Jennifer Lopez just told GMA she had to "stop everything" and take a full year off after her divorce from Ben Affleck. And look, divorce is hard no matter who you are. But a lot of the chaos that makes it so overwhelming can be managed with a solid separation agreement. In North Carolina you have to be separated for a year before you can file for absolute divorce. A separation agreement is what keeps that year from being a total free-for-all.

Dak Prescott and Sarah Jane Ramos called off their wedding a month before the ceremony and the internet immediately blamed a prenup. Whether that's true or not, the conversation it started is one a lot of engaged couples need to be having. A prenup isn't a bet against your marriage. It's a financial plan. And fun fact: Gen Z is getting prenups at a higher rate than any generation before them. New blog breaks down what makes a prenup valid in NC, what it can and can't cover, and why it's not just for people with NFL money.

Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu was born via gestational surrogacy. Her dad, a single father and immigration attorney, had five kids through surrogacy using egg donors and gestational carriers. Alysa just talked about it openly in Rolling Stone after winning gold in Milan, and her story is a great reminder that families built through assisted reproduction are just families.

But behind every surrogacy story is a legal framework that makes it all work. Surrogacy agreements, pre-birth orders, donor contracts. That's what we do. New blog is up breaking down what the legal side of surrogacy actually looks like, including in North Carolina.

You've probably heard of the 4B movement by now. If not, it’s a philosophy originating in South Korea that's been gaining traction in the United States, particularly among younger women. It involves four refusals: no dating men, no sex with men, no marriage, no children. The movement has been framed as a response to misogyny, political rollbacks on reproductive rights, and broader frustrations with gender dynamics.

Whether or not the 4B movement resonates with you personally, it's part of a much larger trend: more women, and more people generally, are actively choosing not to marry. And that choice is completely valid. But as a family law attorney, I'd be doing y'all a disservice if I didn't flag the legal realities that come with it, because North Carolina is not kind to unmarried partners when things go sideways.

Divorce is hard no matter how you do it. But "hard" doesn't have to mean "destructive." Collaborative divorce gives people the chance to end a marriage with some dignity intact for both parties, and especially for any kids watching how their parents handle it.

If you're in North Carolina and starting to think about separation, it's worth understanding all your options before you assume litigation is the only path.

Schedule a consultation with Melenni Balbach at Balbach & Davenport Legal today to talk through whether collaborative divorce makes sense for your situation.

Here's my professional opinion as an ART attorney, offered free of charge to the entire internet: the reason someone chooses surrogacy is between them, their family, and their medical team.

Is Surrogacy Legal in North Carolina?

Short answer: yes. But let me give you the real answer, because "legal" in North Carolina doesn't mean what most people think it means.

If you're ready to build your family through assisted reproductive technology in North Carolina, don't wait until you're matched with a surrogate or donor to think about the legal side. Start the conversation now so you're protected from the beginning.

As a North Carolina ART attorney and member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the American Bar Association (ABA) Assisted Reproductive Technologies Committee, the Family Law Institute of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, and the North Carolina Bar Association Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Committee, Melenni understands the unique legal challenges families face when building through surrogacy, egg donation, sperm donation, and other assisted reproductive technologies in North Carolina.

Whether you're just starting to explore surrogacy, already working with a North Carolina fertility clinic, or matched with a donor or surrogate, she’ll help you navigate North Carolina's inconsistent legal landscape with clarity and confidence. You deserve an attorney who understands ART law, respects your family structure, and fights to protect your parental rights from day one.

Book a consultation with Melenni Balbach to discuss your ART legal needs in North Carolina. We'll walk through your family-building plan, your legal options, and what protections you need to secure your parental rights before your baby arrives.

A vibrant and empowering blog post cover photo for a Galentine's Day article, celebrating the journey of being a parent. The image features a joyful female individual, radiating warmth and confidence, holding a cherished memento of their child, such as a tiny handprint or a small drawing. The scene is bathed in soft, warm lighting, with a palette of cheerful pastel colors like blush pink, mint green, and lavender, hinting at celebration and self-love. The style is modern and approachable, with a clean layout and a medium shot framing to capture the subject's expressive face and convey a sense of approachable strength.

