What does “Tie Breaker” mean when it comes to Joint Legal Custody?

by Thomas Mulinazzi

An old friend called yesterday and asked me, “What does it mean if I have the tie breaker authority?” He said he did a Google search for the “best divorce attorney in Howard County” and my name popped up. He figured why not give me a call since we hadn’t connected in awhile (more years than I want to admit). He explained that a Judge recently awarded him the “tie breaker” authority but gave him and his ex joint legal custody. He wanted to know what that actually means in real life.
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Custody Questions and Answers

Can grandparents petition for custody of a child temporarily living with them?

Question: My wife has a 5-year-old son from a previous relationship. The child had been living with my wife’s parents prior to us getting married. The closest thing he ever had to a male role model prior to me was my wife’s grandfather. They developed a bond. The child now lives with my wife and I. Can the grandfather petition the Court for custody?
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DeBunking the Myths About Divorce

People talk about divorce. They talk about their own divorces and they talk about what they think they know about other people’s divorces. You hear information, advice or supposed facts from friends, family members, your hairstylist, or someone at the gym. There’s a pretty good likelihood that some or all of what they tell you about the divorce process is completely incorrect. [Read more…]

Selling my House after Divorce: What to Expect

If you and your spouse own a home (this applies to multiple homes as well), as part of the divorce you will need to “divide the property.” What does that mean exactly?

Well, technically the property could be divided or partitioned but that is an unreasonable and draconian exercise which will leave you both with something that feels like less than half. Thankfully, Courts almost never do that.
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Mis-steps and Mistakes During the Pendente Lite Period: what NOT to do!

by Thomas Mulinazzi

After a case is filed certain behaviors are expected of the litigants in a divorce case. Unfortunately, for the litigant very few, if any, of these expectations are written down anywhere and the Court will not provide this information. Most litigants are already feeling confused and anxious about their future, how they will pay for bills, what will happen in the court process, but now each has to worry about how to make decisions in the reality of their newly separated family.
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