Blast From The Past: Lingo You Might Not Know From the Divorce World

Blast from the past 13 years Ohio Family Law Blog

PUBLISHER’S UPDATE: This “Blast from the Past” was originally posted on the Ohio Family Law Blog on August 15, 2008. I have updated it to add 9 new terms. This glossary is not a substitute for talking with your divorce lawyer about any of these divorce terms and the implications with your case.

What’s A Deposition? Common Divorce Terms [And Their Definitions]

divorce terms

If you find yourself involved in a divorce, custody case or other family law litigation you may run across some unfamiliar divorce terms. Here are some common ones with a short basic definition:

  • AFFIDAVIT – Information provided under oath.  Often times pertaining to current finances, debts and assets.
  • CORROBORATING WITNESS – In a non-contested divorce proceeding in Ohio, you will need to bring a corroborating witness for the final non-contested hearing. That witness will have a narrow role to briefly corroborate the facts surrounding the grounds for your divorce.
  • BAILIFF – The judge’s assistant who helps with the court docket and often oversees the decorum in the courtroom.
  • CONTEMPT – An action requesting the court to punish a person for violating a prior Court order.
  • CONTINUANCE – A delay or postponement of a scheduled court appearance.
… Read More... “Blast From The Past: Lingo You Might Not Know From the Divorce World”

Abbreviations Kids Use on Cellphones That Parents Should Know!

teen lingo 101 emojis

Texting Lingo That A Teenager Might Use On Their Cellphones, A Parents Guide To Emojis!

teenager emojisWhen you think about the stereotypical teenager, what comes to mind?  A pimply twig that enjoys blaring bubble gum pop music while their face is stuck in a cellphone screen? Or perhaps you thought of a certain smell attached to the essence of a teenager such as molding pizza. Whatever your stereotypical teenager looks like (or smells like) in your mind, they probably had a cellphone in their hand.

Cellphones have been around for a while now, journeying from a car phone to a screen the weight of a brick. Most adults know what a flip phone is, and how sending text messages were a time consuming process. To combat the time consuming process of sending a friend a quick message, cell phones acquired their own texting lingo made up by young people to communicate faster.

However as time progressed, it seems that the only ones using texting lingo/abbreviations are the same ones who created it back in the day. After coming across many articles of “This is the Text Slang All Parents Should Know”, it has become apparent that the ones making up … Read More... “Abbreviations Kids Use on Cellphones That Parents Should Know!”

Divorce and The Christmas Story

Reconciling Divorce with the Holidays

How The Christmas Story relates to Divorce

divorce and the story of christmasMany of us associate the holidays with certain fond memories or warm feelings. It’s a time of year when many people make an extra effort to get together with family and friends. We often reconnect with relatives, spend extra time with our children, open presents, share great meals, sit around a fireplace, laugh, return gifts, watch football, nap, and hopefully get to see it snow.

Whether we attend church regularly or not, statistics show that the majority of us also make sure to attend a church service at Christmas time. During most Christmas services we sing hymns and carols, light candles, smile and say hello to lots of people we may not know, and we are reminded of the “reason for the season”…the birth of Christ, or The Christmas Story as we sometimes call it.

The Christmas Story.

When we hear those words, I am sure that many images quickly come to mind. First and foremost was the star of the show, baby Jesus himself. We are told that his mother wrapped him in “swaddling clothes” and laid him in a manger because there was no room for … Read More... “Divorce and The Christmas Story”

In Camera Interviews of Children in Divorce Court

camerain.jpgWhat is an in camera interview? The phrase “in camera” is a Latin term defined in Black’s Law Dictionary as: “In chambers; in private.”  The interview does not involve a camera or a videotape at all!  If a party is asking for the Court to have an in camera interview of a minor child, the request is for the Judge or Magistrate to interview the minor child privately with neither parent or his/her attorney being present.  An Appellate Court in Michigan said it very well years ago . . .

“A child custody determination is much more difficult and subtle than an arithmetical computation of factors.  It is one of the most demanding undertakings of a trial judge, one in which he must not only listen to what is said to him and observe all that happens before him, but a task requiring him to discern and feel the climate and chemistry of the relationships between children and parents.  This is an inquiry in which the court hopes to hear not only the words but the music of the various relationships.”  Dempsey v. Dempsey, 96 Mich. App. 276, 289 (1980).

What is the goal of an in camera… Read More... “In Camera Interviews of Children in Divorce Court”

Lingo You Might Not Know From the Divorce World

terms.jpgIf you find yourself involved in a divorce, custody case or other family law litigation you may run across some unfamiliar terms. Here are some common ones with a short definition:

AFFIDAVIT – Information provided under oath.  Often times pertaining to current finances, debts and assets.

BAILIFF – The judge’s assistant who helps with the court docket and often oversees the decorum in the courtroom.

CONTEMPT – An action requesting the court to punish a person for violating a prior Court order.

CONTINUANCE – A delay or postponement of a scheduled court appearance.

CPO – A “civil protection order”. An order which can be issued by the court in a domestic violence proceeding requiring a person to vacate a home and cease all contact/communication.

DEPOSITION – A form of discovery where opposing counsel gets to ask questions orally to a party or witness under oath in the presence of a court reporter before trial.

DISCOVERY – The early phase of a case where each side requests information relevant to the issues at hand. This phase may include depositions, interrogatories, production of document requests, and requests for admissions.

DV – Short for a “Domestic Violence” action.

GAL – Short for “Guardian … Read More... “Lingo You Might Not Know From the Divorce World”