Surratt Law Practice, PC is a Reno, Nevada firm that can represent you in drafting and/or negotiating a prenuptial or postnuptial marital agreement.  Prenuptial agreements are a tool to address property and asset division before a relationship goes “sours” when the two people still care about each other.

In the state of Nevada, engaged, married, or cohabiting couples may enter into agreements defining their property rights, and depending upon the type of agreement, their support, and other rights and obligations according to Chapter 123A.010 – 100 of the Nevada Revised Statutes.

The Uniform Premarital Agreement Act defines a premarital agreement as, “an agreement between prospective spouses made in contemplation of marriage and to be effective upon marriage.” Talking about establishing a prenuptial agreement as part of your wedding plans may seem like a negative conversation. The emotional dynamic of “negotiating the divorce while planning the wedding” can be difficult.

By: Melissa L. Exline, Esq.

Divorce can be an expensive endeavor. It can be worse when the married couple is drowning in debt. Paying for the lawyer and setting up a new household after divorce, are just a couple of the big things that siphon proceeds from your pocket as well. Legal bills and court costs come even before a person gets their share of property, child support or alimony. Because of this, it is very helpful to make sure to take care of the financial expenses by way of proper planning. While it is stressful, the freedom you will get down the line will be worth the struggle.

By Travis Clark, Esq.

On June 15, 2020, the United States Supreme Court issued its opinion in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, 590 U.S. (2020) – click here for full opinion of the court.  The case involved three separate cases of discrimination against the LGBTQ community:

• Gerald Bostock was fired from his job for conduct “unbecoming” of a county employee, shortly after he joined a gay softball league. Bostock worked in Clayton County as a child welfare advocate.  Under his leadership, the county won national awards for its work.  After a decade with the county, he was fired shortly after joining the gay softball league.
• Altitude Express, a skydiving company, fired Donald Zarda days after he mentioned being gay to a client who he thought would feel more at ease due to the tandem skydive, in which their bodies would be very close and touching.
• Aimee Stephens was fired from Harris Funeral Homes when she transitioned from male to female, after being employed with the funeral home for six years.

By: Melissa L. Exline, Esq.

In Nevada, many Courts are continuing operations using “audio/visual” equipment.  In Washoe County, this has included programs such as Zoom.  The Judge, Court Clerk, along with a court reporter are present to run the Court.  This has been a learning process for all involved.  Having participated in Court this way for the past month, here is a top 5 tip list for a person appearing in family court in Washoe County:

1. Dress as if you are going to Court. You still want to look like a nice, respectable person.  First impressions cannot be re-made – so start out on the right foot.
2. Practice with your equipment at home and feel free to ask if your lawyer has done this too. You do not want to be figuring this out with the pressure of court looming.
3. Let your attorney be your guide. He or she still knows the players involved better than you do, and Court etiquette still applies.  It can be hard to figure out when to speak up, so it is good to have a plan with your lawyer on how you want to be heard if everyone is talking.
4. Have a plan on how to talk to your lawyer. Either use the chat features on the application (practice this in advance), or have a plan to email/text/be on the phone with your lawyer while all the other stuff is going on so you can make a private point with your lawyer (when this is permissible) with your attorney.
5. Manage your expectations on what you can get out of court. This applies for video court or not – but the point is important.  There is only so much time and your lawyer will know which points to make and in what order.  Not everything gets done the way you want it to be, but getting some things done in a tumultuous time is going to have to suffice for now.

By: Melissa L. Exline, Esq.

Yes, this is an issue. We have seen an increase in situations where parents are worried for their children and the worry is whether to send the children over to the other parent for normal custodial exchanges during the pandemic. Is it safe? Are the children going to be exposed and bring something here? It is not easy.

In addition, many times, the parenting orders are written so that exchanges are set to take place before/after school. And plans for Spring Break – well, forget about it. All of that went out the window. Already strained communication could be more strained. Since you are reading this, you know this already and you are ready to not let this undermine how you handle the next messy parenting discussion.

The pandemic has been especially hard on parents who share custody of their kids. One family attorney has some advice for parents facing the challenge of parental custody in the time of COVID19.