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This page discusses parenting plans, their drafting and their modification.  Please read on to learn more and find many links which discuss other divorce topics, as well as see these videos - our most effective way of offering you free consultations concerning your divorce.




An uncontested divorce costs less. But will your divorce truly be uncontested? Click twice on the play button above to watch the video about an uncontested divorce.





What if you are served with 'divorce papers'. What happens then? An experienced Tennessee divorce attorney has some ideas for you. Click twice to play the video.





An experienced Tennessee divorce lawyer gives you a few free tips on what to look for when you are dividing assets in a divorce. Thoughts about how marital assets are divided during a divorce. Click twice to play the video.





How do you start a divorce, or file for a divorce in Tennessee? An experienced local lawyer offers free advice in this video. Click twice to play the video.





In a Tennessee divorce how do you handle splitting your house, and the mortgage. Here's some free advice from an experienced Tennessee lawyer. Click twice to play the video.





In a Tennessee divorce you will generally have a Marital Dissolution Agreement or MDA, and if there are children, you must also file a parenting plan with the court, plus you must take a parenting class. Here's an explanation of these documents by an experienced Tennessee lawyer. Click twice to play the video.







Our firm strives for client satisfaction by responding quickly, explaining legal terms in an understandable way, and sending you weekly email updates on your case status.

We have a CPA, that means a strong accounting and cost efficiency background, so we know how to be frugal and give clients the most value for their money. Our rates are comparable to other experienced attorneys in the area. We often show clients how to save on costs by pointing out how to do-it-yourself on many tasks. Our portal and efficient systems mean you can generally spend far less on a case when dealing with us.

As a trained family law mediator we have good negotiation skills to aid in settling matters - but we are also skilled at going to court to 'do battle' with the opposing side.




Founding attorney Burdette explains a bit about why our office operations have evolved to new means and methods and how that change can benefit you.

Keeping up with the advances in technology means you can now basically conduct your entire divorce from the safety of you home. Documents are exchanged through our secure portal, and all communications are via email, text, or Zoom sessions. It saves time and money, and makes you safer.

Can a permanent Parenting Plan be changed?

Tennessee requires divorcing parents to draft parenting plans and have them approved before a divorce can ever be granted. They are designed to give the divorced parents an agreed upon plan to parent successfully post-divorce and make children more comfortable. But in some cases the arrangements specified in the Parenting Plan do not work out and the parents require modifications. Tennessee parents should know the standards for changing the parenting schedule in a Parenting Plan and changing the custody designation entirely.

Changing the parenting schedule

Making a change to the residential parenting requires a court order. In order to modify the parenting schedule described in the permanent parenting plan approved at the time of divorce, a parent must demonstrate that there is "a material change in circumstances" which mandates the revision. Some examples of changes in circumstances that would justify modifying the residential parenting schedule include:

  • Changes in the child's needs over time, including age-related changes
  • Changes to a parent's work schedule or living conditions that significantly impact his or her parenting abilities
  • A parent's failure to follow the Parenting Plan
  • Any other material change

Changing custody

The requirements for modifying a parenting schedule are relatively easy to meet compared to changing what is generally called a custody designation in a parenting plan. The law states that a parent must show "a material change in circumstance," much like a parent trying to modify a parenting schedule, making the Parenting Plan no longer in the child's best interest. Courts have interpreted the language in the law to mean that a parent needs to demonstrate a more serious change in circumstances than necessary to modify the parenting schedule. First, the court will consider whether the change in circumstances truly happened after the Order for the Parenting Plan was entered, whether the parents could have reasonably foreseen the change and whether the change seriously affects the child's best interest.

If a parent passes the initial hurdle that there has been a material change in circumstances, the court will reexamine the other specifics required by law to decide whether a custody change is in the best interests of the child, the court will examine, among other things:

  • The physical and emotional needs of the child
  • The relationship each parent has with the child
  • Each parent's capability to care for the child
  • Each parent's mental, physical and emotional health
  • Each parent's work schedule
  • The willingness of each parent to encourage a close relationship between the child and other parent

Child custody battles can become very emotional, and the amount of detail and outside experts involved can become staggering. The term 'heated battle' becomes an understatement. Post divorce parents in this sort of situation need to have the assistance of an experienced attorney.

