Tag Archive for: new jersey divorce

Questions to Ask a Divorce Attorney During an Initial Consultation

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Once you and your spouse have made the decision to divorce, choosing the attorney who will represent and guide you through the legal process of ending your marriage can be the most important divorce-related decision you’ll make.

Who do you pick? Even if you’ve received a referral to a New Jersey family law attorney from a friend or relative, it’s still critical to check the attorney’s qualifications, including his or her familiarity and expertise with New Jersey family law. The best way to find out what you need to know is to set up a consultation. When you do speak, consider asking a prospective attorney the following specific questions: Read more

3 Secrets to Speeding Up the New Jersey Divorce Process

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Is it possible to get a “quickie divorce” in New Jersey? The general benchmark for how long it takes to divorce in New Jersey stands at approximately 12 months (from filing to final decree), with some complex divorces cases taking upwards of 18 months or longer. However, every divorce is different. How can you and your spouse save time reaching a final settlement? Here are our three favorite tips for speeding up the divorce process. Read more

Bergen County Suspends Lengthy Divorce & Family Law Trials

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If you live in Bergen County and have a divorce or family law matter headed for trial, get ready for a possible delay or change of venue. In a newly released statement, Bergen County Assignment Judge Peter Doyne has announced a halt to lengthy trials in civil and family cases starting next month. As of September 15, no Civil or Criminal Division trials will be conducted if they are expected to last longer than two weeks, subject to the discretion of the presiding judge. Read more

Kids, Sports and Divorce: How Can Co-Parents Support Their Child’s Olympic Dreams?

Olympic champion Michael Phelps was raised by his divorced single mom Debbie; the parents of Apolo Ohno, the most decorated Winter Olympics athlete in history, divorced when their soon-to-be speed skater was just a baby. Believe your child has what it takes to be a future Olympian? Here’s how divorce can affect who foots the bill for coaches, lessons, and equipment — and what you can do to help your child go for the gold, no matter what the state of your marriage. Read more

Divorce: Should You Be the First to File?

No one wants to be blindsided by divorce, but if you and your spouse have reached the point where ending your marriage seems inevitable, you may be wondering whether or not you should go ahead and be the first to file, or bide your time and make your spouse do all the legwork of serving you with divorce papers. Which is more advantageous? Here are some important factors to take into consideration: Read more

Bergen County Ex-Husband Fighting Alimony Denied Release

Update 10/28/13: Ari Schochet won a stay of his incarceration from the New Jersey Supreme Court. The stay allowed Mr. Schochet to file an appeal. That appeal, now before Judge Jonathan Harris, poses the question: Do all parents who are behind bars for arrears on support payments have the right to an ability-to-pay hearing before being locked up?


In Bergen County, Ari Schochet, a former Wall Street portfolio manager, has been ordered by New Jersey Family Court Judge Ronny Jo Siegel to spend nights and weekends locked inside a county jail unless he hands over a lump sum of $25,000 toward more than $233,000 in unpaid alimony. Read more

Telling The Difference Between Marital & Separate Property

When you divorce in New Jersey, it’s the state’s equitable distribution law that lays the basis for how a couple’s property is to be divided. Under New Jersey equitable distribution, property is classified as belonging to one of two categories, either it’s marital property, which is property considered owned by both you and your spouse; or it’s separate or non-marital property, which means it is something considered to belong to you or your spouse individually.

How can tell the difference between the two? Here are 10 quick and general guidelines for helping to determine whether the asset — or debt! — is marital or separate/non-marital property. Read more

NJ Supreme Court Rules In Battle Over Kids’ Last Name Change

If you’re thinking about changing your child’s last name post-divorce, make sure you can give a judge a compelling reason why doing is a benefit to the child. That’s the message in a new New Jersey Surpreme Court ruling in which a Burlington County woman’s name changes for her children were overturned. Read more

Co-Parenting: Six Tips For A Successful School Year

As school districts across New Jersey begin preparations for another school year, what are you doing to prepare for “back to school” as a newly divorced or separated parent? If you’re wondering how to combine co-parenting and school obligations, here are some tips to ease the transition: Read more

Should Same-Sex Divorce Cover Pre-Marriage Financial Issues?


Imagine that you lived with your partner and shared finances for 30 years before finally getting married. Then imagine that soon after saying “I do” you decided to get a divorce. What happens to your shared finances? Should only assets gained after the marriage count when you spent decades living, for all intents and purposes, as a married couple? What if during most of those 30 years you lived together the law didn’t allow you to marry? Does that change anything? Read more