Do you believe you are the father of a child and want to gain parenting rights over the child? Is a mother claiming that a child is yours when you don’t believe it is? If so, you have rights under Indiana law. For fathers who want to establish legal rights over a child, such as...

In Indiana, any individual filing for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 must show that they do not have the means to repay their debts. There are two ways to do this. If you make below the state median for your household size, then you automatically pass the means test and can file under Chapter 7. Higher-earning...

Alimony is traditionally a payment made from one spouse to another to support them during and after a divorce. Alimony laws were originally written during a time when women lacked property rights. Alimony was used as a means of leveling the playing field and allowing a woman to support herself after the divorce. In the...

While prenuptial agreements are often associated with the very rich, the truth is that they are becoming more commonplace among middle-class couples and ordinary folk across the U.S. Marriage is essentially a contract between two people to combine their financial resources and operate as a single entity. While that is patently reductive, and there is,...

As part of your divorce settlement, you will need to divide the marital estate. This not only includes assets, bank accounts, and money, but it also includes any debts that were incurred during the marriage. The marital estate includes any property owned by both spouses jointly. This includes real estate, cars, valuable assets, retirement accounts,...

Generally speaking, the Indiana courts favor situations in which both parents have custody and access to the children. In other words, the courts assume that it is in the child’s best interests to have both parents play a role in the children’s lives. In order to deviate from this presumption, the courts must find evidence...

Divorce mediation is an alternative form of dispute resolution that involves a neutral third party who assists a divorcing couple in reaching a divorce agreement. In some counties, divorce mediation is mandatory for contested divorces. The couple must at least try mediation prior to asking the court to intervene on their behalf. The mediation process...

Committing fraud during bankruptcy can result in serious consequences. You can be denied a bankruptcy discharge, fined, or even face criminal charges. Filing for bankruptcy is an honest way to gain a fresh start. However, you must play by the rules. Any dishonesty during the bankruptcy process could rise to the level of fraud. Indiana...

On February 22, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States weighed in on a bankruptcy case involving fraud. The court ruled that debtors whose debts were incurred by fraud may not have such debts discharged even if the debtor did not participate in or even have knowledge of the fraud.  In the case of Bartenwerfer...

As an Indiana bankruptcy lawyer, one question we are frequently asked is: Which chapter of bankruptcy should I file under? The answer is by no means intuitive, and there are several questions that must be answered before we can successfully advise our clients. In this article, the Indiana bankruptcy attorney, Chris Arrington, will discuss the...