Blog Posts in October, 2015

COUNSEL FEES AND DIVORCE: WHO PAYS?

Counsel fees are the number one reason most are scared of the divorce process. If one or both parties refuse to be reasonable and look at their divorce as something that should engender cooperation, counsel fees can easily get out of control and consume a family’s valuable financial resources. The common question we get is: who pays for my counsel fees? New Jersey is a State where normally ...

WHAT DATE DOES CHILD SUPPORT BECOME EFFECTIVE?

This is a common question asked by our clients. Whether you are in the middle of a divorce or looking to modify your child support obligation, the date the child support is effective is very important. Generally speaking, the child support effective date is governed by statute. Until recently, child support could only be effective on two dates. First, it could be effective the date an initial or ...

THE LINK BETWEEN SCHOOL AND CUSTODY

Whether you are getting a divorce or simply going through a custody battle with the other parent of your children, you should always keep in mind the relationship between where you live and where your children will go to school. Let’s take the most common scenario when both parents share joint legal custody of a child but one parent is the parent of primary residence. In others words, both parents ...

RELATIONSHIPS WITH TOXIC PEOPLE

We’ve been hearing a lot of references to “toxic” people lately. We often throw that word around to generally refer to bad situations or people we don’t particularly like, but what does it really mean to be toxic? And what should we do about the toxic people in our lives? Here’s what it means to us to be “toxic” and some suggestions for how to deal with these kinds of issues. Toxic people are ...

HELP! I AM DIVORCING A NARCISSIST!

My husband or wife is a narcissist. This sentence is uttered at least once a week in our office. We are told that this spouse will be charming, and we will not believe that he or she has psychological problems. Sometimes, our client merely has heard the phrase narcissist and decided that their spouse fits the bill. However, there are times that one of the spouses in a divorce is actually has a ...

My Custody Arrangement Needs An Overhaul

Custody . The word carries many positive and negative feelings among divorced parents. It is not uncommon for parents to continue fighting about their children long after the divorce is in the rear view mirror. Unfortunately, many forget that their children are watching the disputes and internalizing the negativity. The non-custodial parent can feel as though he or she is at the mercy of the ...

I Got Served With A Temporary Restraining Order. What Do I Do Now?

This blog is intended to explain what the Defendant (the one who was served with the temporary restraining order) needs to do at the final hearing. Part II of this series explains what to do from the Plaintiff’s perspective. If you are a Defendant, you will find the information in that blog helpful. However, this blog is intended to tell you exactly what you should do from a Defendant’s ...