Follow Custody Rules On Moving Out of State With Your Child Or Face The Consequences

Our world is constantly changing, and as a result, people live much different lives today than they did even twenty or thirty years ago. More and more parents are relocating out of state for many reasons: family, employment, and schooling. But, what if you have custody of your children? Does that give you free reign to move out of New Jersey with the kids? Contrary to popular belief, having custody of your child, even sole custody, does not automatically guarantee you the ability to move to a new state. There are certain laws that you must follow to ensure that you are not subjecting yourself to a possible parental kidnapping charge here in New Jersey. Read more

Divorced Co-Parenting: When Your Kids Meet Your Ex’s New Partner

co-parentingMany divorced co-parents come to their family law attorneys with the same concern: “My ex is allowing his/her new partner to be around our children. Can I restrict my child’s exposure to the new boyfriend or girlfriend? Do I have any legal recourse to stop this?” Read more

Want to Burn Your Assets on the Altar of Ego? Have a Litigated Divorce!

contested divorce
Ah, the contested divorce. Everyone involved is angry, hurt, feeling betrayed and watching their wallets get smaller and smaller as their cases drag on longer and longer. Every word spoken is misinterpreted and used as fuel for yet another fire. Heaven forbid there are children involved, who, like the little sponges they are, will absorb all of this negativity swirling constantly around them. Read more

Safeguarding Your Privacy in Divorce: Keeping it Offline

privacy in divorce

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We have all seen gory details of peoples’ relationships plastered all over social media. We have witnessed arguments and name-calling on Facebook. Someone always knows someone whose divorce was made even more painful by later-regretted posts, pictures or even hijacked social media accounts. As tempting as it might be in the moment, it is never a good idea to hash out your personal problems or advertise the specifics of your divorce case in public.

So, how do you avoid publicizing your personal struggles with your spouse online? Read more

Divorced Parents: Who Pays For Your Child’s Olympics Dream?

raising an olympic athlete

In a 2012 article, Forbes magazine broke down the costs families spend on raising an Olympic hopeful. What’s the scoop?

It’s expensive. Read more

The Pokémon Go! Craze: Can You Stop Your Ex From Letting Your Kid Play?

parenting disagreements

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You have undoubtedly heard of Pokémon Go! by this point. It seems that nearly everyone from every corner of the globe is running around trying to virtually capture Pokémon creatures and engaging in duels with other players in virtual “gyms.” There are some pros to this new phenomenon; specifically the game is getting children outside and moving around. And, it encourages kids to go out and explore their neighborhoods and cities.

With that said, there are also some negatives. Pokémon Go! is highly addictive, especially for children. According to children’s technology researcher, Dr. Kristy Goodwin, “The game has a very strong addictive potential, which is my number one red flag. We’re seeing adults who have very quickly formed this digital dependency on playing the game. Children have a less developed brain architecture and are a lot more susceptible to its addictive potential.”

Given all this, you may be ready to see Pokémon Go become Pokémon Gone. But what about your ex? What happens if you don’t approve of your children playing Pokémon Go!, but your ex allows them to participate? Read more

Cheating Spouse (or Dad)? Don’t Follow Kelly Osbourne’s Example

cheating spouse

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Who can forget the Osbournes? They have been keeping themselves in the news for decades, now. Just this week, we learned that Kelly Osbourne is being sued by her father Ozzy’s mistress for defamation, accusing Kelly of disclosing private information (such as her private telephone number) and infliction of emotional distress via social media. The suit comes after a tweet sent by Kelly in response to the discovery of Michelle Pugh’s affair with her father. In that tweet, Kelly used vulgar language and divulged Ms. Pugh’s personal telephone number. After a cease and desist letter was sent demanding that the tweet be removed, Kelly left the tweet up for nearly another month. Read more

Palimony: Even If He Promised You the Moon…Get it in Writing!

questions about palimony?To be or not to be…many couples today are opting to not be married, but still maintain close, monogamous relationships, even with children. The somewhat antiquated notion that couples have to be legally married in order to legitimize their relationship has largely gone by the wayside in our more modern society. But what if you have decided to give up your career, have children and become a stay-at-home parent at the request of and with the full support of your significant other? If you two separate, will your ex be obligated to financially support you? Can you divide assets? Read more

Divorce in Haste; Repent at Leisure

deciding to divorceThe old saying goes, “marry in haste; repent at leisure,” meaning, of course, don’t rush into marriage with someone that you do not know very well, or with whom you have not spent a good deal of quality time. In other words, think before you act and take some time making a life changing decision! Deciding to separate from or divorce your spouse is just as significant a choice as getting married was in the first place. As such, jumping into filing for a divorce can become a hasty decision that you regret down the line. Here are some ways to avoid rushing into a divorce that may prove to have dire consequences for you later: Read more

Legal Service Via Social Media: Can You Serve Your Spouse For Divorce…On Facebook?

serving divorce papers via Facebook

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It may be more common than you think: many spouses who wish to file for and obtain a divorce here in New Jersey simply do not know where their spouse is. Perhaps they went out for cigarettes and never came back. Or, maybe the couple has not lived together for many years and only now one of the spouses is looking to be formally divorced.
Whatever the situation, not knowing where your spouse is located can make for difficult service of the divorce paperwork. Could Facebook be an option for tracking down and serving divorce papers to hard to find spouses? Read more