Some people do allow their divorce to proceed without their participation. Reasons include apathy, guilt, fear, depression or because they are attempting to delay or stop the divorce.

This is never a good idea!

Failure to appear means you have skipped a scheduled court date without notifying the court. You can be charged with contempt of court, and the judge can issue a bench warrant for your arrest. You may also have to pay a fine.

While such measures don't usually happen in a divorce case, you still should always show up in court if required to do so.

Skipping your court hearing not only gives a bad impression but allows the other spouse to tell the court what they want.

If you aren’t there, you can’t disprove their story or defend your self! Once this testimony is part of the court record it becomes very hard to discredit later—because you didn’t show up in the first place to refute it!

Even if you are married or in a committed romantic relationship, you still need to have other relationships in your life. Usually, these relationships are with friends or co-workers. It's possible to be friends with another person without crossing the line into something more.

However, if you think about this person throughout the day, deliberately change your routine to connect with this person, begin fantasizing about what life would be like with them, and begin comparing this person with your spouse, you are crossing a line.

These connections can sometimes evolve into what is commonly known as an emotional affair.

Just because your situation isn’t physical, doesn’t mean that what you are doing is right. An emotional affair can have just as big of an impact on your committed relationship as a physical one.

Once you cross the line from friendship or co-worker into something more, it’s difficult to repair the damage that your spouse and other family members will suffer due to your behavior.

You spent a long time getting your shared parenting plan hammered out so that both you and your ex were satisfied with it.

Or maybe you had a protracted custody battle that ended in the court making the parenting decision for you.

Either way, there is often some point in their lives that a child may start to resent the visitation schedule and refuse to see the other parent.

What can you do in this situation?

Are you supposed to make your child go or should you give in?

What are the possible legal consequences?

And can older children decide on their own whether or not they want to visit the non-custodial parent?

In this article, we will discuss common problems that happen in shared parenting, the possible legal ramifications and some things you can do to make the transition easier on your child.

When it comes to ending a relationship, the word “separation” can be a confusing term.

While there are many different types of informal separations, there is only one legal separation recognized in the state of Ohio. A legal separation does not terminate a marriage, and you are not free to remarry. Under Ohio law, there are only three ways to terminate a Marriage: Divorce, Dissolution or Annulment. 

 When a marriage is good, it can be a tremendous blessing. A good marriage provides you with a consistent source of happiness and a sense of fulfillment.

However, a truly happy and positive marriage can be difficult to achieve. All too often, marriages turn out to be very negative, unhealthy, and bad.

In the state of Ohio, Judges or magistrates hear cases. What is the difference between the two? What is a magistrate? Ohio divorce lawyer Jack Carney-DeBord answers your questions in the below video.

What is a Guardian ad Litem? Has a Guardian ad Litem been appointed in your child custody case? What is the definition of Guardian ad Litem? Ohio Family Law Attorney Jack Carney-DeBord defines the term in this short video.

"Prenup" is typically a word that many couples avoid because of the negative stereotypes associated with prenuptial agreements.

While brides are focused on choosing a wedding gown, picking flowers, finding the perfect music and planning a perfect reception, grooms are busy planning a fantastic honeymoon that they will never forget.

A divorce that we think of as “traditional” involves both parties separately hiring their attorneys to represent their best interests. This often happens when both of the parties are unable to agree on issues like property division, child custody, or child and/or spousal support.

Depending on the issues to be decided, a traditional divorce can take the longest time of any type of divorce to be finalized. In especially contentious cases, hiring an attorney is a good idea since each lawyer can present his or her client’s interests to the court.

As a family law attorney, I’ve observed first hand the rebuilding a relationship after an affair is possible but can take a long time and may even end up not being attainable.

We may like to believe that only those who are in unhappy marriages engage in affairs, but in reality, the temptation to become involved with another person outside of marriage can happen to anyone.

Adopting a child is rewarding. Unfortunately, it can also be time-consuming and confusing.

This guide will make it easier to understand the process. 

People have a lot of questions about how to adopt a child. The adoption process differs not only from state to state but also from county to county.

Although many people prefer a newborn baby, many older children are waiting for homes. We'll explore a variety of options. 

It has been an exciting and record-breaking 2015 for me and as the owner of Jack's Law Office (and quite the contrary for my beloved Cleveland Browns).

I wanted to share with you some highlights and in particular, my number-one top strategy for success in 2015, what we have on the drawing board for 2016,  and some fun times for the Carney-DeBords. (And let's not forget-with the Brown's hiring of baseball guru and analytic pro, Paul DePodesta, it could be a promising year-promising may be a stretch but hope for next year is the mantra for any real Brown's fan.)

Ohio has a mixed history on the matter of same-sex marriage.

In 2004, Ohio banned same-sex marriage via an amendment to the state constitution.

In 2013, Ohio began recognizing same-sex marriages from other states. A federal court ruling prompted the change.

What Should You Do if You Feel Your Lawyer Isn't Representing Your Needs?

Getting a divorce can be stressful enough, but what if the attorney you have chosen to represent you doesn’t seem to be working out?

Do you need more child support? Do you suspect that your spouse may be hiding money from you? Can you increase your child support?

Jack is an Ohio family law attorney. In this video, he explains how to use a subpoena to increase child support payments.

VIDEO: Subpoena Power to Increase Child Support

Many divorce cases involve children. If you are getting a divorce and have children, you should know what local rule visitation is. Ohio Family Law Attorney Jack Carney-DeBord defines local rule visitation in this short video.

VIDEO: What is Local Rule Visitation?

Ohio divorce lawyer Jack Carney-DeBord describes a case where he represented a single mother who had been threatened by the state about custody of her kids. Find out what happened...

Parents have a responsibility to support their children. Obtaining child support is important for many reasons, which is why the Child Support Enforcement Agency was created. Although this agency was established by the federal government, each state is required to have its separate unit to administer a child support program.

Q: What is a Separation Agreement?

Any couple going through dissolution in Ohio is required to have a Separation Agreement. This is essentially a legally binding contract between two parties that mainly sets out all the assets and liabilities of the case.

Assets are things like vehicles, stocks, and bonds, real estate, retirement or profit-sharing plans, jewelry, household furnishings or pretty much anything else valued over $500. Liabilities are another part of the separation agreement and usually consist of credit card debt, mortgages, and student loans.

To file this agreement with the court, it's required that both parties agree on every issue outlined in the Separation Agreement. Assets must be divided and who is responsible for which debts need to be clarified. Any spousal support will also be included in this agreement.

In Ohio, the court that handles divorce and dissolution cases is the Court of Common Pleas which is located in each county. This means a particular county court has “jurisdiction” over a case.

Jurisdiction involves residency. Meeting Ohio residency requirements are usually easy and only a concern for a person who has recently moved or is planning a move shortly.