My fiance is from Sudan and has very little in the way of assets. He is coming to the U.S. to marry me and will be starting over in terms of a career. I have done well financially and am a part-owner in a family business. My family is pressuring me to have him sign a prenup that guarantees he would not get any of our business if we divorce. I love him and want to help him get an education here in the states and have a good career and life. Even if our marriage didn’t work out, I would not want to be unfair to him, but I understand my family’s concerns. If my fiance is willing to sign a prenuptial agreement, would it even be valid if he is signing it when he is not yet a U.S. citizen? Could I even enforce it?

I’m asking for a friend of mine who is from Saudi Arabia. His wife is Puerto Rican and they were living with their son in Phoenix. The wife left to go back to Saudi to visit family and has not returned to the U.S. My friend has not seen his son in 6 months. The wife refuses to tell him where exactly she is. What does he need to do to force her to come back so he can see his son? Can she be held criminally responsible for kidnapping and full custody awarded to him? He is a good father and she had no reason to take his child away.

My younger son’s doctor reported me for child abuse, apparently because my son told him I was touching him in the wrong way. This is completely not true, but the workers from the child abuse office showed up at my house and wanted to interview me. I speak Arabic as my first language and while I can mostly understand English, I did not get a lot of what they were talking about. I feel they were pressuring me to talk to them. Can I make them give me an Arabic interpreter so I know fully what they are saying about me, or maybe should I consider getting an Arabic lawyer to be with me during the interview, even though I’ve done nothing wrong?

I want a simple prenup before I get married that says I keep whatever is in my name if the marriage breaks up and she keeps whatever is in her name. If we buy something jointly, we split it equally. I don’t want to go into detail in the prenup because I have a lot of assets she doesn’t know about. I’m concerned that if she finds out, she’ll never sign a prenup. If she does sign a simple prenup under these terms and finds out later about the other properties I have, will the prenup still be valid?

I am from Lebanon and have been here in the United States with my husband, raising our two sons. I don’t work because my husband would not allow it and wanted me to stay home with the boys. My husband is saying that once he gets the divorce he is going to send me back to Lebanon where divorced women have almost no rights. I have lived in the U.S. for over 10 years. I need to know my rights in a divorce and what rights do I have to custody of my sons. My husband works all the time and travels, there is no way he could care for our boys if I was not in the home. Can my husband force me to go back to Lebanon if we divorce, and what do I need to do to keep custody of my boys?

My son is 15 years old and he’s been in his mother’s primary custody since we split up. However, he goes back and forth between my house and his mother’s. He spends overnights with me, eat meals at my house, and I buy him whatever he needs for school and sports. His mother is now taking me back for more child support because she heard I got a promotion at work. The new position does not pay me substantially more money, I just get more vacation and other perks. Can I counter-sue her for 50/50 custody and have my support lessened? This makes sense since my son is with me a lot anyway and I pay out of pocket for many of his things. If I do take her back to court for custody, will my son have any say in where he wants to live because he’s 15?

3 years ago, my daughter’s father was found guilty of sexually abusing her. He served time in jail and is now out and has become very involved with a church in San Diego where he lives. He says God has forgiven him and he wants to work on a relationship with my daughter again. He thinks she can forgive him too. He says he is going to file in court for visitation with her and wants to be able to take her to his church with him. I’m opposed to this and don’t believe at all that he has changed. How can I stop him from getting time with my daughter and from further abuse? Do I need to file some sort of counter lawsuit to permanently ban him from seeing her?

My girlfriend has a history of cheating on me. We’ve been to counseling and I think we’ve worked on things and I do want to ask her to marry me. But I am still concerned about her history and if she’d commit adultery after we marry. If I get her to sign a prenup that says if she cheats on me and that causes us to divorce, she automatically gets nothing from the marriage – would that agreement be valid? I have no problem being fair in a divorce and dividing things up equally if we divorce for any reason other than her being unfaithful. But if she is, I want to be able to get out of the marriage quickly and without a lot of cost. I also need an Arabic speaking lawyer in the San Diego area to write this up, my wife’s English is not great.