Major holidays, family gatherings, and forced togetherness have a way of clarifying things. Sometimes what gets clarified is that your marriage isn't working, and you're done pretending it is.

If you're reading this because you survived another holiday season barely speaking to your spouse, or because you spent the Super Bowl wondering how you ended up here, or because the thought of another Valentine's Day faking it makes you want to scream then this is for you.

Let's talk about what happens next.

A prenuptial agreement is one of the most honest, vulnerable conversations you can have with your partner. You're sitting down and talking about money, debt, expectations, fears, and what financial security looks like to both of you. That's intimacy. That's trust. That's the foundation of a strong marriage.

And honestly? If you can't have that conversation before you're legally bound to each other, that's a red flag.

February is Black History Month, a time to honor the resilience, achievements, and contributions of Black Americans. It's also a time to talk about something that doesn't get enough attention: wealth building and generational wealth transfer for Black families.

Talk to an estate planning attorney. Look for someone who understands Black families, heirs' property issues, and business succession planning. If you can, support a Black attorney in your community.

And if you need help finding a Black attorney, here are some resources:

• National Bar Association: The nation's oldest and largest association of predominantly African American lawyers. Their attorney directory can help you find Black attorneys in North Carolina. Visit nationalbar.org

• North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers (NCABL): Connects you with Black attorneys practicing across North Carolina. Visit ncabl.org

• Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA): Directory of diverse attorneys including estate planning and business law specialists. Visit mcca.com

• American Bar Association Goal IX Directory: Search for diverse attorneys by practice area and location. Visit americanbar.org/directories

Until North Carolina gets its act together and passes comprehensive ART legislation, families like yours need attorneys like me to navigate the gaps in the law. It shouldn't be this hard. But it is. So we make it work.

If you're like most people, you put together your will and powers of attorney when you bought your first house, or had your first kid, or hit some other major life milestone. You filed those documents away in a drawer somewhere, breathed a sigh of relief, and haven't thought about them since.

Here's the problem: life doesn't stay the same. And if your estate plan doesn't reflect your current life, it might not do what you need it to do.

There's something incredibly powerful about helping someone become a parent. About making sure that when a baby is born through surrogacy or assisted reproductive technology, the intended parents are legally recognized from day one. About removing the fear and uncertainty that can overshadow what should be one of the most joyful moments of someone's life.

This work matters. And in North Carolina, where we still don't have comprehensive surrogacy laws on the books, it matters even more.

I'm tired of watching our legislature waste time on laws that hurt people while ignoring the issues that actually matter. I'm tired of navigating legal gray areas for my clients because lawmakers won't modernize our statutes. I'm tired of seeing homeless people on every corner while politicians focus on bathroom bills and biological sex definitions. I'm tired of watching my grandmother bleed in a hospital hallway while our healthcare system crumbles and nobody with the power to fix it seems to care. I'm just tired. But I'm not giving up. And neither should you. Read my full thoughts on North Carolina's new biological sex law here.

- Melenni

Maybe you spent Thanksgiving putting on a brave face, got through Christmas for the kids, and now you're sitting here in January thinking, "I can't do another year like this."

If that's where you are, I want you to know something: you're not alone, you're not broken, and there is absolutely a path forward.

We're a week into January, and if you're like most people, you've already started thinking about which resolutions you'll actually keep this year. Hit the gym more? Learn a new language? Finally organize that junk drawer?

Here's one resolution that won't take much time but could make all the difference for your family: getting your estate plan done.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is trust your gut and take control of your own career.

Not recklessly. Not without a plan. But sometimes you have to stop trying to fit yourself into a box that was never meant to hold you. Sometimes you have to trust that if you're good at what you do, people will notice. People will support you. People will show up.