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"Let's Talk Law" with Attorney Pamela Williams Kelly
WLOK 1340 AM / 104.9 FM Radio
(2nd Monday of each month from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. CST)
Topic: New Child Support Laws in Tennessee (as of July 1, 2015) (Aired April 11, 2016)
1. Child Custody and Support - authorizes and establishes certain procedures regarding the right to reach a written compromise and settlement to forgive accrued principal and interest on delinquent child support owed with approval of the obligee. - Amends TCA Title 36, Chapter 5, Part 1.
2. Divorce, Annulment and Alimony - Requires account balances, accrued benefits, or other values of vested and unvested pension benefits, vested and unvested stock option rights, retirement and other fringe benefits relating to employment prior to the date of marriage together with the appreciation of the value be treated as separate property for purposes of division of property in a divorce or legal separation. - Amends TCA Title 36, Chapter 4.
3. Child Custody and Support - Allows a person who is not in compliance with child support obligations to receive a restricted driver license that permits driving to and from the person's regular place of employment or school. - Amends TCA Title 36, Chapter 5.
Topic: Comparison of Tennessee Family v. Mississippi Family Law (Aired May 9, 2016)
Special Guest: Attorney Trena Williams; Mississippi Divorce, Child Support and Criminal Lawyer
Child support ends when the child turns 18 years old. (Tennessee) vs. Child support ends when the child turns 21 years old. (Mississippi)
Custodial parent's income is counted in calculating child support. (Tennessee) vs. Custodial parent's income is not counted in calculating child support. (Mississippi)
The age of consent to marry is 18. (Tennessee) vs. The age of consent to marry is 21. (Mississippi)
Topic: Justice for Fathers 2 (Aired June 13, 2016)
Special Guest: Dereck L. Ware Sr., Community Liaison/Child Specialist; Universal Parenting Place at Knowledge Quest
In this episode, we shared the different programs offered by Universal Parenting Place at Knowledge Quest for fathers. One of the programs is a male only discussion to share concerns, fears and successes that are unique to men. There are also parenting classes to help address the different needs of your child. The Justice for Fathers 2 initiative was founded by Attorney Kelly. More information can be found on this website at: http://www.pwklawoffices.com/justice-for-fathers-2.html
Topic: Lawmaking in Tennessee (Aired July 11, 2016)
Special Guest: State Representative Raumesh Akbari, District 91; Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state's highest legislative branch. It consists of the House of Representatives or the Senate, whose members are elected by the citizens of Tennessee. The General Assembly is only in session from January to April of each year. Bills can be passed into law during the legislative session in as little as 8 weeks! One important legislation that was passed last session was online voter's registration. It will go into effect in 2017. To review other new laws in Tennessee, visit legislature.state.tn.us. Rep. Akbari plans to re-introduce a fee reduction for expungement in the next legislative session along with other bills related to criminal law reform, education and economic development. And for those who want to be a part of the political process, State Rep. Akbari shared that she plans to arrange for bus transportation for citizens to join her for a "Day on the Hill" in 2017. To learn more, contact her office at rep.raumesh.akbari@capitol.tn.gov or 615-741-3830. To learn more about your own elected representatives, locally or at the state level, visit www.shelbyvote.com.
Topic: Special Education Laws (Aired August 8, 2016)
Special Guest: Denise Rupert, Educational Consultant
If a child is disabled, federal law provides for certain protections and assistance in the school environment. The most important document that your child will receive is an IEP or Individual Education Plan. This plan is reviewed annually at a team meeting that consists of the child's parents and school personnel.
Topic: Criminal Law (Aired September 12, 2016)
Special Guest: Attorney Kamilah Turner
201 Poplar is the street address for Memphis' criminal courts. The bottom floor is General Sessions Court, which handles misdemeanor offenses and traffic violations. The 5th, 6th and 7th floors are the locations for criminal court cases involving felonies. A person convicted of any felony in Tennessee loses the right to vote. However, in certain circumstances, the right to vote can be restored. To receive free assistance from local attorneys in restoring voting rights, complete the form at http://tinyurl.com/tnvotingrights or call 901-209-9819.
Topic: Domestic Violence (Aired October 10, 2016)
Special Guest: M. Odom, YWCA of Greater Memphis
The YWCA of Greater Memphis has numerous programs to help women who want to escape abuse in any form. It offers job skills training in non-traditional fields and provides quality afterschool childcare in select schools. If someone needs safe housing due to domestic violence, YWCA Memphis has a 24/7 emergency hotline. Just call 901-725-4277. Disclaimer: Attorney Kelly is a member of the YWCA Memphis Board.
Topic: Wills and Trusts (Aired November 14, 2016)
Special Guest: Attorney Chasity Sharp Grice
Wills and trusts are two different areas of law, but they both hinge on the wishes of the person for whom both documents are created. A will does not go into effect until after a person dies, but the document can be updated or changed by the person who wanted the will until he or she is either incompetent or deceased. A trust is an instrument that is used to distribute assets without going through Probate Court after the person dies. A trust is especially useful if a person wants to leave assets to minors.
