ARTICLES
Grandparents’ Visitation & Custody Rights in North Carolina
Grandparents often play an important role in a child’s life, but in North Carolina, they do not have automatic legal rights to visitation or custody. Parents have constitutionally protected authority to make decisions about their children, and courts are generally reluctant to interfere with those rights. There are, however, limited circumstances under North Carolina law…
ART Issues in Estate Planning: Why Not All Children Are Equal
Families created through assisted reproductive technology (ART) face unique and often overlooked challenges in estate planning. ART includes a wide range of family-building methods, including surrogacy, in vitro fertilization (IVF), donor eggs or sperm, embryo donation, and cryopreservation. As these technologies evolve and become more common, the law has struggled to keep pace. Questions surrounding…
Domestic Violence Protective Orders in North Carolina
You may be asking, “Can I get a DVPO (Domestic Violence Protection Order) without an attorney?” You can and sometimes even seasoned attorneys have difficulties getting DVPOs. Going into court to prosecute or defend against a domestic violence protection order (50B) requires more than just adequate counsel. DVPO’s are a particular kind of case, and…
Year-End Estate Planning Considerations
As the year draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to get an estate plan if you don’t have one or to review your estate plan and ensure it still reflects your long-term goals, especially if your family is growing through Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) or otherwise. Births, marriages, deaths, and financial changes can…
Yikes! I Got Married and Forgot to Get a Prenup. Can I Get a Prenup After Marriage?
If you’re like most people, love is the only thing on your mind when you’re contemplating marriage. After all, who isn’t socialized to want a fairytale romance, lavish wedding, and honeymoon in an exotic locale? Prince/ss Charming never required an agreement waiving alimony and dividing assets, and since those Disney movies end before the divorce,…
Can you change your gender marker on passports now? This is what we know.
On January 20, 2025, Trump issued an Executive Order on Gender Ideology seeking to create sweeping barriers intended to make trans people’s lives more difficult. Since then, he has issued other orders targeted at the LGBTQ community which aren’t the subject of this post. I hope to address these later. Traditionally, Executive Orders (EO) are…
Gestational Surrogacy Law Changes and Their Impact on Care in North Carolina
The legal landscape surrounding gestational surrogacy law in the United States is undergoing significant change, which could have a profound impact on the ability of individuals and families to access medical care, including in vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy. In this article, we will explore these changes, their potential implications for North Carolina residents, and…
Ovum-Sharing / Shared Pregnancy
The attorneys at NicholsonPham have been successful in being the first to petition the court to legally recognize both same-sex, married parents as legal parents in an ovum sharing case. For lesbian couples enlarging their family in North Carolina, this new legal precedent is a positive movement forward in equality. Couples now have the ability…
How do you change your gender marker and name on your NC Birth Certificate if you are out of state?
North Carolina has this procedure streamlined so you just have to follow these steps. You will first need a notarized letter from a physician stating that you have undergone “sex reassignment surgery” and stating the sex you were assigned at birth and your current sex. We suggest that you obtain more than one letter as…
Love and Panic Chickens in the Time of Pandemics
Are you experiencing pandemic mood swings? Are you hoarding toilet paper? Or animal proteins? Have you become a prepper? Do you now own panic chickens? Have you thrown caution to the wind and elected to party in Daytona Beach? We advise against that course of action. Or are you, like some of our clients, considering…
Milan’s client writes about his divorce and “Who Gets the Dog?”
Milan Pham’s client, Steven Petrow, writes about his divorce experience and the family dog for the New York Times Opinion Section. “I have some good news,” my divorce lawyer told me during our second consultation in her downtown Durham, N.C., office. Before divulging it, she asked a question: “Are you willing to pay $16,000 for…
ACLU’s FAQs About NC’s New Guidelines Regarding Birth Certificates for Children of Married Same-Sex Couples
The ACLU has issued a new fact sheet regarding birth certificates for children of married same-sex couples. The fact sheet answers questions such as: If we get a birth certificate that lists both of us as parents, does that establish that we are legal parents? Do we still need to do a step-parent adoption or…
NEWS
Sharon Thompson Named to Best Lawyers in America 2017
We are pleased to announce that Sharon Thompson has been named to the 2017 Best Lawyers in America Family Law section. The 2017 list represents Best Lawyers 23rd edition. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based…
Sharon Thompson Named to Best Lawyers in America 2016
We are pleased to announce that Sharon Thompson has been named to the 2016 Best Lawyers in America Family Law section. The 2016 list represents Best Lawyers 22nd edition. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based…
Sharon Thompson Presents on Emerging Issues in Estate Planning and Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)
As a part of its on-going series of continuing legal education for lawyers, the Estate Planning Section of the North Carolina Bar Association presented “New Frontiers: Emerging Issues in Estate Planning” on April 28. The program was designed to inform estate planning attorneys about current challenges presented by today’s medical and digital technology and changing…
Sharon Thompson’s Career of Service Covered in the National Law Journal
Following decades of service toward equality, for women in the practice of law and for the LGBT community, Sharon’s efforts have been covered by the National Law Journal. Available only by subscription, the NLJ covers eight women attorneys from the Carolinas. As a follow up to the NLJs recent articles on Carolina corporate counsel, the…