Hire an Experienced Memphis Divorce Lawyer

At The Burdette Law Firm we are competent and caring lawyers when dealing with divorce, and will provide excellent legal divorce advice. We give our clients a great deal of information on divorce so they can have the proper understanding of divorce law to make important decisions. Getting divorced is an emotional process and we always strive to ease the stress during this difficult situation. A divorce is also a financial process. The valuations, incomes and sums involved in property division, alimony and support should be carefully reviewed by someone like a Certified Public Accountant to insure accuracy, and to protect you from any attempt to hide assets or income.



 

Contact one of our divorce lawyers
for more information

After reviewing the above if you have questions and need our assistance in a divorce matter, please call us at (901) 756-7878 or use the the menu below to schedule an appointment to speak with a licensed attorney for frank talk and experienced legal advice on divorce in Tennessee

 

Some of our recognitions -

Best Probate Lawyers in Memphis , 10 Best attorneys in Tennessee , Best Family law lawyers in Memphis , Three best rated estate planning attorneys Memphis Top 10 memphis divorce attorneys , Three best rated attorney business
Named the best probate lawyer in Memphis. Selected as one of the 10 best family law attorneys in Tennessee by a client satisfaction survey polling actual clients. Selected as a best family lawyer in Memphis. One of the three best rated estate planning atorneys in Memphis. Voted a Top 10 divorce attorney in Memphis by Trust Analytics client ratings.



What Clients Say:

As of July, 2023 we were 4.9 of 5 stars for 46 reviews of our Memphis office on Google. - one non-client didn't like the idea of actually paying for service. Many shrug and say - can't win 'em all. But we try to every time.

reviews by clients
Burdette Law Memphis
Reviews – Google

Our Germantown office has a perfect 5.0 / 5.0 record on the Google reviews for their office, which they gleefully lord over our Memphis staff. The Memphians reply - hey! you've only got 13 to our 46!

burdette law attorney germantown
Burdette Law Germantown
Reviews – Google

Other ratings and awards - 10 Best in Tennessee - family law. Expertise Lawyer - Memphis. Top 3 Estate Planning Lawyer in Memphis. Also, admitted to practice - U.S. Supreme Court. That means excellence.

Name a 10 Best Attorneys in Tennessee - Burdette Law
Burdette Law
Tennessee – Other recognition.



Instant answers - right here - anytime.

A Memphis attorney using AI to explain things and answer your questions, quickly and easily  - Burdette Law

Let's say it's midnight. As you're falling off to sleep you remember a legal term - somebody mentioned QDRO or quadro. What is that? Open your smart phone. Ask our Robbie. He'll give you a 2 or 3 paragrph answer in 30 seconds. It might have taken you 30 minutes to an hour using a search engine. Now, get some rest, knowing we're here, we have your back, we can explain things anytime - day or night.

Send secure, private email, text, and documents

secure email and document exchange portal - Burdette Law

Click the link: Item 2 = send email. Item 4 = send documents. Item 5 = text or call for divorce, probate, or tax matters.

Podcasts - to talk you through a family problem

Named Top Probate  Attorney in Memphis - Burdette Law

They are quick audio tracks that can talk you through or explain many problems and legal concepts. You can listen privately on your phone earbuds, wherever you happen to be.

Offering you video answer sessions

secure server client portal - Burdette Law

Learn more, anytime, from anywhere - select a playlist on Divorce - Estate or Tax Law. All our videos are short and to-the-point, so you can get to the meat of any concept in a rapid fashion, then move on to the next video idea when you wish.

Move back to our main page -

A Memphis attorney using AI to explain things and answer your questions, quickly and easily  - Burdette Law

Click here to explore our entire site, to link into our secure client portal and much more

See our main divorce information page -

A Memphis attorney using AI to explain things and answer your questions, quickly and easily  - Burdette Law

Click here to visit our main divorce page with links to all day instant divorce information, web pages, videos, and podcasts and more

Saving you time and hassles with our Secure Portal Connection

secure server client portal - Burdette Law

Send messages. Exchange and store your documents electronically. It is your own private case file with dual factor credential verification and encrypted data tunnels. Think of it as your personal guarded bank vault that only you can access - anytime, from anywhere you are.

Schedule an appointment online, any time, from wherever you are.

secure email and document exchange portal - Burdette Law

Click the link below to go to our appointment menu on our secure portal. You can schedule a Zoom or a FaceTime or a teleconference from your choice of the available times and dates..