About Doug Mentes, Esq.
Douglas Mentes is an alum of Drake University with a degree in journalism, who has covered news in Washington, D.C., Minneapolis and Salt Lake City. He has a law degree from William Mitchell College of Law and ran his own law firm for more than 10 years in St. Paul, Minnesota, earning designation as a Super Lawyers Rising Star. He practiced in the areas of family law, real estate and probate, handling several successful appeals. He currently covers bankruptcy law for Thomson Reuters.
Articles written by Doug Mentes, Esq.
What Are the Options for DACA Recipients?
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a program that began in 2012 under President Obama's administration. Although DACA was never a guaranteed path to U.S. citizenship, it did shield recipients from deportation and made them eligible for work authorization. Dreamers or DACA recipients still face an uncertain future, especially with the Trump administration's constant changes to immigration policies. There are some immigration options for people with DACA status to get a more stable …
Can Georgia 14 Year-Olds Choose Which Parent To Live With?
In all custody cases in which the child has reached the age of 14, Georgia law gives that child the right to select the parent with whom he or she desires to live. The child's preference (or parental election) is presumptive, meaning it’s assumed to be the correct custody arrangement unless it is shown not be in the best interests of the child. If there is a current court order concerning the custody of a child, the election of a child who is 14 or older may qualify as a material change of …
Should I Hire an Attorney for My Child Support Case?
There are reports of not only parents, but attorneys and judges also, having trouble figuring out the calculations and other details of Indiana child support law. Richard Mann has practiced family law in Indiana for 38 years and believes it’s important that parents understand the law so an accurate and fair amount of child support can be determined. But do clients understand the state child support law when they walk in the door? “Absolutely not,” he says. “In fact, there have been …
The Laws Dictating Child Support in Georgia
Like most other states, Georgia has moved to the income shares model for calculating the amount of child support. Attorneys, courts and parents have indicated this model is most fair because it considers both parents’ incomes, instead of previous models, which relied strictly on the non-custodial parent’s income. Although the model is the same across most states, there are unique aspects to the State of Georgia child support law. Knowing those aspects is key for unmarried and divorced …
How Do I Determine Child Support in Indiana?
Child support in the Hoosier state is determined through the “income-shares” model — thought to be one of the fairest ways to figure out child support because the child support calculator includes both parent’s incomes. The model is based on the concept that the child should receive the same proportion of parental income that they would have received if the parents lived together. The income shares model is expressed in the Indiana state’s child support guidelines, a lengthy and …
How Much Child Support Will I Pay in Illinois?
As of July 2017, a new child support law took effect in the State of Illinois. Termed the “income shares” approach, it’s an approach entirely different from the method used in Illinois over the previous 30 years. The former method was built on the presumption that one spouse worked and earned all the income while the other spouse provided all the childcare and earned little or no income. Because of the changing dynamics of divorced families over the years, Illinois child support law …
Four Ways To Protect Your Credit History from Errors and Misuse
The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires that consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) meet certain legal obligations to consumers. Failure to meet these requirements could be a violation of the FCRA. If that violation injures a consumer, the CRA (such as major credit bureaus Equifax, Transunion, or Experian) may be liable to the consumer for damages. Here are four common reasons why a CRA may be in violation of the FCRA and the steps you can take to address them. For specialized legal …
Can I Deduct Alimony Payments From My Taxes?
Since 1942, individuals who pay alimony have been able to deduct their payments from their federal tax return, resulting in some tax savings to the alimony payor. But those tax deductions are now gone. This staple of divorce law was eliminated in a recent federal tax overhaul. The new law will affect alimony awards executed through a divorce agreement or court order on January 1, 2019, and after. Under the new rules, alimony payments will no longer be deductible and will not count as taxable …
Can Tennessee Taxpayers Deduct Alimony Payments from Income?
Since 1942, divorced spouses that pay alimony to their ex-spouses have benefited from the ability to deduct alimony payments from their tax return. This staple of divorce law has been eliminated with the recent federal tax overhaul. For divorces executed in 2019 and after, the paying spouse will no longer be able to deduct alimony payments from their taxable income. Reach out to a local family law attorney for legal advice. Why the Change in the Law? Those who wrote the tax law, claim the …
Can I Transfer Assets Prior to Bankruptcy?
When it comes to reporting asset transfers before bankruptcy proceedings, filers often think they only need to disclose assets transferred fraudulently. This is not so. The bankruptcy rule against fraudulent transfers is a rule of disclosure, not intent. Bankruptcy filers may have sold a piece of real property or traded in a car (both of which are generally above board), but if it occurred within two years of filing, they must disclose it. For legal advice on your situation, consult with a …
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