Mark A. Chinn Family Law Blog

Mississippi law in Section 93-16-3(1), provides for grandparent visitation:
(1) Whenever a court of this state enters a decree or order awarding custody of a minor... Read More

There are many times when clients will bring documents, records, phone bills, tax returns, or financial statements in to the office with their comments or observations written directly on the document.  This is fine if the comments are on a copy, but it can be very problematic if the comments are on an original.  If the comments are on an original, it may require a lot of extra effort to obtain another original, or, it may render the document unusable in court.  So, the next... Read More

The Jackson- based Clarion Ledger reported a marked rise in identity theft in Mississippi.  In 2007, the Jackson metro area wasn’t even ranked in identity theft complaints, but last year, it ranked 31st.   Read More

For years, I have had a philosophy of not entering into a custody action without some supporting testimony from a mental health professional.  Often, there are issues reported by the children that can be brought out through the testimony of the mental health professional and one doesn’t want the other party to know this is being investigated.  We might also not want to subject the children to retaliation or brain washing prior to the evaluation.  So, there are good... Read More

I believe lawyers are at particular risk for an armed intruder.  Every
law office should have a specific plan for dealing with armed
intruders.  There are three basic steps of action:



Escape if you can. (Plan designated escape routes)
Hide under a desk or in a closet or anywhere you can find.If left with no choice, fight back. (Do not beg for your life!)


The best example of fighting... Read More

Child abusers are masters of deception. They often disguise their abuse
with careers of service, such as children’s ministry, or church, or
school.  They also conceal their character by attaching themselves to
people whose reputations are beyond repute.  People seem to assume that
people with great character will only have those with great character
around them.  But, we cannot know what lurks behind the outward personas
of people.... Read More

As a family lawyer, I often deal with abuse that is difficult, if not
impossible to prove.  The divorce lawyer faces many obstacles in dealing
with this. First, many people don’t fully appreciate the abuse they are
suffering because it is so subtle.  Second, the abused person often
feels either responsible or so embarrassed that they are not able to
verbalize what they are experiencing.  And, while the abused person is
not at fault,... Read More

I have already had several documents that I have either sent or received which mistakenly had 2011 instead of 2012.  Start thinking about the year change now.  When you draft proposed agreements or pleadings, or notary signatures, leave the year blank, such as “201_” instead of anticipating the year the document will actually be signed.   Small mistakes in year can either be a little embarrassing or completely change the meaning of a document.... Read More

All attorneys know there are “rules of construction” in the
interpretation of contracts and agreements.  These rules call for the
Court to first see if the language is clear without further testimony. 
If the language is not clear, the Court might hear testimony as to the
intent of the parties.  If the intent is still not clear, the Court will
interpret the agreement against the drafter of the... Read More

We all know that the Pilgrims invented Thanksgiving at a time when they
were living in the harshest of environments and suffering unspeakable
misery with famine, and death from disease. They taught us that
Thanksgiving is a spiritual state of mind which is available to all of
us no matter what our circumstances. In our time of comparative luxury
and plenty, we should still remember that Thanksgiving is available to
all of us, no matter what particular... Read More