North Carolina legal guides for the decisions that matter.
Practical explanations from a Huntersville law firm serving families, employees, businesses, drivers, and neighbors across Lake Norman. Search the full library, choose a topic, or begin with a featured guide.
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Each path connects legal articles with the related Adkins Law practice-area guide.
Divorce & Family LawDivorce, alimony, agreements, property division, and protective orders.Find family-law guides →
Custody & Child SupportParenting schedules, decision-making, support, relocation, and enforcement.Find custody guides →
DWI & TrafficSpeeding tickets, license consequences, testing, evidence, and DWI defense.Find driving guides →
Employment LawDiscrimination, retaliation, wages, leave, investigations, Garrity, and the EEOC.Find workplace guides →
Estate PlanningWills, trusts, powers of attorney, health-care directives, and legacy planning.Find planning guides →
Civil Matters & Local LifeContracts, defamation, civil disputes, mediation, and the Lake Norman community.Find civil guides →
Clear starting points for common questions.
Open any card to read the complete article, then follow the related links for deeper guidance.
CHILD CUSTODYWho decides where a child goes to school?School choice, joint legal custody, and resolving parental disagreement.Read the guide 
PARENTINGHow joint legal custody decisions are madeSchool, medical care, therapy, activities, and other major decisions.Read the guide 
SEPARATIONCan a separation agreement be changed?Understand modification, enforcement, consent, and court-order distinctions.Read the guide 
PROTECTIVE ORDERSWhat a court must find in a DVPO caseA practical case-law guide to evidence, findings, and protective orders.Read the guide 
PROPERTY DIVISIONStipulations and equitable distributionHow agreements and trial positions can shape a North Carolina property case.Read the guide 
CHILD SUPPORTSelf-employment income and child supportDepreciation, business income, documentation, and support calculations.Read the guide 
ALIMONYAlimony overpayments and reimbursementWhat a recent appellate decision teaches about payments and remedies.Read the guide 
CIVIL LAWDefamation in North CarolinaA broad overview of reputational harm, defenses, and civil claims.Read the guide
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These subject boxes collect useful starting points from the Adkins Law archive. Open an article now, view every result in that topic, or continue to the complete chronological archive below.
Divorce & Separation
Agreements, property division, complex assets, and practical steps before and after separation.
Custody & Parenting
Decision-making, parenting schedules, school issues, modification, and third-party custody questions.
Support & Alimony
Income, self-employment, enforcement, contempt, overpayments, and changing financial circumstances.
DWI & Traffic
Stops, checkpoints, breath and blood testing, license consequences, speeding tickets, and defense.
Employment & Public Servants
Discrimination, retaliation, pay, leave, internal investigations, EEOC charges, and employee rights.
Wills, Trusts & Estates
Wills, powers of attorney, health-care directives, trusts, beneficiaries, and practical legacy planning.
Civil Litigation
Contracts, reputation, property disputes, statutory protections, and resolution through litigation or mediation.
Huntersville & Lake Norman
Local history, community change, and legal issues affecting the place Adkins Law calls home.
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The newest resources appear first. Use the search above to find a specific issue, or move through the archive to reach all 499 published articles.
Understanding Child Custody in NC
There are several different types of Child Custody:Legal Custody -This type of custody gives you as the parent the legal "power" when it comes to decision makingregarding theupbringing of the child. A parent with legal custody will be entitled to access and make decisions for all of the child's important medical, educational, religious and other ...
Every Step of the Way!
Adkins Law is committed to being there for you no matter what stage of life you are going through. If you are in need of assistance with Family Law Issues, Estate Planning for your family or even a Traffic Law issue. We are here to help you! Call us today to set up a consultation.
Adkins Law Tip: Do you have a REAL ID?
Do you have the "REAL" ID?The North Carolina DMV has begun to offer a form of identification that satisfies a new federal ID requirement for boarding planes, entering federal buildings, military bases and nuclear facilities.The "real" ID works and looks like a normal driver's license but has a gold star in the upper right-hand corner. ...
How Do I Terminate Parental Rights?
A common question that arises is concerning the termination of parental rights. When parental rights are terminated, all legal ties between the parent and child are severed. This cannot be done consensually. A court must find grounds for the termination, and that the termination is in the child's best interests.In North Carolina, termination of parental ...
What happens if I get Evicted in NC?
What happens if you were evicted in North Carolina? At this point you have been served with either a summons or a complaint. This means that you as the tenant are being noticed for not paying the rent, you have violated the lease agreement with your landlord. This is where you have a couple options ...
4 Reasons Why Estate Planning is so Important
Estate Planningis one of the most important yet neglected aspects of personal finance. When dealing with our own mortality, peopletend to procrastinate. It isn't very pleasant to think about death and what will happen to our family and our finances after we pass away. Having a basic estate plan, at the minimum, is essential to ...
Military Disability Pay Related to Equitable Distribution
The NC Court of Appeals acknowledgedthat military disability pay cannot be distributed by a court in equitable distribution, It is seen as income that can be considered when the court is looking for a source of payment.In reaching this decision, the court rejected the argument that this rule was changed by the recent decision inHowell ...
How to file a restraining order in North Carolina?
Below is the process of filing for a restraining order also known as a Domestic Violence Protective Order or a Civil No-Contact Order.1. Go to the courthouse:Go to the office of the clerk of civil court or the magistrate's office. Tell them you need to file for a restraining order, protective order, DVPO or Civil ...
What do you need to know about a Prenuptial Agreement?
What is a Premarital Agreement?A premarital agreement, also called a prenuptial agreement or a "pre-nup," allows for a couple to set the terms of their property rights for their marriage. North Carolina General Statute § 52B-4, provides for such rights which include: the rights and obligations of each of the parties in any property of ...
