5 Money-Saving Tips for Surviving the Holidays When You’re Newly Divorced or Separated

Calculating the Cost of the Holidays

Between all the gift buying, festive parties and holiday travel, the expenses of the holiday season can really add up, especially if you’re recently separated or divorced and adjusting to a new budget. How can you make it through to January 1 without breaking the bank? Try these money-saving holiday survival tips. Read more

Faces of Domestic Violence: Three Very Different Stories

Worried woman

One of the most difficult aspects of domestic violence is that it affects a victim’s ability to take self-protective measures. Some people are uncertain whether or not their situation even amounts to domestic violence. Others are simply overwhelmed by their emotional or financial entanglement with the perpetrator.

If you are in either of these situations, it can help to take things one step at a time. If you are in physical danger, your first step is clear: Call 911 or the NJ Domestic Violence Hotline at 1 (800) 572-SAFE (7233). You can also call the hotline if you just have questions about your (or someone else’s) situation, or you can contact an experienced domestic violence attorney free of charge.

While the most obvious domestic violence scenarios involve physical violence, there are actually 14 distinct offenses covered by the New Jersey Prevention of Domestic Violence Act, N.J.S.A.2C:25-17 et seq. (NJPDVA).

Here are three very different NJ domestic violence case studies: Read more

An Open Letter to the NFL: Play This Season’s Super Bowl Off the Field

violet handprint, depicting the idea of to stop violence against women
Dear Mr. Roger Goodell,

As a lifelong football fan, my intention was to spend this year’s NFL season, as I always do, rooting for the New York Giants to win big. However, since the Ray Rice domestic assault video broke in September and charges of domestic violence and abuse against other NFL players unearthed, I have changed my mind about who I hope walks away as this season’s champions. Read more

Study: Pricier Engagement Rings Predict Divorce Risk

rings

The bigger the diamond, the shorter the marriage? According to a study conducted by researchers from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, the giving of a pricier engagement ring before marriage could be an indicator of increased divorce risk down the road. Read more

8 Tips For A Super Solo Thanksgiving

Homemaker Holding Turkey on a Platter

Thanksgiving will be here in just a few weeks. Are you newly separated or recently divorced? You may have even more to be thankful for this year. Whether you spend the day solo or not, here are some tips for making this holiday a happy one. Read more

Your Divorce Questions Answered: Family Law Tuesdays

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If you missed it, below are all the questions shared and the answers given on our Facebook page for September’s Family Law Tuesday. We hope you will join us this next Tuesday, October 7th where you can ask us your own questions. You can send us questions ahead of time, publicly or privately, via email, Facebook post, direct or private message, on Twitter, even a phone call, or join us at 8/9pm EST on Facebook and post your question live!

Read more

The Ultimate Divorce Loophole: We Were Never Married in the First Place!

Wedding Ring

Before their divorce, New Jersey couple Michael and Debra Mandelbaum lived as husband and wife for 20 years.

Or did they? As the pair’s divorce, initiated by Debra Mandelbaum, moves forward, Michael Mandelbaum has taken an unusual position: despite a well-documented wedding ceremony, jointly filed tax returns, and multiple anniversary cards exchanged over the years, he’s claiming the two were never technically married. Read more

Top Tips for Successful Halloween Co-Parenting

Halloween fun

This year October 31 falls on a Friday, which, as a newly separated or recently divorced parent, you may already be aware is the traditional day of the week when children switch homes for weekend visitation with their other parent. What does this mean for Halloween? No matter where your child spends it, here are some co-parenting tips for how to make trick-or-treating safe and fun for everyone. Read more

Who Says it Was an Agreement? When Palimony Becomes A Case in NJ

sign here please

New Jersey family law attorneys and their “palimony” clients have been anxiously awaiting an important decision from the New Jersey Supreme Court in the appeal of Maeker v. Ross, 430 N.J. Super. 79 (App. Div. 2013). On September 25, 2014, the Court handed down its opinion, holding, in short, that parties to palimony agreements that have not been reduced to a signed writing can still go to court to enforce those agreements, provided they were made prior to January 18, 2010. Read more

Divorce Horror Story: A Do-It-Yourself Divorce Gone Wrong

book with Halloween stories
Like many couples, at some point during their 25 year marriage, Carolyn and Eli drifted apart. When they finally decided to end the marriage, they also decided to divorce without attorneys, instead using do-it-yourself divorce forms one of them found online. What could go wrong by choosing DIY divorce?

Turns out, a lot. Read more