The Marin Law Firm, P.A.

Blended family & Summer Fun! You and new spouse have decided to make a life together and form a new, blended family that includes children from both of your previous relationships. Congratulations!! What lies ahead can be both a rewarding and a challenging experience. It can take a long time for a blended family to begin to feel comfortable and function well together.  In order to make the new blended family work balance must be found to accommodate everyone’s competing interest. The reality is that along with the great joy and expectation is that your kids or your new spouse’s kids may not be nearly as excited. They’ll likely feel uncertain about the upcoming changes and how they will affect relationships with their natural parents. They’ll also be worried about living with new step-siblings, whom they may not know well, or worse, ones they may not even like. To give yourself the best chance of success, it’s important to start planning how a blended famil

TUG OF WAR When a parent interferes with the parent-child relationship, so much that the parent unilaterally decides to keep the child away from the other parent, in other words, disrupts the custody rights of the other parent.  Parental interference generally is the term used after a divorce is finalized by the court as a Final Judgement of Dissolution of Marriage or after a paternity action.   In extreme cases, the parent conceals the whereabouts of the child and those actions may lead to criminal charges.  Interference with custody orders can be a major challenge for parents litigating time sharing schedule and a parenting plan, and in the most extreme cases it may lead to criminal consequences.  Not all custodial interference is a violation of a parenting plan or time  sharing schedule.  If a parent has a reasonable belief that they are protecting the child from danger, or bad weather prevents the child exchange, or an unexpected family emergency, i.e., death of a close r

Deferred action for childhood arrivals, or "DACA"   Who Is Eligible for DACA   Under the new DACA program effective in early 2015, you may apply for deferred action status if you:   had not yet turned age 16 when you came to the U.S. to live   have continuously lived (“resided”) in the U.S. since June 15, 2010 up to when you apply (excluding any brief, casual, and innocent departures)   were physically present in the U.S. on June 15, 2012, and also at the time you apply for deferred action   either entered the U.S. without inspection before June 15, 2012, or if you entered with inspection, your lawful immigration status (such as a visa or Temporary Protected Status (TPS)) had expired as of June 15, 2012   are either in school now (unless absent for emergency reasons), have graduated or earned a certificate of completion from an accredited high school, have obtained a general education development (GED) certificate, or are an honorably discharged vete

GUIDING APPLICANTS & EMPLOYERS  THROUGH THE PROCESS Immigrants have always played an important role in the American economy, and American immigration law currently allows a limited number of people every year to qualify for permanent resident status (a green card) based on their employment. At The Marin Law Firm, P.A., we provide the assistance you need with employment-based immigration.          

Back to School: Happy Blended Families This time of year is always full of excitement for the kids, for divorced parents and step-parents, it can also bring with it the anxiety of certain conflict and the complexities of getting back into the school routines. Start the school year by sitting down with your child's teacher or school counselor before the school year starts to explain the family situation without your child present. Afterwards, plan the school year with your ex.   Here are our top Back to School tips for divorced parents,  which we hope will help with this transition in your family . Planning the school year: Plan the year from September to June. Starting from holidays, school breaks, weekends, etc. Then you have a basic overview of where everyone will be and when. Less confusion leads to less misunderstanding which leads to more clarity. This leads to happier people. Things may change as the year progresses but at least everyone has a general