Updated List of Memphis Parenting Class Providers

If you have minor children and are going through a divorce here in Memphis by law you MUST attend a parenting class or seminar.

Section 36-6-408 of the Tennessee Code requires that any time a parenting plan is entered with the court both parents are required to attend a parent education seminar. You are required to attend this seminar and show proof of your completion of the class by providing the court with certificate of completion from one of the approved providers listed below.

The list of providers here in Memphis was just recently updated. And I would like to thank Memphis divorce counselor and parenting class provider Willie Holcomb of Adult, Child and Family Counseling for notifying me of this.

Here is the list of providers for this service.

Please remember that you need to complete this class within 60 days of your divorce complaint being filed.

Adult, Child and Family Counseling
Willie Holcomb
2964 Ole Bartlett Court, Suite #6
Bartlett, TN  38134
Phone: (901) 237-4969
Fax/Phone: (901) 881-6171
www.acfcounseling.com

The Exchange Club Family Center
2180 Union Avenue
Memphis, TN  38104
Phone: (901) 276-2200
Fax: (901) 276-6828

Paula Honeycutt / Children of Divorce
P O Box 38774
Germantown, TN  38183-0774
Phone:  (901) 755-7747
Fax:  (901) 737-1534

Jewish Family Service
6560 Poplar Avenue
Memphis, TN 38138
(901) 767-8511

Christian Psychological Center
3978 Central Avenue
Memphis, TN  38111
Phone:  (901 458-6291
Fax:  (901) 323-4848

Doyle Family Counseling
Matt Doyle
110 Timbercreek Drive
Cordova, TN 38018-4234
(901) 309-0719

Family Services of the Mid-South
David Frankle
2430 Poplar Avenue
(901) 324-3637

Mind-Steps
6401 Poplar Avenue, Suite 306
Memphis, TN 38119
(901) 869-0520

Turning Point Counseling
Bobby Scott, MA, LMTT
7183 Goodman Rd, Suite D
Olive Branch, MS
(662) 893-6556

Southwest TN Community College
Continuing Education
5983 Macon Road
Memphis, TN 38138
(901) 333-4207 or (901) 333-4208

University of Tennessee
Agricultural Extension Service
5565 Shelby Oaks Drive
Memphis, TN 38134
(901) 544-0243

Video explaining how much it costs for an uncontested divorce without kids in Memphis

In this quick video we show how much the total costs are for a Memphis uncontested divorce without children.  The video is less than three minutes long and will help you completely understanding all the costs, including attorney fees and court costs.

How much does it cost for an uncontested divorce with children in Memphis – Video

Here’s a quick two minute video where we easily break down all the expenses for a Memphis uncontested divorce where children are involved.

How to prepare your children for divorce

My friend, and Virginia divorce attorney, Charlie Hofheimer has a great post over on his site discussing how to prepare your children for divorce, click the link to read his entire post.

He raises some good points that ring true no matter if you’re located in Virginia or Memphis, Tennessee.

The two key points are:

1. You should both sit down with your children and discuss a pending divorce. Don’t just leave it up to one parent to do this. You both need to be involved.
2. Make sure that you explicitly explain that your divorce was not caused by anything that your children did. I can’t stress this enough. Do NOT let them think for even a moment that they played any role in your pending divorce.

Memphis divorce lawyers at the Ferrell Law Firm are here to help you with any type of family law issue that you may be facing. Call us at 901.881.6353 or drop by our office at 2255 S. Germantown Road, Germantown, TN 38138.

Can I get re-married right after my Memphis Divorce?

So, you just walked out of the Shelby County Courthouse in Downtown Memphis after your divorce hearing. The best divorce attorney in Memphis just helped you win your case and things couldn’t be better. All of the sudden birds are singing, your better looking and the world is at your command.

The next thing you know one week later you and your new “soul mate” have found each other and you’re ready to hop back on the marriage wagon asap. Why not, you’re free and available now right?

Not so fast my friend.

Believe it or not, even after you’re divorced you still can’t remarry just yet. According to Tennessee Code Annotated § 36-4-124, “When a marriage is absolutely annulled, or dissolved, the parties shall severally be at liberty to marry again.”

Seems simple huh? Well both yes and no. It helps if you know that a party in a civil action (yes, a divorce is a civil action) has up to 30 days after a final decree to appeal the courts decision.

Basically this means that you’re marriage is not 100% positively, absolutely dissolved until the passing of the time that the other party can appeal the decision. Again, that time is 30 days.

So hold off on any quick remarriages until at least day 31 after your final divorce decree. That’s when your Memphis divorce is truly “in the books”.

If you have any questions about your Memphis divorce that you would like to ask our divorce lawyers just give us a call at 901-881-6353. Or drop by the Ferrell Law Firm at 2255 S. Germantown Road, Germantown, TN, 38138.

New Memphis Divorce Lawyer Search Video

I’ve just put up a brand new little video for the Memphis Divorce lawyer search process.

Here it is, I hope you enjoy.

If you have any questions about either uncontested or contested divorce matters here in Memphis give us a call to speak with one of our Memphis Divorce Attorneys. The first thirty minutes is always free. If that isn’t one of the best Memphis divorce attorney values in town I don’t know what is!

Ferrell Law Firm, 2255 S. Germantown Rd., Germantown, TN 38138 – 901-881-6353.

How You Act in Court for Your Child Custody Hearing Matters

The most important thing to remember when you’re attending your Memphis, Tennessee child custody hearing is that you are there to win custody of your child. The most important thing you can do at the actual child custody hearing is to make sure that you impress the judge.