Topic: Who Owns the Pastor's Sermon (Aired December 12, 2016)
Federal copyright law has an effect on a pastor's sermon and other creative works that the pastor develops while employed by the church. If a religious leader develops a sermon, should the church be allowed to sell that work without compensation to the person who actually wrote that sermon? Should the pastor be able to reproduce his own sermon and sell it without compensating the church? If a pastor enters an employment contract that addresses his intellectual property as well as his duties as a spirtitual leader, then the pastor may be able to maintain his sermons for his own economical gains. If not, the sermons may be the property of the church since the pastor is simply an employee with the standard work-for-hire limitations in owning any property created while employed by the church
Topic: New TN Laws in Effect as of January 1, 2017 (Aired January 9, 2017)
The Tennessee General Assembly enacted several laws in its last legislative session in Nashville. And now those laws are in full effect as of January 1, 2017. Some of the new laws in TN include: Felony E classifications for repeat domestic assault offenders, reduction of age requirement to 18 for persons in the military who want a handgun permit, U.S. civics testing for all high school students and restricted license options for those who are ticketed for driving with a suspended or revoked license.
Topic: Diversity in the Law (Aired February 13, 2017)
Special Guest: Dawn Campbell, President of the Black Law Students Association at the University of Memphis Law School
Less than 5% of the nation's lawyers are African-American. Constant changes to the bar exams and less seats in law schools mean that the number could become stagnant or even drop. We will discuss what future African-American attorneys are doing to add diversity in all areas of the legal field.
Topic: Women's History Month (Aired March13, 2017)
Special Guest: Deidre Malone, Chairman of the NAACP Memphis Chapter
Ms. Malone has been politically active for many years. And she continues her civic engagement by currently chairing the 100 year-old chapter of the NAACP in Memphis. During her 2 year tenure, Ms. Malone plans to reconnect with old partners and engage new ones. The NAACP Memphis Chapter has 20 committees--from civil rights to education to economic development--and the organization needs individual and business support to make an impact and reach its goals. Individual membership is $30. The chapter is also seeking support from the construction community to help restore its office to its former glory.
Topic: Federal Income Tax Law (Aired April 10, 2017)
Special Guest: Jeraldine Hunter-Gaddess, United Way of the Mid-South (901-433-4326)
The United Way sponsors The Free Tax Program to help with federal income tax preparation and to inform taxpayers about the Earned Income Tax Credit. Anyone who earns under $54,000 a year can qualify for the program to receive FREE tax preparation. There are 23 tax preparation sites throughout Memphis as well as locations in Fayette County, Tunica County, MS, DeSoto County, MS and Crittenden County, AR. The deadline to file federal income taxes is April 18th at 11:59 p.m. To find a tax preparation site, call 211 or 901-415-2790.
Topic: Entertainment Law and Music Contracts (Aired June 12, 2017)
For Black Music Month, Attorney Kelly focused on the team behind a creative person such as a musician, chef or visual artist. Ideally, the team should begin with an attorney, a personal manager, business manager and agent. Some of the most critical terms in the music industry that any musician should understand include royalty, recoupables, the 360 deal and options.
Topic: New Laws in Tennessee (Aired July 10, 2017)
On July 1st, 132 new laws went into effect in Tennessee. These laws cover many areas like child support, domestic violence, abortions, medical care for juveniles, expungements, licenses for certain businesses or professions and more! One of the most critical new laws deals with child support arrearages or late child support. Unless certain circumstances apply, for any child support action filed on July 1st, child support can only go back for 5 years instead of back to the day of the child's birth. Contact me or your local TN representative to learn more about the laws that are new to Tennessee.
Topic: New Credit Report Laws (Aired August 21, 2017)
On July 1st, new credit laws went into effect. These laws direct the 3 credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) to remove tax liens and civil judgments from credit reports. This change could result in a credit report score increase of 20 to 40 points. While this change will help credit reports look better, any debt is not removed by this action. Rather, the creditor must ensure that any reporting to a credit agency is accurately linked to the right person by submitting the full name, address, social security number or birth date for the consumer. In September of this year, collection efforts for medical debts that are less than 6 months old will also be deleted from credit reports. To receive a yearly, free credit report from all of the credit reporting agencies, visit www.annualcreditreport.com.
Topic: Grandparents' Visitation Rights (Aired September 11, 2017)
In Tennessee, grandparents (and even great-grandparents) can file a petition for visitation with their grandchildren if certain conditions are met. But grandparents are not entitled to the same amount of visitation as a natural parent would receive to visit his or her children. The first thing that a grandparent must prove is that visitation is opposed by the grandchild's parent. Even if the grandparent's time is restricted with the grandchild, that alone does not mean that the visitation is opposed. A parent has a fundamental right to the care, custody and control of his or her child. And that control includes who the child spends time with--even if the person denied is a grandparent.
