New Hampshire Family Law Blog : New Hampshire Divorce Lawyer & Attorney : Crusco Law Firm : Family Law, Custody, Child Support : Manchester, New Hampshire, Massachusetts

The Goffstown Family Division has opened in the new courthouse located at 329 Mast Road, Goffstown, New Hampshire. The Goffstown Family Division is the first Hillsborough County location to open, with Jaffrey/Peterborough and Manchester to follow later this year.  The court will serve the towns of Francetown, Goffstown, New Boston and Weare and Judge Paul Lawrence is the presiding justice.

The Family Division courts have subject matter jurisdiction over a range of cases in family matters listed in RSA 490-D:2. The family division hears actions for divorce, legal separation, civil union dissolution, parenting, domestic violence protection, delinquency, CHINS, abuse/neglect, termination of parental rights, guardianship of minors, and adoption actions which relate to any of the following: abuse/neglect, guardianship, or termination of parental rights proceedings.

Check the Family Division website to find out where your case will be filed.

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The end of January in New England can bring about a bit of cabin fever. More than ever, if you are a parent who has supervised parenting time or visits in the community, finding fun, indoor activities that do not break the bank can be a difficult task. Even for those parents without visitation restrictions, getting out of the house during the winter on a budget can take some planning. Here are some ideas to help keep the cabin fever at bay.

Local Library: Your local library can be a great resource for fun, free programs. With a library card, you can also often obtain free passes to local museums. And of course, the library has lots and lots of books to read together as a family.

·         Manchester Public Library

·         Concord Public Library

·         Nashua Public Library

·         Portsmouth Public Library

·         Keene Public Library

·         Database of New Hampshire’s over 230 libraries

Manchester Boston Regional Airport: Kids love airplanes, and luckily you do not have to buy a plane ticket for your children to enjoy them. Manchester Boston Regional Airport has an observation deck that is the perfect place to watch the planes land and take off together. Additionally, on the airport grounds is a free aviation museum in an old 1937 airport terminal.

·         Manchester Boston Regional Airport

·         New Hampshire Aviation Museum  

Local Museums: Although most museums in the area charge an admission, many often have a free family event/night. For example, although The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire charges a $7 admission, the museum is hosting a Free Family Fun Night on Friday, February 6, 2009 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Check with your local museums about their free or discounted activities.

·         Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH

·         Enfield Shaker Museum, Enfield, NH

·         Kaleidoscope Children’s Museum, Concord, NH

·         The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, Dover, NH

·         Strawberry Banke, Portsmouth, NH

·         Millyard Museum, Manchester, NH

·         Wright Musuem, Wolfeboro, NH

Indoor Play Places: There are several indoor play places through the state that don’t cost a thing. The Mall of New Hampshire recently installed a new, enclosed playground in the food court with slides and puzzles. Chuck-E-Cheese’s is admission free, and has great skytubes and play areas for kids to run and jump. And of course, McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants offer play places for kids to let loose.

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For litigants and practitioners in the Hillsborough North Superior Court, the following notice has been posted by the court:

Due to a plumbing emergency, the clerk's office at Hillsborough County Superior Court North in Manchester today is accepting pleadings and addressing emergency matters only. Court proceedings and hearings are going forward as scheduled. The clerk's office expects to return to a normal schedule by Thursday January 15, 2009. 

Address any questions to Superior Court clerk John Safford at 669-7410.
 

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As Florida family law attorney Christine Bauer points out on her Florida Divorce & Family Law Blog, divorce and family issues have a lot of intersecting areas of law such as real estate, bankruptcy, and immigration. Immigration issues can complicate a divorce, and cause much stress for the dependent spouse about their status in the U.S. Regarding H-4 visas, Attorney Bauer writes:

An H-4 visa is a dependent/spouse Visa that is issued when your spouse has a H-1B Visa. You cannot work with an H-4 visa but you are allowed to remain in the United States with your spouse. The H-4 visa is valid until it expires, and will also terminate when your divorce is finalized. It will remain in effect during your separation period, but upon your final divorce decree, it will terminate. Therefore, you must file paperwork to change your status and request a new visa with a new classification before the finalization of your divorce. If you do not do this, you can possibly be deported or required to leave the country on your own accord.

For more information on immigration issues, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has an extensive, is somewhat complicated to maneuver, website. Additionally, contacting a knowledgeable immigration attorney can help provide you with information and protect your immigration status through the divorce process.

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Although either parent may apply for their minor child’s U.S. passport, U.S. law requires the signature of both parents, or the child’s legal guardians, prior to the issuance of the passport for a child under the age of 16. Both parents must either appear in person to request the passport, or the non-applying parent may sign a form before a notary public granting permission for the issuance of a passport. Alternatively, the parent applying for the passport must document his/her sole authority to obtain a passport for the child. In order to comply with the law, Passport Services will require evidence of one of the following:

• sole custody
• a court order allowing the parent to travel with the child
• a written statement under penalty of perjury that the other parent agrees to issuance or is unavailable
• a termination of the other parent’s parental rights
• or compelling humanitarian reasons relating to the welfare of the child

Additionally, the law provides two exceptions to the above requirements: (1) for exigent circumstances, such as those involving the health or welfare of the child, or (2) when the Secretary of State determines that issuance of a passport is warranted by special family circumstances.  

For more information, the U.S. Department of State’s website on children and family is a great resource.

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Attorney Steven Ballard's Massachusetts Divorce & Family Law Blog gave a recent shout out to Wicked Local Parents, an online parenting resource that also publishes a free monthly parenting magazine called P&K. Wicked Local Parents is filled with great content, with ideas for family fun to a wide array of parenting advice columns. You can also pick up your free copy of P&K in several locations through Massachusetts.

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