Family Law

• Divorce
  Robertson + Easterling is a client-centered divorce and family law firm working with people like you throughout Mississippi. Whether or not you are ready to step into the ring, you want veteran warriors in your corner–trusted coaches supporting your training. We will help you maneuver from positions of both strength and perceived weakness, and when you leave our office, you will have tangible action steps to achieve your goals. We know you don't want to be at war, but if you find yourself in the fight of your life...you better be ready.
• Child Support
  Whether exploring divorce or for whatever reason you are no longer with your child’s other parent, you already understand the basic concept of child support –one parent pays the other money for the benefit of the child. However, in addition to questioning exactly how child support will work in your situation, chances are you are also asking “Who pays for daycare?” or “What about college tuition?”or “What about medical and dental expenses?” and “How long does child support last?”
• Child Custody and Visitation
  Thanks for paddling through all the divorce and other yucky stuff to land on the page devoted to adoption. While adoption is our favorite thing to do, the ugly stuff is how we are able to fund it. It also makes us uniquely qualified to handle adoptions with especially challenging legal components. While the social work associated with the unnatural choice or necessity of a biological parent having another person raising their child is always difficult, the legal work is often very form driven. However, when a complicated termination of parental rights is at issue, litigators hardened by the rigors of divorce and child custody are often more well equipped for a battle.
• Adoption
  Congratulations if you are just starting out on your adoption journey. We think you are awesome! Unfortunately, you are probably not quite ready for us. R+E does not directly work with birth mothers who may be interested in making an adoption plan for their infant and we do not facilitate international adoptions. There are many great agencies in Mississippi who help with domestic and international adoption or who can help you if you are interested in becoming a foster care parent. We usually get involved on the backside of the social work to finalize the process and legally solidify the new parent-child relationship when a parent does not go into the process with the child already identified.  We also work in unique and complicated situations that require a diverse adoption and family law skill set.
• Paternity
  Establishing paternity gives your child the same rights to financial support and other benefits given to children born of a marriage including child support. After paternity is confirmed by court order, the fathers name is placed on the child’s birth certificate, so there is no longer any question about the father’s identity. When the Court establishes you are the father, you can request the child’s surname (last name) be changed to yours. This request is usually granted unless the child has reached an age in which they are widely known in the community by another last name.
• Premarital Agreement
  There are as many reasons to enter into a prenuptial agreement as there are people getting married. Maybe your family is insisting you get one to protect a generationally handed down business. Maybe you lost a spouse you were with for decades and you are concerned about your adult children’s inheritance. Maybe you had an awful experience trying to financially separate and then recover after a divorce, and you never want to go through that type of hardship again.
• Guardianship
  In our child custody/guardianship case, Craig told us what to expect, how to deal with it and takes care of details. As issues have arisen over time, he (or his firm) have kept us on top of things. His strong suit is in the courtroom. He knows the law and has the confidence to carry it through. Would recommend him highly.
• Spousal Support
  When there is a family law judgment to which you are a party with active provisions for children or spousal support —it ain’t over. At R+E, we spend about as much time helping people with post judgment issues as we do with anything else, because life is filled with many changes you could have never anticipated at the time of your divorce or original Court Order.
• Legal Separation
  You are not sure about divorce, but you know you cannot live with your spouse right now. You believe a legal separation may be a good alternative, but you do not even know where to start. While Mississippi does not technically have anything called “legal separation”, you still have many options to establish a set of rules during this difficult time either through a formal or informal agreement or through a court order.

Criminal Law

• Arson
  In another life-story-driven episode, Roane and Craig introduce you to Rob Lohman, whose drinking career started in his teens, leading him to dark places in life with the climax being a suicide attempt botched by his dog, Jake. You will grip the steering wheel as you hear about his rap sheet, which includes divorce, gambling addiction, bankruptcies and a prison sentence for arson, before finding wholeness through helping others.

Employment Law

• Employment Contract
  Toward the end of our meeting, we will provide you with a folder containing more information and we will quote you a price for our service. The folder will have our standard Employment Contract, financial declaration forms with instructions, information on co-parenting and the Mississippi custody factors (if applicable), tools to help organize and evaluate your life story as it relates to divorce and your dreams post-divorce. We may make referrals or recommendations at this point to a financial planner, private investigator, CPA and/or counselor. We may suggest you watch a certain movie or read a book or two. The goal of the first meeting is for us to have an overview of financial information and to begin understanding your life and marriage. Most of the time, we can help develop a plan for the accomplishment of your goals, even if you lack full clarity, and often even if you are totally undecided about whether or not to take legal action.  Finally, we will have a free follow up meeting or telephone call to answer any questions you may need to discuss.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  If you are going to have a prenup written in Mississippi, you want it to stand up to judicial scrutiny. First, you cannot write one at the last minute. You and your future spouse both need plenty of time to think about the contract. Second, both sides need independent advice. One lawyer cannot advocate the legal position of two people. They just can’t. Third, there must be full disclosure. Each side must exchange financial data. It is better if the financial data is attached to the contract so years later you can find it. Lastly, the contract should be written in plain language and accompany some simple estate planning.