Legal Guidance from MSP

Child Support is essential to ensure that children can receive financial benefits the way they would if their parents did not divorce. You can further discuss this topic with an attorney at Morgan Smith Porter, but you can find the basics here. The Child Support obligation is based upon each parent’s gross income and may be impacted by parenting schedules. In the state of Kentucky, other factors that are considered in determining the amount of child support required are: health insurance premium expenses for the child(ren); work-related childcare expenses; whether a parent has been ordered to pay spousal maintenance; the number of children under the age of 18 and not yet graduated from high school; and whether either parent has an existing child support obligation. Child Support is calculated based upon the Kentucky Child Support Guidelines. You can get an idea of what your child support obligation may be by clicking here . Certain expenses are not covered by child support. Some of these expenses include, but are not limited to, extracurricular activities that your child(ren) may be involved in, as well as any uninsured medical expenses. With over 100 years of combined experience, the attorneys at Morgan Smith Porter are eager to help navigate the child support issues that concern your family. Give our office a call at (859) 491-9100 to schedule an appointment. At Morgan Smith Porter, you are more than a case.

We understand that this process can feel overwhelming and even intimidating. The good news is that you have already completed the first step by scheduling an appointment with one of our attorneys. The next part of this process is assuring that you feel prepared. Some things to consider are: 1. COMPOSE A WRITTEN SUMMARY Writing down basic information for your lawyer will save time at the initial meeting. Some of this information includes you and your spouse’s full name, address, phone number, birthday, social security number, email address, employers, occupations, and annual incomes. Include the date and location of your marriage as well. Similarly, identify your children’s full names, birthdays, and social security numbers. You will also want to identify whether you or your spouse have children from a prior marriage. 2. IDENTIFY RELATED MATTERS There is not one divorce case like another. Accordingly, make sure that you are disclosing all matters with your attorney that will need to be addressed in the divorce. Some of these matters may include child support, spousal support, child custody, and division of assets and debts. While you are sharing this information with your attorney, this meeting will also be a chance for them to explain the legal process for each of the matters that concern you. You can expect to leave the meeting with an understanding of how this process will play out going forward. 3. GATHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS To help make this process as efficient as possible, your ability to gather and bring relevant documents with you to your first meeting will be helpful. Necessary documents will differ depending on what legal matters pertain to your situation. See below for possible documents you will want to consider bringing. - Child Support: If child support is to be paid by either you or your spouse, it is important that you bring the most recent pay stubs for both you and your spouse, year-end W2 statements, and the latest tax returns. Amounts for day care expenses and health insurance premiums will also be beneficial. - Child Custody: Child custody is dependent on multiple factors, however, it will still be helpful to document you and your spouse’s work schedules, any expectations you may have for holidays/birthdays, and any other information regarding wishes for your schedule. - Division of Marital Property: Your lawyer will need you to provide a list of assets, how those assets are owned (whether they are individual or jointly owned), values of those assets on the date of the marriage as well as the value when they were acquired, and their value currently. Assets include the home, retirement, brokerage, and bank accounts, rental properties, cars, personal property, etc. - Debts and Liabilities: Further, you should also bring documentation of the debts and liabilities for both you and your spouse. This may include mortgages, student or business loans, credit cards, etc. The initial meeting may seem daunting, but we are here to ensure that you receive the best guidance and get an explanation for every step of the process. It is important to come to your initial consultation with an open mind and an honest approach in addressing issues and topics that may be difficult to talk about. We are going to accomplish what is best for you and we look forward to working with you through these difficult times. At Morgan Smith Porter, you are more than a case!