My wife and I live in San Francisco and I work for a start-up tech company. The company has the potential to become very large and profitable. My wife and I signed a prenup before we married. I have some technology patents that I acquired before we married, and now my company may be interested in moving forward with some of my ideas and products. We didn’t specifically reference my patents in the prenup. I honestly didn’t even think about them at the time. If the patents do become valuable and my wife and I were to divorce, does she have an interest in them? If that is a possibility, is there anything I can do to amend the prenup so that the patents remain my property regardless of what happens to the marriage?

Spouse and I went to court to file for an uncontested divorce in San Francisco Superior Court. We aren’t fighting about anything and have agreed on custody of our kids. When we turned in the paperwork the court clerk told us we needed to submit a child support calculation. We told her that we agreed to work out child support between ourselves once we get settled in our new places and see what our expenses will be. She said the court will not process our paperwork for the divorce without that calculation. What do we need to do to get a child support calculation or get the court to give us the uncontested divorce without one?

I originally filed for a contested divorce in San Jose because my wife was asking for alimony and I disputed that. She has since gotten a decent job and says she will withdraw her claim for alimony. We’d like to change our contested divorce to an uncontested one and not have to go to a divorce trial. We’ve already been to a few court conferences, and a trial date has been set by the judge. How do we let the court know we are now in agreement and can we change to an uncontested divorce and avoid any more court proceedings?

We have two foster children, twin boys, and want to move to adopting them. They’ve been with us over a year. We’ve talked to the social worker and she’s told us we may need to undergo a home study before an adoption could be finalized, even though the social workers come to our home regularly and see the conditions and how well the boys are doing. Is the study required for all adoptions and if it is, what is involved? The worker mentioned that it may include physical exams for my husband and me, fingerprinting, background checks, etc. We just want to know what to expect and how to be prepared, and how long the process will take. Also, should we have an adoption lawyer present with us for a home study to make sure everything is done correctly? We don’t want to do or say anything that could jeopardize adopting the boys.

I work for the UAE in Washington, D.C. and maintain a high level security clearance. One of my son’s friends in school told my son and a teacher that his father was molesting him. Child protective services has opened an investigation and now they want to interview me because my son’s friend has often stayed overnight at our house. I don’t have any information that would be useful as the child has not disclosed anything unusual to me. I don’t want to be part of any investigation that could jeopardize my position with the UAE. I also don’t want to get in trouble for not cooperating in an investigation. Can I have a lawyer relay my position to child protective services on my behalf to keep me out of this?

My children’s dad owns a restaurant in D.C. and makes alot of money. However, he shows almost no income on his tax returns. He writes off everything, takes payments under the table, and doesn’t report all of the cash he takes in. Every time we go to a child support review hearing he gets away with paying a low amount of support because he provides only his tax returns as proof of income. I know that he does these things and earns more than he is saying because I worked at the restaurant with him when we were married. How do I prove that he is earning more than he is telling the child support office? Can I bring in an accountant or some type of financial expert to look at his business and expenses? I know the child support amount he is paying is not right.

My wife is from Syria and we married in the U.S. and live in Miami. She travels back to Syria often to visit her family. On one of her trips, she was in a terrible car accident. She has a Syrian lawyer helping her with her case, as the accident was the other driver’s fault. She was pretty badly hurt, and I suspect that she may receive a lot of money in a settlement or from the courts. She won’t discuss the details with me, and I fear she may be planning to use whatever she gets to move back to Syria and divorce me. How do I find out about these funds and do I have any interest in the money because we were married when the accident occurred? It is marital property, and if it is, how do I protect my interest? What if she just goes back to Syria without giving me notice?

My husband is a dual citizen of Egypt and U.S. He left me and my kids to go back to Egypt several years ago. There is nothing left of what we had and we don’t own a home together anymore. I don’t expect him to come back at this point and I just want a divorce. How do I get an uncontested divorce from him if he no longer lives here in Miami? Do I still have to serve him with papers if I’m not asking for any property? Also, is there any way I can get him to pay child support for our 3 kids? He sent some money when he first left but hasn’t sent anything for the kids in over a year now.

