December 2017

December 20th, 2017

Supreme Court “clarifies” standard of review for family court appeals

N.B. In April 2018, the South Carolina Supreme Court issued a revised opinion clarifying the standard of review for procedural matters: Supreme Court clarifies standard of review on family court appeals. The December 20, 2017 South Carolina Supreme Court opinion in Stoney v. Stoney, 421 S.C. 528, 809 S.E.2d 59 (2017) grants both parties’ petitions for a writ […]

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December 18th, 2017

A too broad and too narrow definition of cheating

A few months ago, an attorney friend asking me if I’d ever “cheated” on my wife. Being a legalistic sort, I asked back, “what do you mean by cheating?” He didn’t think it was a question that needed clarification. In this culture, he’s right–which is a shame. A definition that considers all adultery cheating is […]

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December 13th, 2017

How fathers who gain custody can keep custody

For reasons having nothing to do with sexism, more mothers than fathers have custody of their children. Often when fathers get custody they have never had the role of equal or primary caretaker of their children. If they gained custody because the mother was unfit (and remains unfit) there is little risk of mother getting […]

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December 2nd, 2017

Three recent books about the state of marriage

Both personal and professional curiosity have engendered a fascination with books about the sociology of marriage. Frustrated spouses come to me looking for a divorce but what they are really searching for is to feel peaceful again. Developing an understanding of marriage helps me help them achieve that goal. It also helps me navigate my […]

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