Maryville Tennessee Legal Blog

What to change in your estate plans after a divorce

On behalf of Costner & Greene on Wednesday, March 13, 2019.

Going through a divorce leads to continual life adjustments even after the court proceedings are over. It has a lasting effect on all areas of life, and keeping up with all the changes can be challenging.

One thing you should not let slip beneath the radar is your estate plans. You need to update the terms to reflect your current situation, or your family could have some surprises upon your passing. If your spouse took care of all the estate plans, you need to create your own that will express your wishes, or state law will determine how to handle your estate and health care.

How and why do people access family law in Tennessee?

On behalf of Costner & Greene posted in Family Law on Saturday, March 9, 2019.

Criminal law in Tennessee covers the state's and cities' response to acts against the law designed to punish the offenders. Civil law often includes private citizens' and organizations' response to another person's acts that cost them money, time or effort. Family law, however, is a broad response to various areas of behavior that affect the people closest to us.

What are the specific divisions of family law in Tennessee?

Large estates often need small plans for inheritance

On behalf of Costner & Greene posted in Estate Planning on Thursday, March 7, 2019.

America has entered and left the Age of Stuff. Generations that preceded us relied on their possessions to feed, clothe and house them by making household tasks easier or letting us be more efficient at work. But, in a time when most consumer products are disposable and many electronic devices fulfill multiple needs at once, people are less interested in dealing with their parents' and grandparents' possessions.

At the same time, many elders with large families may make rudimentary estate plans, but most of them do not include the details that can reduce burdens and conflicts for the inheriting generation. Some objects that do not seem to have intrinsic or emotional value to people may become the object of competition between children or cousins during a time of high emotional experience.

Tennessee is considering new marijuana laws

On behalf of Costner & Greene posted in Criminal Defense on Tuesday, February 26, 2019.

From basic controlled substances to misused prescription painkillers, drugs have caused a lot of damage to individual lives and society as a whole. Many jurisdictions in the United States, including Nashville and the state of Tennessee, are taking a fresh look at how they approach law violations related to drug possession and drug use.

Marijuana is at the forefront of these changes. The psychotropic plant had been illegal in every form for nearly a century when some states and cities reassessed how to best serve the population. New laws and law enforcement methods were changed less by a new look at the effects of marijuana and more by the consequences of the old approach for minor offenders and others connected to them.

What are the advantages of a lump-sum alimony payment?

On behalf of Costner & Greene posted in Family Law on Sunday, February 17, 2019.

Often when one divorcing spouse agrees or is ordered to pay alimony to the other, the arrangement is a monthly payment over a specific time period or until something happens, like the spouse receiving alimony remarries or no longer financially requires it. However, what if your soon-to-be ex is in a financial position to make one lump-sum alimony payment to you? Should you take it?

The thought of receiving a large amount of money might be overwhelming -- particularly if you aren't experienced at budgeting and managing money. However, there are a number of reasons why a lump-sum payment is far better than monthly payments. Let's look at a few of them.

Former nurse charged with reckless homicide for drug error

On behalf of Costner & Greene posted in Personal Injury on Wednesday, February 13, 2019.

Sometimes medical malpractice is considered a criminal offense. That's the case with a former nurse who worked at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is facing a reckless homicide charge for allegedly giving a 75-year-old patient the wrong medication. The woman suffered cardiac arrest and was left brain dead at the end of 2017. She was removed from life support shortly afterward.

The Davidson County District Attorney's Office, which recently announced the indictment, says that the nurse overrode safeguards in place for the electronic medicine-dispensing cabinets at the medical center. That's why they believe a criminal charge is warranted.

The C.R.A.S.H. program in Tennessee and what it can do

On behalf of Costner & Greene on Saturday, February 9, 2019.

When you and your friends attend a sporting event where vendors sell beer, maybe you abstain from drinking anything alcoholic because you are driving.

This is a good decision because, on the short drive home, you may notice an unusually strong presence of law enforcement officers. Is this a result of the C.R.A.S.H. program?

Addressing parenting time change requests in your parenting plan

On behalf of Costner & Greene posted in Family Law on Tuesday, February 5, 2019.

If you and your co-parent are going to be sharing custody of your children, you are likely putting a parenting time schedule in place as part of your custody agreement and parenting plan. When parents commit to following a schedule, they help their children develop a routine that can make them feel more secure amid the tumult of parental divorce. Having a schedule also helps both parents plan their lives.

Sometimes, it will be necessary for you and your co-parent to "swap" your parenting time. You may have a work-related deadline or family emergency come up, for example. If communication between the two of you is still tense, requests for parenting time changes can make matters worse. That's one reason why it's best to keep these to a minimum and reserve them only for situations where they're necessary. Of course, frequent changes to the parenting plan are also upsetting to kids.

How does infidelity impact child custody?

On behalf of Costner & Greene posted in Family Law on Thursday, January 31, 2019.

Your spouse cheated on you. Maybe they had affairs with multiple people, or maybe they found the new love of their life while you were still married.

Whatever the case, now you're getting divorced. Your spouse wants to share custody of the kids. You think there's no question that you should be their primary caregiver. After all, your spouse is untrustworthy and immoral, right?

What to expect if you make an offer on a short sale property

On behalf of Costner & Greene posted in Real Estate on Wednesday, January 23, 2019.

A "short sale" is when a homeowner sells a house for considerably less than its market value. Homeowners choose this option for a number of reasons. Sometimes, they're avoiding foreclosure. Other times, they're deeply in debt and want to rid themselves of their mortgage. Many times, they owe more on the mortgage than the home is worth.

A short sale may seem like a great deal to a potential buyer. However, it's essential to understand how short sale listings work before you look seriously at one of these properties.