How long does a divorce take in NJ? The length of a divorce is not set in stone by any rule or law. Spouses who remain civil and mutually agree on how to divide their assets before filing can finish their divorce as quickly as the courts can process a divorce petition. If you and your spouse are cooperative and…
Child Custody Laws in NJ for Unwed Parents Gone are the days when every child had married parents. The current diversity of family living arrangements has resulted in the court system establishing an alternative to a divorce proceeding, called a “non-dissolution ‘FD’ Case” which is used by unmarried parents to: Establish a Legal Custody Order for a Minor Establish a…
The Principles of Child Support in New Jersey The guiding principles of child support in New Jersey are that children should not be economic victims in a divorce. Instead, children are considered entities who are entitled to share in their parent’s income, and in New Jersey parents have a continuous duty to support their children until they are emancipated. NJ…
Spousal support, and specifically the nature and purpose of spousal support, is one of the most hotly-debated family law topics of our day. Some advocates believe these payments should help obligees become economically self-sufficient, and that’s it. Others think alimony should permanently equalize the standard of living between the former spouses. For the most part, New Jersey’s alimony law balances…
Learn from one of the top divorce attorneys in NJ how to begin a divorce proceeding and how to follow through with it, in four easily-understandable steps. If you are looking for a starting point and a step-by-step guide to the planning, filing, and legal procedure of divorce, read on for this guide by Katherine Wagner, Esq., one of the…
Residential parents count on child support payments to meet their children’s shelter, food, clothing, medical and other expenses. Children are also entitled to share in the good fortunes of their parents, as well. So, for example, if a paying spouse receives a substantial raise or a new job, his or her children are entitled to an increase in child…
New Jersey is an equitable distribution state. A divorce cannot be an unfair financial burden for either party, so marital property must be divided accordingly. That includes both debts and assets. There is a presumption that a 50-50 division is equitable in most cases. So, for a Somerville equitable distribution attorney to obtain a disproportionate division, there must be substantial…
When coronavirus hit American shores sometime in February 2020, many people thought, or hoped, the epidemic would be over in a few months. As a result, in terms of parenting timeshare arrangements, many families turned to stopgap measures and informal agreements. At this point, it seems that COVID-19 restrictions might last well into 2021. Since the pandemic is not ending…
Like some other jurisdictions, New Jersey is an equitable distribution state. Upon divorce, the marital estate, including both assets and debts, must be divided equitably between the parties. That’s not necessarily the same thing as an equal division. In fact, there is a presumption in New Jersey law that the divorce must not be an unfair financial burden for either…
Children of divorce normally feel closer to one parent or the other one at different points in their lives. So, Parental Alienation (PA) is usually inevitable. However, Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) is different. The alienating parent drives an emotional wedge between the targeted parent and the children. Additionally, PA is temporary. PAS is permanent. In fact, the emotional damage often…
