Child's Perspective

Written By Lauren Taylor Arnette Quinn

June 19, 2015

Custody cases are often the most emotionally charged and difficult legal cases to resolve. In North Carolina, a court's focus in custody issues must be determining what result will serve "the best interest" of the mi…

Small paper doll cutouts of a family being snipped in two pieces by kitchen scissors on a wooden background

Child Custody In Today's Mobile Society

Written By William S. Durr

February 27, 2013

Given the mobility of today's society, the need to determine which state has jurisdiction to hear child custody matters when parents relocate to another state has become more common. The North Carolina Uniform Child …