Ready to Begin a Relationship?

Questions to ask yourself prior to beginning your new relationship:

1) What do you both feel money should be used for?

2) Do you both want to start a family?

3) When one person is sick how will each person care for the other?

4) Will you both want to remain in the relationship when the two of you become elderly?

5) How often if ever do your thoughts consist of your ex-spouse?

6) Did your potential partner ever make their prior partners fear for their safety?

7) How well are the two of you at working through issues that pop up?

8) When your potential partner does something wrong how do they bounce back from it?

Family Law Attorneys Tips on the international adoption process

Orange County Family Law Attorney offers hints on an international adoption process.

Celebrity adoptions have concentrated attention on the international adoption business. Some Americans adopt internationally for a several reasons, for instance, the availability of infants. Two ways to adopt internationally.

Adopt a foreign child via an American agency that aids in international adoptions. 2. Or one can adopt directly. Most will use an agency, due to the difficulty will may encounter.

Direct adoptions will have to follow the rules and instructions exactly of the state, U.S. Immigration laws and the laws of the country where the child resides. It is a complex process, so be prepared for obstacles. Do your research before you look for a child; moreover, know about the chosen country's adoption process ahead of time.

Our U.S. immigration laws insist that respective adoptive parents be married or, if single, at least 25 years old. The adoptive parents must file an Orphan Petition (Form I-600) with the agency now known as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS, formerly called the INS), to prove that the child's parents have passed, disappeared, abandoned the child, or one remaining parent is not capable of caring for the child. If both parents are know to live, the child will not qualify as an orphan under any circumstances.

With the Orphan Petition, you will need to submit other documents and a favorable home study report. If USCIS approves your petition, and there are no disqualifying factors, the child can be granted an immigrant visa.

Most of the paperwork for an international adoption can be completed before you have identified a specific child to adopt. Advance preparation is a must because the paperwork often takes much time to process, and may delay the child's arrival in the U.S. even though the foreign requirements have been met.

Make sure you check your state’s laws for any pre-adoption requirements.

Do I need a divorce attorney?

If you are unsure if you need a divorce attorney, ask yourself the following before you proceed on our own with the divorce proceedings:

1. Do I comprehend the forms that I need to file in order to proceed without a lawyer?

2. Do we have children?

3. Do we have large assets, pensions, 401(K)s and/or liabilities that need to be separated?

4. Is my spouse going to contest any portions of our divorce that may necessitate Court intervention and guidance?

5. Do I have any doubts about whether I am agreeing to do something that I'm not legally required to do or waiving something that I may be legally entitled to?

If you responded yes to any of the questions above, it is in your best interests to at the very least consult with a family law divorce attorney.

The following are common characteristics of a person who does not need an attorney to assist them in a divorce:

1. The parties have no children or sizeable assets that need to be separated and/or have already divided all of their assets and liabilities;

2. The person comprehends all of the divorce documents and is perfectly capable of filing them out without the assistance of a lawyer;

3. Not in a hurry and have no specific time line that they are looking for to finalize their divorce;

4. The funds that it would take to hire a lawyer is more than the value of the assets or debts the parties are contesting;

5. Alimony or child support is not at concern.