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Divorces can be very complicated and messy, taking years after the initial separation to become final. Without any agreement in place, both parents have full custody of the child and each has visitation rights without any legal restrictions – just as they had prior to the separation. Once separated, whether legally or informally, many parents seek to create a shared temporary custody arrangement. The arrangement should always be in the best interest of the child, formalized in a written agreement and signed by all parties....

Michigan’s Business Tax has been simplified - and small businesses statewide will be affected. The tax reforms also brought in a new pension tax and raised income taxes on Michigan residents, reports The Wall Street Journal. Could Michigan’s new tax structure come to your state? The bill itself barely passed the Michigan legislature. The vote was tied, with the Lt. Gov. Brian Calley breaking the tie in favor of the new tax reforms, reports the AP....

We all know that there are some basic rules of the road that we should follow. Whether you’re in Alaska or Alabama, a red light means stop and green means go. But there are some pretty strange rules that are on the books in some states that you just can’t anticipate. Let’s take a look at some of the strangest traffic laws around the country, collected by Kupper Automotive News....

On March 15th, the Florida International University pedestrian bridge collapsed, killing six people and injuring nine people. And, the first lawsuit relating to the tragedy has been filed, and it’s likely that more lawsuits will follow. A lawsuit has been filed by a bicyclist who was injured as a result of the bridge collapse. The Allegations of the Complaint According to the complaint, the cyclist, 24 year old Marquise Rashaad Hepburn, was riding under the bridge when a 174-foot span of the bridge fell onto traffic below....

An elevator mechanic who was injured during the construction of a San Rafael, California hotel was awarded $11.7 million by a Marin County jury after three days of deliberation. The injuries happened three years ago. David Travis sued Bison Builders for failing to maintain a safe work environment. According to Travis, the Extended Stay hotel construction site was in violation of California clearance laws. Travis was required to carry heavy tools and parts under the scaffolding, which caused him to hit his head a number of times and suffer herniated discs, which compressed his spinal cord....

The FAA has approved cell phone use on planes during takeoff and landing, just as long as they’re in “airplane mode.” In a press release issued Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs), which include cell phones, tablets, e-readers, handheld games, and MP3 players, can be used “during all phases of flight.” Making phone calls on cell phones, however, will still be prohibited. It is now up to individual airlines to implement new cell phone policies, if they so choose....

If you’re like me and you still haven’t filed your taxes yet, you might still be looking for some good advice. Lucky for us, FindLaw has us covered. Here are the 10 (or so) best tax advice posts from FindLaw blogs: Your best place to start is with the 5 most common tax law questions, answered by our FindLaw Insider Blog. If you have your own business, you might be wondering whether your business lunches are tax deductible, or if you can write off your work clothes or uniforms....

The major health care bill that passed in the House on Sunday, March 21, contains so much information that much of it is unclear to many of us. One controversial element of the bill is the “individual mandate,” the requirement that everybody purchase health insurance. But what does “everybody” mean and what does “purchase” mean? According to The Monitor, the mandate will be enforced by tax penalties. The uninsured would have to pay, beginning in 2014, $695 for each uninsured family member, up to a maximum of $2,085, or 2....

It’s out of sight and out of mind, but your credit report can affect your life in many ways you never expected. A bad credit report can make it hard for you to get a loan or a credit card. It can get you rejected for a rental apartment. It can even hurt your job search efforts. You can request a copy of your credit report from only one company, or from all three companies....

At some point you’ve likely experienced a TSA pat-down. And regardless of who performed it, the experience was probably not very enjoyable. It’s true that TSA agents perform the pat-downs to protect our safety. But do they have to be so invasive with their touching? If you think you have fallen victim to an overzealous TSA agent, here are some steps to filing a complaint with the agency, as provided by the TSA itself:...

Imagine going to an official government interview with your spouse to discuss the state of your marriage. Let’s be honest, this would be difficult enough for most US citizens, regardless of birth origin. You’ve prepped for a year, making sure you don’t give any answers that seem to even hint at anything questionable, since the interview is part of an immigration application. Not only your marriage, but your life, depends on it....

The issue of cities putting up Nativity scenes comes up every holiday season, but in Santa Monica, Calif., a judge has reached a decision. The issue generally involves non-religious groups protesting a religious display on public property. But in this case, the city of Santa Monica was the one that barred the Nativity display in Palisades Park, a yearly tradition since the 1950s, the Los Angeles Times reports. Local religious groups sued to try force the city to allow the unattended displays to continue....

New Jersey’s gay marriage law took another step toward passing this week. The state’s senate voted in favor of the bill. However, proponents of gay marriage shouldn’t celebrate just yet. Gov. Chris Christie has said he will veto the bill if it is passed through the assembly. New Jersey’s vote came after Washington recently legalized gay marriage. Washington became the seventh state to do so. Gov Chris Gregoire signed the bill into law this past week....

Whitewater river rafting can be dangerous – that’s part of the allure for most rafters and a risk that most guides will repeat early and often to their guests. In addition, many, if not all rafting companies will have rafters sign liability waivers, acknowledging these dangers and agreeing to indemnify the companies in the case of injury or death. One waiver in particular may stand in the way of a Colorado widow’s negligence lawsuit after her husband was ejected from a raft in Hell’s Half Mile rapids on the Green River, and died of accidental drowning and asphyxia....

Want to declare yourself as an organ donor on Facebook? Well, now you can. In a bid to increase awareness about organ donation, Facebook will now allow users to publicly mark themselves as organ donors. CEO Mark Zuckerberg was reportedly inspired by the social network’s role in recent disasters – connecting people and people with their things. With 114,000 individuals in the U.S. waiting for a transplant, he thought donation would be a good next step....

A new craze has hit the nation! Or at least the nation’s nail salons. Lacquer nail polish, also known as shellac nail treatments, has women flocking to salons for pedicures designed to last two to three weeks. Though a lacquer pedicure only promises busy women pretty feet, it may just come with an unsolicited gift: Skin cancer. For those of us not in the know, lacquer nail polish is set with ultraviolet light....

CNN reports that 25-year-old Joseph Elias George Ettima, who is suspected of killing his own grandmother earlier this year, has been arrested in Mexico and returned to Los Angeles, this despite his best efforts to pass as everything from a Nigerian to a native of Belize. Actually, U.S. Marshal’s supervisory deputy Bert Tapia indicated that Ettima was literally homeless at the time he was found, although that could very well have been preferable to his future “housing conditions” considering the nature of the charges he faces....

Guest post by Jennifer K. Halford, Esq. Selecting an attorney for your business is one of the most important decisions a small business owner can make. Yet, when speaking with small business owners, I find that few know how to select the right attorney for their business. What is the attorney’s expertise? Select an attorney that has worked with owners of similar businesses. The attorney will be able to advise you of potential risks within your industry....

There’s more than one way to skin a cat, they say, and there’s more than one way to run an election. Although the majority of state and federal elections stick with the model of she-who-gets-the-most-votes-wins, some jurisdictions are testing other voting methods. Maine, for example, just authorized “ranked choice” voting, otherwise known as “instant runoff” voting. So how does that work, and is it a better way to elect a public official?...

The ubiquitous back to school campaigns serve as a constant reminder that the end of summer is quickly approaching. One way to help pay for new school supplies is to have the IRS help pay for your summer babysitting expenses. Yes, you heard right. The popular Child and Dependent Care tax credit can help your pocketbook by allowing for dependent care deductions that include summer day camps. Generally speaking, most types of child day care will qualify for the credit, but there are some notable exceptions....