My wife and I are originally from Iraq and we are now living in the U.S. and are citizens here living in Atlanta, Georgia. We have tried to have a child but she cannot conceive. We are aware of the large number of orphaned children in Iraq and are contemplating adoption from our home country. However, we are Muslim and our faith does not approve of closed adoptions where a child does not know their lineage. Is Iraq allowing adoptions of their orphans and do they provide any information about the child’s parentage and background? How do we find a lawyer who is familiar with Muslim traditions and Iraqi law on foreign adoptions?

The Georgia Division of Child Support Services sent me a letter saying that because I’m behind on child support, they are going to intercept my federal tax refund. I dispute that I’m behind – I paid my ex in cash for 2 months worth of support. I was out of work and the child support office couldn’t get money from my paycheck so I just paid my kids’ dad directly. I told him about this letter and he keeps saying he’ll call the child support people and let them know I’m not behind, but he hasn’t done it and I’m getting ready to file my taxes. I can’t have that refund taken because then I will have double paid him for 2 months of support. How can I get an audit of my account and confirm that I don’t owe back support?

My husband and I are both from Algeria and have lived here in the U.S. We both have dual citizenship and he regularly goes back to Algeria to visit family and do business there. I found out that he started a relationship with another woman in Algeria and married her on one of his recent trips. I want to divorce him but he says I cannot because under Algerian law, he can have more than one wife. I do not consent to this marriage of his. What needs to be done to divorce him and because he makes all of the money in our household, can he be required to pay me alimony and support me? I was a teacher in Algeria but gave up that job to come to the United States and raise his children.

My wife and I are going through a very bitter divorce and my son has turned against both of us. He is 16 years old and says if we don’t stop the fighting and drop the divorce he is going to emancipate himself from both of us and live on his own. We live in Chicago. Is emancipation legal in Illinois and if so, can my son pursue it during my divorce from his mother? What would he have to show to a court to get an emancipation granted? He doesn’t have a job and my wife and I still pay for everything for him.

I am from Chicago and my soon to be husband is from Morocco. He is here in the United States on a work visa. I am pregnant with our first child and we will be married before the baby is born. My fiancé wants me to sign a prenup that says no matter what happens with our marriage, I will grant him equal custody of our child. I am concerned about doing this and he is able to take the child to Morocco once his name is on the birth certificate, and possibly even register the child as a Moroccan citizen? Can child custody be included in a prenup and is there any way to include language preventing my future husband from taking our child out of the country without my permission, whether we are married or not?

I want to divorce my wife. We own nothing together except a house here in Chicago. She left two years ago to go back to Algeria and I have not seen her or had contact with her since. I’ve met someone and want to move on with my life. I contacted the bank that holds our mortgage and was told that I couldn’t do anything about taking her name off the house without her signature. I know I can file for divorce and eventually get it even if she doesn’t respond to the divorce complaint, but I am not sure what I can do about getting the house in my name only. Once the divorce is final, with that divorce decree be enough to get the bank to take her off the loan and deed?

My spouse and I have been separated for over 3 years and I want to finalize a divorce. We separated because she was emotionally abusive to me and to our children. We have no property to divide and the kids have lived with me full-time since she left. Can I get an uncontested divorce and is that the same as a no-fault divorce? I won’t agree to say in the divorce paperwork that we separated amicably, but there is no need for us to go to court for divorce or custody, either.

My kids’ Dad and I are splitting up and we have 2 kids. We are trying to reach an agreement on custody but have some questions about legal versus physical custody. I have no problem sharing time with the kids but I don’t want to have to get his permission for everything relating to them. He is difficult to deal with and is very religious – he wants our kids enrolled in catholic schools and for them to be confirmed in the church. I want to have the final say because I don’t trust his judgment on certain issues. I’m told legal custody is the thing that controls decision-making in custody cases. What is the difference between legal and physical custody and can we have an arrangement that allows each of us to have the kids an equal amount but gives me final decision making power?

