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Don't go into your divorce or family law matter defenseless
Request an Initial Consultation With An Attorney Today
Safeguarding Your Rights™ - Safeguarding Your Children™ - Safeguarding Your Future™
Top 5 Ways NOT to Ask for a Divorce
Let’s face it, how you ask your spouse for a divorce matters. Going about it the wrong way can cost you in the long run (financially, emotionally, and in Newt Gingrich‘s case, politically), but going about it the “right” way can help to set the tone for a more collaborative — and less contentious — divorce. Getting ready to share the news? Here’s our list of the top 5 techniques to avoid, and some ideas to consider instead: Read more
Spike in Smartphone Usage Notes a Spike in Evidence for Divorce Cases Too
Not surprising, new research from Google shows that smartphone usage is surging globally. People use their mobile devices for just about everything these days and the trail of texts, calls, emails, and photos is not just spanning worldwide use, but is now following them into divorce court. According to a new survey conducted by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), more than 90% of the nation’s top divorce lawyers report a recent spike in divorce cases that use evidence taken from smartphones, including Androids, BlackBerrys and iPhones.
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Divorcing? Consider a Lifestyle Analysis
As part of the New Jersey divorce process, you will need to complete a Case Information Statement – essentially what amounts to a listing of a couple’s financial assets and liabilities as well as income and family expenses. The courts then use this document, in part, to determine such critical financial matters as division of assets, alimony, and child support.
In a perfect world, the information written down on the Case Information Statement would be 100% accurate and complete. But what if you don’t have access to old bank accounts, are unsure how much you owe on your mortgage, and have no idea how much money it takes to pay the bills each month – and on top of this have an uncooperative spouse only willing to supply minimal information? Instead of guessing or estimating – and possibly suffering the consequences of an inaccurate financial record — your lawyer may recommend a process called lifestyle analysis.
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New Jersey Senate President Weighs in on Gay Divorce
After a remarkable about-turn in the New Jersey Senate last week (in which a bill approving gay marriage was passed by a majority vote), both sides of the political spectrum have begun to weigh in on the legislation and its possible repercussions. Read more
New Jersey Officially Amends Outdated Alimony Laws
A New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee has passed amendments to New Jersey’s currently outdated and oppressive alimony laws. As reported by Marketwatch the effort was headed by Democratic Senator Nicholas Scutari with support from the New Jersey Alimony Reform and its director, Tom Leustek–whose efforts toward this end were previously reported in our blog post about Ending Lifetime Alimony. Read more
New Jersey Senate Waves Rainbow Flag, Approves Same-Sex Marriage
New Jersey has taken the next big step forward towards passing legislation that legalizes gay marriage. On Monday (appropriately, the day before Valentine’s), the state Senate passed a bill creating an environment of equality for same-sex couples throughout the state. New Jersey is moving forward to join the ranks of the six U.S. States (and Washington, D.C.) that already allow same-sex marriage.
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Ending “Lifetime Alimony”
Imagine this: your divorce ends with you being told that you have to pay alimony to your ex. You don’t like it, but you do it. Then you lose your job. You can’t afford anything for yourself, let alone payment of anything to someone else. The only way you can get your alimony payments lowered or suspended is to go to court, where you now have to prove that your financial situation has seriously changed. You’re told that you haven’t been unemployed long enough to show that your circumstances have changed. Now you’re forced to wait around and prove that you’re unemployed, racking up more and more debt every month. Additionally, you’ve also had to spend money on a lawyer to try to prove that you have no money.
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Divorce and Valentine’s Day
While most people think of Valentine’s Day as the most romantic day of the year, for a surprising number of couples it’s one of the least romantic. That’s because reports show that divorce filings increase by about 40% around Valentine’s day and inquiries about divorce go up by about 36%. Perhaps February 14th is to divorce lawyers what April 15th is to accountants.
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Crazy Prenuptial Agreements
We usually associate prenuptial agreements with finances: how much of one spouse’s worth the other will get if they’re divorced, whether one will get support, who gets the house. They’re don’t really rank high on the wedding cake with doves and hearts flying over it romance scale, but they have their place.
But the dollars and cents breakdown is only one part of a prenuptial agreement now–some people use them to try to define behavior and conditions of their marriage and these “lifestyle” clauses can get pretty crazy. It’s one thing to state who gets Mittens the cat if the couple splits up, but setting out requirements for the number of times they have sex per week? That’s micromanaging.
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Name Game: Can Your Ex Change Your Child’s Name?
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
That was a very lovely thing for Juliet to say to Romeo, but the truth is that a name is a big deal–especially when it’s your child’s name and your ex wants to change it.
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