| Contested Adoptions Initiated by a Biological Parent |
| The consent of the biological parent or guardian of the child must be obtained before a valid adoption can take place, unless there has been a waiver or forfeiture of parental rights. Therefore, if it can be shown that the biological parent or guardian did not consent to the adoption, there may be sufficient grounds upon which to set it aside.More... |
| Cohabitation Agreements |
| A cohabitation agreement is an understanding between two unmarried persons who live together as to how they have agreed to treat their individual assets and how they agree to manage, control, acquire and dispose of assets in the event the relationship terminates. The advantage of a cohabitation agreement is that, if properly drawn, it will reduce the stresses that would be involved if the cohabitation relationship terminates. More... |
| Self-emancipation of Minors |
| A minor may obtain a court order declaring him or her to be self-emancipated. A self-emancipated minor has most of the legal rights and duties of an adult. The parents of a self-emancipated minor have no further duty to support the minor. More... |
| Juveniles and Institutional Facilities |
| A juvenile may be held in a number of different facilities depending upon the particular issue or problem that the juvenile may have. For example, the juvenile may be arrested for assault and battery and may be held in a juvenile detention facility. Or the juvenile may have battered another individual and following a psychiatric examination, it was concluded that the juvenile was mentally unstable, the juvenile may be confined to a mental institution. More... |
| Foster Children |
| A child may be removed from a household if they are abused, either sexually or physically, or neglected. The child may be neglected in that they are not provided with their basic needs such as food, shelter, and emotional stability. The goal for the foster child is that the child be cared for by capable foster parents for a temporary period of time. More... |