My adopted daughter is 17 years old and has had a desire to locate her birth parents since she was a young child. We have a great relationship and I am fully supportive of her wanting to know where she comes from, what her medical history is, whether she has other siblings, etc. I know that when I adopted her here in Raleigh, her record was sealed and is not open to the public. What can we do to get her access to her adoption record? Does she have more rights to her birth parents’ information once she turns 18?

A year ago my son’s father was investigated by the North Carolina Child Protective Services for physical abuse of my son, who is now 9 years old. The father denied the abuse but the police believed my son’s version of the events and have charged my ex with criminal child abuse. The prosecutor for Wake County says my son may have to testify about what happened. My son is terrified of his father and does not want to have to be in a courtroom with him and tell what happened. Can the prosecutor’s office force my son to testify about the child abuse in front of his father? What if my son simply refuses to say anything or is just too scared to answer the questions, will the criminal case be dropped?

I’m an immigrant and not yet in this country legally. I live alone with my 5 year old son and work under the table at a nearby restaurant. I was called into work unexpectedly and had no one to watch my son, so I took him to my neighbor’s house just for a few hours. I know my neighbor deals drugs but he’s always been good to my son and I’ve never seen anything dangerous happen at his house. While I was at work, the house was raided by the cops. The police are now saying I could be charged with Nevada child endangerment, even though I never laid a hand on my son and even though he wasn’t hurt in any way. They say I could face years in jail and deportation if these charges go through. What do I do to fight this? What would happen to my son if I was deported?

My husband and I have two foster boys, ages 4 and 7. They are siblings and came from a terrible environment. Both are on the autism spectrum and have some other emotional and medical needs that may be lifelong. The Las Vegas foster care agency we’ve been working with is pushing us to adopt, but we aren’t sure we could meet all of their expenses if our foster care stipend was cut off. We asked several of the social workers about financial assistance after an adoption goes through but they said we need to talk to a lawyer about negotiating it. Does the foster care agency give financial help to adoptive parents if the children have ongoing medical costs?

My sister passed away unexpectedly a year ago and her daughter, my 13 year old niece, has been bouncing around from relative to relative since then. Her father and my sister divorced when she was a baby and he’s never really been in her life. He did not show up at the funeral to claim my niece. She has not been doing well since her mother’s death, failing school, not attending her sports, and using alcohol with her friends. My wife and I would like to adopt her and give her some stability, help her get back on track. If we adopt, I can put her on my health insurance, include her in my will, and get her other benefits through my work. Unfortunately, she says she doesn’t want to be adopted because it would be a betrayal to her deceased mom. Does she have to consent to an adoption here in New York and if she won’t, is there some other legal means we can pursue to legally be able to care for her. Perhaps custody or guardianship?

After 5 years of marriage my husband and I want a divorce. We agree on everything and don’t want to go to court. I contacted the clerk’s office in New York where we live and was told that it costs over $200 to file for an uncontested divorce. We don’t have that much money as we’ve both been laid off due to Covid, but for health insurance reasons, we don’t want to delay the divorce, either. I may qualify for state insurance if I’m not married to him anymore. Is there any way to get the filing fee waived or reduced, or can we pay it over time?

My fiancé is a U.S. citizen and I am not. He is very wealthy and says he won’t marry me if I don’t sign a prenup agreement saying I get nothing if we divorce. If I move to the U.S. to be with him I will have no job. If he cheats on me and divorces me while I am in the U.S. I will have nothing – no way to support myself. My English is not good and I’ve asked him to have this agreement drafted in Arabic so I can read and understand it. He claims he can’t find an Arabic lawyer to do it. How do I go about finding a lawyer to translate this document for me and tell me whether I should sign it or not? We live in Philadelphia.

