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Happy New Year!

As we welcome in 2010 and a new decade, I want to wish you a Happy New Year and wish you continued health and success in 2010.  If I can assist you at all in 2010, please do not hesitate to contact me!

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Merry Christmas from UpstateFamilyLawBlog.com

I wanted to take a moment to wish you and your loved ones a merry Christmas and happy holidays.  This is a very exciting (and stressful) time of year.  I also wanted to thank you for reading these articles over the last year.  I hope the articles have provided some information and encouragement to you when dealing with a legal issue you are unsure of.  This year would not have been the same without you and your participation with this article.For me, Christmas provides a short break that gives me an opportunity to reflect back on a year full of wonderful joys and stressful personal and professional situations.  It also signals the impending end of one year and fresh start of another.  It is refreshing to look forward at a new year to imagine how we will move forward and build on the things we achieved in the previous year.  I understand that many of the people that have contacted our firm to assist them this year or who are considering coming to speak to us are feeling extremely anxious about what may happen to them because of their individual legal problems, and Christmas may seem like just another day of stress.  I encourage everyone to take some time this Christmas to be thankful for what you have been blessed with in 2009.  I would invite you to call our office to set up a consultation to discuss the possible resolutions to you problems.Merry Christmas from the Greene Law Firm!

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Merry Christmas and Thank You from UpstateFamilyLawBlog.com

2009 has been a great year and it couldn't have happened without you! I'm so thankful for my friends, clients, and those I have connected with online this year so I just wanted to take a few minutes to let you know. 2010 is shaping up to be a great year and I'm really looking forward to connecting with you in 2010. If I can do anything for you, please don't hesitate to let me know and connect with me through this site or on Twitter or Facebook.I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

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Happy Thanksgiving

"Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude." -E.P. Powell

I wanted to write today wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.  I know that many of my readers are going through a divorce or other taxing family court matter and this might be the first "big" holiday since the divorce process has begun or since it was finalized.  I understand that these are hard times and you don't always feel like giving thanks.  I hope that you are able to find blessings in your life to be thankful for.If you are going through a hard time this Thanksgiving, I would encourage you to take the time today to find something in your life to be thankful for and remember to "not leave out the gratitude."

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Legal Name Change in South Carolina

So you are wanting to change your name in South Carolina? and you want to know how to change your name or what to expect if you are meeting with an attorney about legally changing your name. 

Here are the steps that will be required when you want to change your name in South Carolina.

Legal name changes are governed by South Carolina Code Section 15-49-10. Before a name change petition can be filed with the Family Court, you must take care of some administrative things. Before you can file, the law requires that you have been a resident of South Carolina for at least six months unless you fall into a category where this requirement can be waived (related to the petitioner’s safety). Once you satisfy that hurdle, you will complete a SLED fingerprint card and background check .  You should go to a local law enforcement office to get fingerprinted.  That fingerprint card should be sent to SLED with the background check form and affidavit along with a check for $25.00.  A few days later you will receive a copy of the background check from SLED that also confirms you are not listed on the State Sexual Offender Registry.

You must also obtain a screening statement from the Department of Social Services stating that you are not on any child abuse or neglect registries.  There is an $8.00 charge for this statement.  You will need to fill out a form and mail the form and payment in and several days later you will receive that report.

After you have obtained the requisite background checks, and an affidavit that comports with the language contained in the name change statute and you or your attorney will file a petition for name change with the Family Court asking for the legal name change. 

From there you will most likely have a hearing where you have to testify before the judge about the reason you are seeking a name change.  The statute does not say that a hearing is absolutely required, so to me that leaves it up to the discretion of the Family Court judge.  I have seen it go both ways, where a judge signs a name change order without a hearing and other times where the judge requires a hearing. It usually depends on the reason for the name change or if there are concerns about the background check or DSS registry check.

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Uncontested Divorce in Greenville, South Carolina

While the title of this posts says uncontested divorce in Greenville, SC, we can actually assist you with any of your family law and divorce matters in several counties in South Carolina.  Currently, I practice in Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Pickens, Oconee and Laurens Counties.But, the real point of this post is to point you in the direction of a new page I've added to this site answering many of the frequent questions that I get regarding uncontested divorce in South Carolina.

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