Judges are smart though, you’re not going to come in and trick them into giving you custody by lying or trying to manipulate them. Hey, they see that type of thing every single day working in the Memphis divorce and child custody courts. They want to do what they feel is in the best interest of your child, so give them every reason to believe that you are the best person to have custody.

How do you do this?

1. Control your emotions – I don’t mean that you need to sit their stone-faced with no expression at all. But make sure that your emotions don’t take control of your brain. Never act huffy or show an attitude. And be especially sure to control your temper! The last thing you want to do is let these emotions give a bad impression to the judge that is hearing your child custody case.
2. Dress appropriately – Your day in the Memphis child custody court is not the day to wear your favorite low cut blouse and four inch stilettos. Dress in a respectful and modest fashion. You don’t need to wear your tuxedo, but remember you definitely are dressing to impress during your custody hearing.

Learn more about how you should prepare for your Memphis, Tennessee child custody hearing by reading more of our posts on Memphis, Tennessee child custody.

At the Ferrell Law Firm, we appreciate the fact that the health and happiness of your children is your #1 priority. That’s why we make sure to discuss all the important issues that come up when dealing with your child’s future and welfare. Our women’s divorce and child custody lawyer’s are with you every step you take to make sure that you get the best possible child support and custody arrangement for you and your kids. Contact us today to arrange a time for your consultation with our lawyers – (901) 881-6353.

How long does it take to get an uncontested divorce in Memphis?

This is the question that was submitted to us last week on our Facebook fan page. I’m going to break this down into two different answers in two different posts. First let’s look at how long it takes to for you get a divorce in Memphis if you are wanting to pursue an uncontested divorce and there are no children in the marriage.

How long does it take to get a divorce if you don’t have kids?

Like so many things in life this really depends on your particular circumstances. But, the shortest amount of time a couple with no children could get an uncontested divorce here in Memphis theoretically would be 60 days. However, in reality this is probably going to take at least a minimum of 90 days.

Here are the reasons why:

1. In Tennessee there is a statutory (mandatory) 60 day waiting period from the date you file your divorce complaint until the day you can have your divorced finalized in front of a judge.

a. In reality what happens is that when the 60 days is up you then have to wait a couple of weeks before your final court hearing date because the courts calendar is always very full.

2. It usually takes at least two weeks from the time you come in to meet with your Memphis divorce lawyer until you have all of your paperwork completed and turned back in to your lawyers.

a. Here at the Ferrell Law Firm, for our Memphis uncontested divorces where no children are involved this paperwork consists of our Short Form of Statistical Information and our Marital Balance Sheet.

3. We have to wait until we get all your paperwork in before we can get all of your information put into your formal divorce complaint and marital dissolution agreement in the correct legal format to be accepted by the court.

a. It usually takes us about a week to complete this step, submit your complaint for divorce and marital dissolution agreement with the divorce referee and file it at the Shelby County Courthouse.

So, a simple Memphis uncontested divorce with no children will usually take about anywhere from 90 to 120 days to complete, beginning on the day you first meet with your Memphis divorce attorney.

Of course most of this really depends on how long it takes you to complete your paperwork and return it to us. Again, that’s because the 60 day waiting period does not begin until we have received your paperwork, completed our legal documents, submitted it to the divorce referee and filed it with the court.

If you’re wanting to get an uncontested divorce and have more questions give us a call at 901-881-6353 or email me at James@LawFerrell.com. If you would like to see how much it would cost you for a Memphis divorce click here.

How to contact the Ferrell Law Firm for your Memphis Divorce

Did you know that we’ve got a new telephone number?

Now not only can you call our Memphis divorce lawyers at 901-881-6353, but you can also reach us by dialing 1-800-DIVORCE if you are calling from the 901 or North Mississippi 662 area codes.

So the next time you have a divorce, child custody, child support or any other type of family law help in the Memphis or North Mississippi area give us a call at 1-800-DIVORCE.

The Ferrell Law Firm is here to help with all of your uncontested and contested divorce needs as well as injury and accident laws needs.

What is the Waiting Period in Tennessee for a Divorce?

Many of our new clients are confused about the waiting periods they come up against in their divorce process.  How long are they?  When do they start?  Can I get around them?

In Tennessee, the waiting periods begin when the Complaint for Absolute Divorce is filed.  The Complaint can be filed on its own in a contested divorce situation, or can be filed jointly with the Marital Dissolution Agreement and Permanent Parenting Plan in an uncontested divorce matter.

If you are especially anxious to begin your waiting period but are in an uncontested situation, you can file your Complaint separately, and then continue to work on the other documents.  The only factor to keep in mind there is that, when the Complaint is filed separately, you must allege other grounds for divorce than simple “irreconcilable differences” (i.e. adultery, inappropriate marital conduct, etc.).  You can still proceed as an uncontested divorce, just be aware that the Complaint will list those alternate grounds for divorce.

The waiting periods are 60 days from the day of filing of the Complaint for a divorce without children, and 90 days from the day of filing of the Complaint for a divorce with children.  This is a mandatory timeframe outlined by the Tennessee statutes, so there’s no avoiding it.

Once your waiting period ends, you will hear from the Courts about your final hearing date.  This can be as soon as within one week of the end of your waiting period or as far out as a month or more, dependent upon the Courts’ case load.  Rest assured that if you have an attorney working on your behalf they are checking in on this date regularly.  Unfortunately, it is completely out of their hands as to when you are scheduled for your final hearing and how soon they hear about it.  Rescheduling is an option, but it will always be for a date that is further out, not sooner.

Hopefully that clears up a little confusion about the waiting periods for a divorce here in Tennessee, watch for a future post on the same topic for Mississippi divorces!

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