| Enforcement of Alimony or Spousal Support Orders |
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| Alimony and spousal support are terms that are used interchangeably to refer to an obligation of one spouse to provide a financial contribution to the other spouse's cost of living and maintenance. The person who receives support is called the recipient spouse. The person who pays support to a recipient is called the obligor spouse. In some states, the term spousal maintenance is also used. In no instance, do the terms involve a division of property.
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| Statutory and Other Types of Marriage |
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| A marriage by definition is a union between a man and a woman. Every state has different requirements with respect to becoming legally and statutorily married. More... |
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| Right of Putative Father to have his Child Bear his Surname |
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| In some instances, a putative father who gains custody or visitation of his child may want the child's surname changed from that of the mother's to his own. Neither parent has a paramount right over the other to assign to the child a particular surname, even in those jurisdictions that statutorily mandate the child's surname initially is to be that of the mother. More... |
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| International Adoption - Home Study |
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| United States immigration laws require prospective parents to undergo a "home study" before they can adopt a child from a foreign country. A home study is an investigation into the prospective parents' fitness to raise an adopted child. A home study is conducted by an individual or agency that is licensed by the prospective parents' home state. More... |
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| Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act |
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| The Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act (UMDA) is an extensive uniform law which provides standards governing marriage, divorce, property distribution, alimony, child support, and custody. Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana and Washington have adopted it. The major provisions eliminate fault divorces, eliminate traditional defenses to divorce, provide for equitable distribution of property in non-community property states, provides for distributing community property, provide for alimony only in specific circumstances, and base child support and custody on certain factors. More... |
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