How to Prepare for a Contested Divorce: 4 Key Steps

help for contested divorce issuesYou or your spouse has filed for divorce. In an ideal world, the two of you would be able to sit down and work out all of your issues together, without having a contentious divorce. However, that is not the case for many divorcing couples and you may find yourself in what is called a “contested” divorce. Perhaps you cannot agree upon a custody arrangement or how to divide your marital assets. If you find yourself about to engage in a contested divorce action, it is critical to begin to prepare for the divorce as soon as possible. Read more

When Is The Right Time To Start Dating Again After Divorce?

Are you ready to date again after divorce?After years of being miserably married, you’re raring to hit the dating scene again. But not so fast! Despite your free-bird status, you may not be ready for a romantic entanglement. The last thing you want right now is to find yourself in a new relationship before you’ve emotionally divested yourself of the old one. How do you know when you’re REALLY ready to date? Here are some key signs… Read more

Getting Divorced When You Are a Business Shareholder or Investor

divorce for shareholders and business principals

When you are a shareholder in a business, how will divorce affect your stake? Here is an overview of what owners and investors can expect during the asset division process. Read more

5 Costly Errors People Make During Their Divorce Consultation

meeting with new jersey family law attorneyDivorce can be emotional and stressful. You have taken the very difficult step of deciding to end your marriage. You have spent time researching local attorneys. And now you are preparing for your initial consultation.  How can you make the most of this first meeting with your divorce lawyer?  Here are five costly errors frequently made during divorce consultations…and how you can avoid them. Read more

Caught Cheating: Can You File for Divorce Based On Adultery?

divorcing a cheating spouseYour worst fears have been confirmed: your spouse has been having an extramarital affair. After careful consideration, you know that divorce is the best decision for you. But can you — or should you — file for your divorce based upon the grounds of adultery? Read more

High Conflict Divorce: 5 Things Your Therapist Can Do To Help

working with therapist in high conflict divorceThe goal of traditional talk therapy is to help clients live and express themselves authentically. When divorcing a high-conflict personality (HCP), however, you need to learn how to be strategic in communicating with your spouse. A therapist who understands how to work with high-conflict divorce can give you the tools to manage your life when your ex is trying to make it unmanageable. Some of these include…  Read more

Prior History of Domestic Violence Must be Written into Restraining Order

domestic violence restraining orderTestifying in a Final Restraining Order (FRO) hearing about past incidents of domestic violence without those incidents being written into the body of the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) is a violation of the defendant’s due process rights, according to a recent New Jersey court case. Read more

New Jersey Divorce Chronicles, Part 14: Analyzing The Outcomes

finalizing divorceOver the past year, we have followed two couples — Sharon and Robert, and Jason and Melissa — as they navigated the process of getting a divorce in New Jersey. As we saw in our previous installment, both of our couples now have marital settlement agreements and both will soon be legally divorced. What are some of the important takeaways from their cases? In this final blog in the series, let’s a take a look. Read more

New Jersey Divorce Chronicles, Part 13: Reaching A Settlement

reaching a divorce settlement

For more than a year now we have been following two couples through the process of deciding to divorce, consulting with attorneys, and choosing whether to begin their cases in private mediation or in the court system. We focused primarily on one spouse in each couple: Sharon, who was married to Robert for 13 years, and Jason, who was married to Melissa for 11 years. Sharon decided to jump directly into litigation, while Jason opted to pursue mediation first. By the end of 2015, both couples were close to wrapping up all of their divorce issues. Let’s see how things have worked out for each of them: Read more

Fugitive From Support Obligations? New Jersey Courts Will Not Help You

Dealing with an international child custody dispute? In a recent New Jersey Appellate court decision (Matison v. Lisnyansky), a three judge panel found that a man who failed to pay his palimony and child support, and who had fled to Russia, could not use the New Jersey court system to help him appeal the palimony and custody judgment against him. Mr. Lisnyansky remained outside of the country avoiding arrest on an outstanding warrant for failure to pay his child support when he filed his appeal. Read more