Close Smith Family Law is proud to announce that on January 1st, Business North Carolina’s 2021 Legal Elite rankings named Managing Partner Cary Close as the top family lawyer in the State and Partner Kelly K. Smith as a “Young Gun” – a small group of lawyers under the age of 40 who are rising stars amongst their peers. As explained by the publication, “This marks the 20th Legal Elite class. Each year, BNC has invited active members of the N.C. State Bar to vote for their most-esteemed peers. Attorneys can’t vote for themselves . . . . This year, 982 lawyers were selected as Legal Elite, …Read More
Close Smith Family Law Response to COVID-19
Close Smith Family Law is dedicated to the health and safety of our clients and community. Due to new and ongoing challenges posed by COVID-19, we have undertaken additional cleaning protocols, starting weeks ago to our offices, which are regularly and often cleaned, with increased disinfecting of higher traffic surfaces. As a small firm, we have a very small and limited number of people in the office to begin with, but even so, if you are not comfortable meeting in person, know that we have always and will continue to provide the option of phone-based meetings and consultations. We ask …Read More
Co-Parenting Therapy
Parenting is difficult, even in an intact marriage. So when a marriage ends and you’re faced with having to parent with someone you don’t respect, trust, or may not even like – it can seem impossible. Just as parenting probably didn’t come naturally (at least not at first), neither does co-parenting. Among other things, successful co-parenting involves open communication and a level of respect for the other parent, two things many divorced parents simply don’t have. The prevailing view amongst child professionals who are familiar with divorce is that (1) a stable, loving relationship with each …Read More
One Big Reason Why You Should Settle Your Case
You and your spouse have separated. Tempers are flying high and you feel a complete loss of control over your life, and maybe your children’s lives. Your spouse won’t listen to reason and is poisoning the children. In such situations, it’s certainly easy to get caught up in all that anger, disappointment and betrayal and to believe that taking your spouse to court is the only solution. But one very important thing that many clients do not realize is how much time is involved in litigating divorce cases. It’s not just the time your attorney needs to prepare your case that clients often …Read More
Can I Be Sued for Having an Affair with a Married Person?
You may be surprised to find out that, in North Carolina at least, the answer is yes. The paramour of a married person can be sued in North Carolina under the claim of alienation of affection and/or criminal conversation. Alienation of affection is essentially a claim against someone who is believed to have taken the affections of the plaintiff’s spouse away from the plaintiff during the marriage. Criminal conversation is a claim against someone who has had sexual intercourse with the plaintiff’s spouse during the marriage. If you think the ability to file this kind of lawsuit seems …Read More
5 Reasons Why a Parenting Coordinator Might Be a Good Idea
If you and your ex are still fighting after a custody order has been entered, the fighting is likely having a negative impact on you and your family. There are several valid reasons why a great deal of conflict might linger, even though your case has been resolved. Maybe there are residual trust or anger issues. Maybe there are too many scars from past physical or mental abuse. Perhaps your former spouse has a personality disorder and is simply impossible to make decisions with. Whatever the reason, North Carolina legislators have recognized that certain kinds of custody cases require extra …Read More
