Articles

Signs You’re Being a Bad Co-Parent

Finger Family | Melissa Graham-Hurd & Associates

Being a good parent is hard. Being a good co-parent, in many ways, is even harder. For one thing, you’re trying to coordinate child-rearing efforts with another person in another household. For another, you’re trying to foster a positive relationship between your child and someone with whom you may still have deep conflicts. Both of […]

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How to Tell Your Kids You’re Divorcing

Mother Talking to Daughter | Melissa Graham-Hurd & Associates

No part of divorce or separation is easy, but perhaps one of the most difficult steps is breaking the news of your breakup to your children. You know you must do it, but how? Understand that it won’t be easy, for you or for them, but there are things you can do to avoid making it harder […]

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Don’ts for Divorcing Parents

Divorce Parents and Child Fingers | Melissa Graham-Hurd & Associates

Divorce and separation can make your life feel out of control. Even if the divorce was your idea, the process takes life as you know it and turns everything upside down. If you have children together, the process is even more fraught, because you need to keep interacting with your former significant other, manage custody and […]

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How to Survive Divorce Socially

Women Socializing After Divorce | Melissa Graham-Hurd & Associates

In this space, we’ve talked about surviving divorce emotionally, and surviving divorce financially. These are aspects of divorce many people anticipate and dread. One facet of divorce that often takes people by surprise is the social aspect. Here are some tips for surviving divorce socially. For some people, divorce is freeing socially. If they felt trapped in […]

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Tips for Surviving Divorce Emotionally

woman going through range of emotions | Melissa Graham-Hurd & Associates

Divorce and dissolution are legal processes, a severing of a contractual relationship. Anyone who has ever been through it, however, knows it is much more than that. You are untangling your life from your spouse’s, grieving the loss of perhaps your most important relationship. While your spouse was probably the first person you turned to […]

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Five Steps to Prepare Financially for Divorce

Fingers Drawn as Husband and Wife Fighting Over Coin | Melissa Graham-Hurd & Associates

Divorce, dissolution and separation are times of upheaval—legally, emotionally, socially, and yes, financially. A large part of the stress you may experience is concern about finances during and after the process of divorce or dissolution. Will you have enough money to pay your mortgage or rent? Will you have to pay spousal support or child support? How will you make it […]

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Divorce Vocabulary

Because the law is a profession, there are specialized terms for processes, procedures, events, and even people.  Ohio family lawyer Melissa Graham-Hurd seeks to enhance your ability to understand this process happening to you by providing definitions of common terms used in Family Law.  Action: the legal term for a lawsuit Affidavit: a written statement sworn to under oath […]

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Expert Witnesses

What you should know about Expert Witnesses: Family lawyer Melissa Graham-Hurd has the experience to guide you when there is an issue that may need an expert to testify and explain complex issues. When Do I Need An Expert? To Value Assets: An expert is a person with special knowledge about a subject that qualifies […]

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Widespread Fallacies About Family Law

Divorce and family law in Ohio are complicated subject areas and misconceptions about divorce, child support and child custody abound. Ohio family lawyer Melissa Graham-Hurd seeks to help erase some of those inaccuracies and fallacies by providing clear information, blending straight talk with compassion. Ohio’s laws are different from those of surrounding states – sometimes […]

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Required Child Support Documents and Information

Ohio child support lawyer Melissa Graham-Hurd has considerable experience in child support matters.  When going to Court or CSEA (child support agency) regarding a determination of child support or modification of child support, Ms. Graham-Hurd’s knowledge can help you avoid pitfalls.  In any case where you are asking for child support, or asked to pay […]

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