Best Source of Rhode Island Family Court Info
Rhode Island Family Court judges utilize the "best interest of the child" standard in child custody and visitation cases. These custody factors are set forth in the seminal Rhode Island custody law case of Pettinato v Pettinato, 589 A.2d 909 … [Continue reading] about Basics of Legal Custody & Physical Custody by a Child Custody Attorney
In Rhode Island Family Court, judges rarely appoint a lawyer to represent a child. There is no tradition or culture of lawyers representing children in Rhode Island Family Court. The Vast Majority of attorney appointments are for guardian ad litems … [Continue reading] about Can a Child Have a Lawyer in a RI Divorce or Custody Case? Role of GAL
We thought we had seen it all in Rhode Island Family Court. We were wrong! A gentleman unearthed an obscure RI statute, Rhode Island General law 15-4-11. This law is located in Chapter 15-4, "Married Women's Rights." This dude had tons of chutzpah, … [Continue reading] about Chutzpah! Husband seeks to represent wife in divorce citing obscure Statute
For generations, proving fault, or the seedy or unsavory action of one spouse was the only option or grounds to obtain a divorce. However, no-fault divorce has become very popular in recent years as a way to eliminate a legal and permanent separation … [Continue reading] about Why Most States & RI Have Made No-Fault Divorce the Standard
In many ways, children of divorced parents live a life different from those who live in a stable family environment. Many married couples will divorce believing that their children were unhappy because their parents were unhappy. They assumed that … [Continue reading] about Child Custody in RI: How a Divorce Impacts Children