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Family Law    ·      Estates, Wills & Trusts    ·    Surrogacy 

Domestic Partners & Non-Traditional Families  ·   Business & Real Estate  

Family Law

   For 30 years, our firm has provided high quality representation and personalized service to both married and unmarried clients in all areas of domestic law.  While keeping in mind the emotional and practical needs of each client, we have effectively protected our client’s interests through negotiation, mediation and litigation. Services include: 

Adoption:  Our firm can efficiently prepare all documentation required for adoption proceedings in North Carolina for independent adoptions, re-adoptions of a foreign adoptee, agency adoptions., or step-parent adoptions.  We work with you and the Clerk of Court in your county to ensure a smooth process of adding to your family. 

Pre- and Post-marital Agreements:  We can help you plan for marriage by preparing agreements that can preempt the equitable distribution laws of North Carolina and establish ownership of property acquired both before and after your marriage in a manner that is more suitable to your needs and lifestyle.  

Separation Agreements:  Separation Agreements are contracts negotiated between divorcing parties that set out the terms of property settlement, child custody and support and many other matters. Our attorneys and staff understand how hard divorce can be and have the experience to ease the burden of  a difficult situation.  Our firm is committed to working toward a resolution of domestic matters without going to court whenever possible, but is ready to handle litigation if necessary. 

Divorce and Equitable Distribution: Our firm has assisted domestic clients with both simple and complex divorces for over 25 years and can help you navigate the difficulties that surround the end of a marriage.  We manage equitable distribution proceedings with minimal assets or assets in excess of a million dollars with the same determination and attention to detail. 

Domestic Partnership Agreements:  Sometimes marriage is not a desirable choice or an option available to you. In those situations we can prepare Domestic Partnership Agreements that address issues such as ownership of real and personal property and obligations regarding debts.  Domestic Partnership Agreements can also set guidelines in the event of dissolution of the relationship and  ease the process of a break-up.

Child Custody, Visitation, and Support:  Our office can help you design a custody and support plan that benefits both you and your children. An appropriate amount of child support is determined by guidelines established by the North Carolina courts.  (See links to child support guidelines below.)  In other circumstances, variation from the guidelines is necessary.  In those situations when consultation with an attorney is necessary, our firm can assist you with the assessment of income and assets that will allow you to obtain a more equitable child support award. 

Surrogacy:  There are many pathways to becoming a parent.  For some, surrogacy is an option to consider.  In a surrogacy arrangement, a person or couple makes an agreement with a woman to become pregnant and carry a baby to term for the purpose of creating a family for that person or couple.  The woman who carries the pregnancy is called the Surrogate.  The person who makes the agreement with the Surrogate is called the Intended Parent, or, if a couple, the Intended Parents.

In a traditional surrogacy, the Surrogate is inseminated using sperm from the Intended Father, which fertilizes the Surrogate's own egg.  Thus, the Surrogate is genetically related to the child she carries. She is called a "traditional Surrogate".

Sometimes there is no genetic material from the Surrogate used to create the pregnancy.  Medical science now makes it possible for a Surrogate to carry an implanted embryo created with the egg and sperm of the Intended Parents, or from anonymous or known donors.  In these cases, the Surrogate is called a "gestational carrier" and she has no genetic connection to the child she carries.

There are usually two legal steps in the surrogacy process.  First, an agreement between all parties must be carefully drafted.  This agreement will include the Surrogate, her spouse if married, the Intended Parents, and possibly others, if there are additional known genetic donors.  Secondly, prior to birth, a court order can be obtained declaring that the Intended Parents are the genetic, and therefore, legal parents of the child to be born, and their names should be on the birth certificate.  This is called a "pre-birth order".

With so many options in the area of assisted reproduction, it is essential that all parties be represented by an attorney with the requisite knowledge and experience.  Our firm works with both Surrogates and Intended Parents to review and guide them through the complexities of this process.  We also represent Intended Parents in any necessary court proceedings and coordinate with hospitals to ensure that all goes well during delivery and that the Intended Parents are able to take their baby from the hospital.

For more information on surrogacy, or any other assisted reproduction issues, call Sharon Thompson directly at 919-688-9646.

Gen. Child Support Forms: http://www.aoc.state.nc.us/www/public/html/childsupport.html

Sole Custody Worksheet: ftp://ftp.aoc.state.nc.us/pub/forms/cv627.pdf

Shared Custody Worksheet: ftp://ftp.aoc.state.nc.us/pub/forms/cv628.pdf