You can use whatever name you want for your daughter, as long as it is not for fraudulent or deceitful purposes or does not violate a court order. Joanne's answer below is correct: To legally change your daughter's name, you would ordinarily have to give advance notice to the other... View More

If you were not a joint owner of the account, or if you were not named as the beneficiary of the account upon the death of the account holder, then the money is not yours and you must return it to the Personal Representative of the Estate. You should make a claim against the estate for your... View More

You can change custody by agreement by submitting to the court a signed stipulated supplemental judgment modifying custody. An attorney or mediator can assist you in preparing the supplemental judgment.

It is difficult to change legal custody because the court wants to promote stability in the child's life. Even so, you may be able to show a substantial change in circumstances that justifies a change in custody. The custody determination is based on many factors but ultimately it comes down... View More

You may successfully donate sperm and eliminate all of your parental rights and responsibilities for the child in Oregon. You will need a detailed contract prepared by an Oregon attorney.

You and the father have equal rights. These should be spelled out in your parenting plan. Even if they are included in the parenting plan, some parents try to interfere with the other parent's rights. In those cases, he will get away with whatever you let him get away with. The best way to... View More

You should document the agreement in writing to confirm that their use of your property is permissive. That way, they or those they may sell to, can't later claim adverse possession of the area. This can be done with a signed letter agreement.

If the General Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage includes the legal description of the home and awards the home to you, then you are the legal owner of the home. Ordinarily, your judgment should also require your former spouse to sign a deed conveying his interest in the property to you. If the... View More

Legally, not much would happen. You would be cold and hungry unless you have some place to live and a job. If you are in public school, you can contact a counselor to arrange for free meals and public transportation. I suggest you patiently wait until you are 18, and then you can do whatever you... View More

You may need an attorney if the General Judgment in your case incorrectly identifies the child for whom support is to be paid. First, contact in writing the attorney who made the error, notify the attorney of the error, and let the attorney know a corrected judgment needs to be entered. If that... View More

If your license plate was in plain view from a public location, then your privacy rights were not violated. If you haven't done so already, you should notify the media company of its representative's offensive, boorish conduct.

You may be able to get a stalking protective order if your BF's former spouse knows that her contacts are unwanted and there have been two or more unwanted contacts within the past two years that have caused you to fear for your safety. If you haven't already done so, you should notify... View More

If your wife is the sole owner on the deed and is the only one named on the mortgage, then you have no ownership interest and no responsibility to pay the mortgage. Your past creditors cannot make any claim to your wife's home. I do however, recommend that you and your wife prepare a... View More

If the bills are in the deceased's name alone, and are not liens on any property (for example, a mortgage) you are not obligated to pay the bills. The deceased's creditors can start a probate of his estate, but if there are no assets, the creditors won't bother. You should tell the... View More

A living trust created in California is valid in Oregon. Because California is a community property state and Oregon is not, it would be preferable to have your trust prepared by an Oregon attorney once you move. Alternatively, you could have the trust prepared while in California and then... View More

The power of attorney ceases to be effective upon your death, so that won't work. The foolproof way is to have your spouse adopt the children. If that is not possible, you should designate your spouse as the children's guardian in your will, and express your preference that they... View More

It is unlikely that it was a lawyer who visited, since that would mean the lawyer could be a witness in the case. It is possible the visitor was an investigator. After 32 years of practicing divorce law, I might say that nothing surprises me anymore, but then someone does something I would have... View More

You may amend your modification pleadings to allege the additional claims you have, but you will probably need court permission to do so. This may delay your mediation. If your mediation is through the court system rather than through a private mediator, the mediator may only be authorized to... View More

The answer depends on the actual terms of the judgment. If the judgment provides that property is owned by the parties jointly, then they still own the property jointly. If the judgment provides that one party owes the other money once the property is sold, then the money may still be owed. Your... View More

Assuming your husband objects to your move to California, California cannot decide custody of your child until the child has resided there for at least six months.