I have a good friend who is an Iraqi woman married to a Saudi man. He has been abusive to her and she filed a domestic violence order against him. She needs an Arab lawyer to help her understand the process of divorce and how to get away from this man. He is currently in jail on the domestic violence but won’t be there much longer. She is also terrified that when he gets out, he will try to take their 9 month old daughter back to Saudi Arabia. What does she need to do to get an order stopping him before he gets out of jail and tries to take the child. Also, where can she find a good lawyer who can help her with this divorce? They live in Philly and she hasn’t been able to locate someone to help her.

My wife and I are having marital problems and while we are working on the relationship, I have doubt whether we’ll stay married. My aunt is not in good health and wants to give me money and two parcels of property now, rather than waiting to leave it to me when she passes. I did some research and know that Texas is a community property state. I’m concerned that if my aunt gives me the gift now, while my wife and I are still married and living together, it will become joint property and my wife will get part of it if we divorce. What needs to be done to make sure that anything my aunt gives me remains my separate property? Should she just leave it to me in her Will to make sure it goes only to me?

My kids’s dad and I have separated and our 3 kids have been going back and forth between us. We have no court order for custody. The father has now filed for ‘conservatorship’ of our children and wants them to live with him full time. He is also asking that I be ordered to pay child support. What does conservatorship mean in terms of custody and how do I respond to his court paperwork? Do I need a lawyer to respond? Can he actually get child support from me if he makes significantly more than I do?

My wife and I are separating and we don’t own much together. We have a jointly titled house and that’s about it. We don’t have kids. Our finances are in bad shape and we are in the process of going through a bankruptcy. That should clear up most of our debt and allow us to just move on with our lives. I’ve been told an uncontested divorce is much cheaper and we don’t have to drag each other through the mud. But I’ve also been told the bankruptcy could hold up the divorce. What are the requirements to get an uncontested divorce in Houston, and what are the possible options for getting rid of our joint house?

I was paying child support to my kids’ mother when she passed away recently. The kids came to live with me immediately. The child support was being taken out of my pay, so several payments were made to the child support office after the kids were living with me. Is there any way for me to recoup this money? Suddenly having my kids move in with me has been expensive and I could really use the extra funds to get them what they need for my house and get them settled.

My husband and I live in Fairfax, Virginia and he works for the state department. He has a high level security clearance. I know he is cheating on him although he denies it. He’s threatened that if I try to bring him on adultery charges, he’ll lose his clearance and his job, meaning I would get no alimony. Is there a way to seal court records so that outside people don’t see why we are getting a divorce? If not, can I pursue a divorce for some other reason but still get alimony based on his conduct? He also travels extensively for his job and has said if I try to pursue this, he’ll just get on a plan and disappear, leaving me with nothing. How can I stop that from happening, would the state department help me locate him?

My daughter just finished up her first semester in college at George Mason University here in Fairfax. She partied all the time and did terribly in school, barely missed failing out. In my separation agreement with her mother, I agreed to pay for 4 years of college, but that was under the assumption that she was going to apply herself. I’m not paying tens of thousands of dollars for her to sit around drinking and having fun with her friends. Is there any way I can get out of that clause of the separation agreement? Also, her mother is doing nothing to rectify this situation and just says our daughter will grow out of the partying stage. Even though my daughter is in college, is there anything I can do to get custody of her and make her come live with me under my rules if she does want to stay in school?

My wife and I are Arab Americans living in Seattle. I have full citizenship at this point but my wife does not yet. My cousin and his wife are Egyptian and she is pregnant. She is very young and they are not financially settled enough to have a baby. They want us to adopt their child and raise him here in the United States. Will we qualify to adopt if my wife is still awaiting citizenship. If not, can I adopt the child in my name? How do we find an Arabic-speaking lawyer familiar with both U.S. and Egyptian law to help us get the child into the United States?

My husband and I live in Seattle and own a house together here. We’ve been having problems in our marriage and want to possibly try a legal separation, as we aren’t sure we want a divorce. Is a legal separation possible and what is the difference between a separation and a divorce? How do we file for a legal separation? Also, I want to stay in our house during the separation and my husband is ok with that, but he wants to ensure that he doesn’t lose his interest in the house if he moves out.