Substance abuse testing before temporary hearings

Posted Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Child Custody, Litigation Strategy, Not South Carolina Specific, Of Interest to Family Court Litigants, Of Interest to Family Law Attorneys

In the South Carolina family courts it is almost a reflexive practice for attorneys to file a motion for temporary relief, seeking all the relief

Alimony for alcoholics

Posted Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Alimony/Spousal Support, Of Interest to Family Court Litigants, Of Interest to Family Law Attorneys, South Carolina Specific

In South Carolina only adultery acts as an absolute bar to alimony. S.C. Code § 20-3-130(A). Yet, since the implementation of South Carolina’s alimony statute

Court of Appeals makes minor changes to year-old opinion

Posted Wednesday, September 12th, 2012 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Child Custody, Department of Social Services/Child Abuse and Neglect, Of Interest to Family Law Attorneys, South Carolina Appellate Decisions, South Carolina Specific

Today’s [September 12, 2012] advance sheet notes a refiled opinion in the case of South Carolina Department of Social Services v. Mary C.  Oddly enough

Shared custody parents should date locally

Posted Saturday, September 8th, 2012 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Child Custody, Litigation Strategy, Not South Carolina Specific, Of Interest to Family Court Litigants, Of Interest to Family Law Attorneys

One of the more heart wrenching consults I commonly encounter is when a primary caretaker mother who agreed to shared physical custody has fallen in

Can a deserting (without good cause) spouse get alimony?

Posted Friday, September 7th, 2012 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Alimony/Spousal Support, Legislation, Litigation Strategy, Of Interest to Family Court Litigants, Of Interest to Family Law Attorneys, South Carolina Specific

How many family law attorneys are aware of S.C. Code § 63-5-20?  In my experience not many. With the proper fact pattern that statute might

Is there a conflict in the equitable distribution statutes on whether property acquired post-filing but before the entry of a temporary order is marital property?

Posted Tuesday, August 28th, 2012 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Equitable Distribution/Property Division, Legislation, Of Interest to Family Court Litigants, Of Interest to Family Law Attorneys, South Carolina Specific

South Carolina Code § 20-3-610 indicates that the marital estate is created “at the time marital litigation is filed or commenced...”  Yet S.C. Code §

Dumpster diving the family court files

Posted Sunday, August 26th, 2012 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Litigation Strategy, Not South Carolina Specific, Of Interest to Family Law Attorneys

When I first started practicing family law an early mentor, William J. Hamilton, III, told me that, “the evidence for a thousand divorces lies in

Equalizing incomes doesn’t always equalize lifestyles

Posted Saturday, August 25th, 2012 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Alimony/Spousal Support, Litigation Strategy, Not South Carolina Specific, Of Interest to Family Court Litigants, Of Interest to Family Law Attorneys

In setting alimony for really long marriages (30+ years) the family courts sometime try to equalize incomes.  In cases in which both parties are retired

The feminization of family law

Posted Saturday, August 25th, 2012 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Law and Culture, Mediation/Alternative Dispute Resolution, Not South Carolina Specific, Of Interest to General Public

Two generations ago there were few woman lawyers.  The early career paths of our first female Supreme Court Justices, Sandra Day O’Connor (Stanford 1952) and

Free CLE on “Financial Issues in Family Law”

Posted Saturday, August 25th, 2012 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Continuing Legal Education, Of Interest to Family Law Attorneys, South Carolina Specific

On October 12, 2012 from 1:00 to 4:45 p.m. there will be a free three-hour CLE on “Financial Issues in Family Law” (Course # 126447) at

Put Mr. Forman’s experience, knowledge, and dedication to your service for any of your South Carolina family law needs.