While litigated divorce was once the norm, today many American couples are looking to settle their separation out of court. During the collaborative divorce process, each spouse may retain his or her own lawyer, but all parties involved agree to negotiate rather than...
Your Family Matters
How does child support work in New York?
Both parents have a responsibility to provide financial support when they divorce or end their relationship. New York uses a child support formula to determine a fair amount of support for each parent to provide depending on custody time. Review the facts about child...
Searching for hidden assets is critical in divorce
An important part of the divorce process involves the division of marital assets. Whether the separation is between high-value individuals or involves inheritance, business or other expensive assets, without complete transparency, not all is fair in divorce court. It...
Will the court divide property equally?
A common question couples may have before initiating a divorce is how the court divides property. Aside from child custody and visitation issues, the division of property may lead to heated debate. New York is a state that does not divide marital holdings equally. It...
Is nesting an option for your post-divorce family?
Divorce has the potential to affect children negatively. After learning about the end of your marriage, your children may experience anger, sadness, depression or even ambivalence. To help children cope with divorce, some parents choose nesting. Sometimes called bird...
Mediation for Custody Disputes: Help Your Clients Avoid the “Litigation Wringer”
As every parent knows, it is impossible to work together without trust. Custody litigation, by its nature, serves to eliminate it. Mediation, whenever possible, is an easier and less expensive process than litigation for your family law clients. It helps them decide...
Just the Facts: Respect
In this “Just the Facts” series, I’ve already covered Child Support, Custody Cases, and When Mediation Doesn’t Work. I’m now sharing the most powerful lesson — and also the simplest — for the final installment of this series: Follow the Golden Rule. Treat others how...
Just the Facts: When Mediation Doesn’t Work
By now you’ve probably figured out that mediating your divorce makes sense in most cases — and you may be wondering about what types of cases are not a fit for mediation. If there is domestic violence, child abuse or neglect, or parental alienation, litigation becomes...
Just the Facts: Custody Cases
As every parent knows, it is impossible to work together without trust. Custody litigation, by its nature, eliminates trust — to the detriment of the children. The most basic reason why the current system for resolving custody issues is so bad for children is perhaps...
Just the Facts: Child Support
I have spent most of my career in New York’s Family Court system. I’ve had many people come into my office for consultations who are cynical “veterans” of the system, and others who tell me that they have heard “horror stories.” This series will describe the reasons...
