New Jersey’s New Adoption Law
On May 27, 2014, Governor Chris Christie signed into law legislation that will allow adoptees in New Jersey access to their birth certificates beginning January 1, 2017 (Adoption records have been...
View ArticleDomestic Violence and the Right to Counsel
Trials held under the New Jersey Prevention of Domestic Violence Act (PDVA) are some of the most contentious in the Courthouse. The consequences of being found guilty of domestic violence are serious...
View ArticleNew Jersey Collaborative Law Act Passes Both Houses of Legislature
In June, both the New Jersey Senate and Assembly passed the New Jersey Family Collaborative Law Act, which is now awaiting Gov. Christie’s signature. I have written much about the benefits of...
View ArticleCollege-Age Child’s Refusal to Interact with Parent May Affect the Parent’s...
The responsibility of college education expenses between divorced parents is often a source of conflict, and many times the parties end up back in court even though they have been divorced for years....
View ArticleNew Jersey Legislature Passes Alimony Reform Bill
Both the New Jersey Assembly and Senate passed an alimony reform bill that has been in the works for two and a half years. The bill is currently awaiting Gov. Christie’s signature. The proposed law...
View ArticleDivorce Trials Necessary After Unproductive Settlement Efforts
I recently concluded a lengthy divorce trial involving custody and parenting time, division of substantial assets, alimony, child support and other disputed issues. After a series of unproductive...
View ArticleGovernor Signs New Alimony Law
After a protracted test of wills between alimony reformers and traditionalists, a new alimony statute was signed into law by Governor Christie on September 10, 2014. The new law, which is immediately...
View ArticleRecent Changes to the Alimony Statute and Cohabitation
As John S. Eory, Esquire previously blogged, Governor Chris Christie signed into law changes to our alimony statute on September 10, 2014. Prior to the new alimony statute, the law of the State of New...
View ArticleHow the New Alimony Law Deals with Unemployment
In the past, if a person was terminated from his or her job and wanted to modify alimony due to a change in circumstances, our courts would many times not even consider such an application until six...
View ArticleNew Life for Oral Palimony Agreements
In a long-awaited decision in the case of Maeker v. Ross the New Jersey Supreme Court has unanimously decided that oral “palimony” agreements entered into before revisionary legislation in 2010 will...
View ArticlePermanent Alimony vs. Open Durational Alimony
The new alimony law that was recently passed on September 10, 2014, changed one of the types of alimony from “permanent” to “open durational.” It was really just a change in semantics. Permanent...
View ArticleSafeguard Your Online Presence Before It’s Too Late
Social media surrounds almost all of us. Statistically speaking, over 70% of you reading this article are probably social media users, whether you utilize Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest,...
View ArticleA Pre-School Primer for Divorced Parents
In an important recent opinion, Superior Court Judge Lawrence Jones (Ocean County) examined the competing claims of divorced parents regarding their child’s pre-school selection and issued a new set of...
View ArticleNew Jersey Palimony Agreements Revisited
Palimony agreements are entered into between two parties who are not married, wherein one party promises to financially support the other party during his/her lifetime. Most palimony agreements are...
View ArticleChanging Your Beneficiaries After Divorce
The great majority of divorcing couples in New Jersey resolve their issues in the form of a Marital Settlement Agreement (a.k.a. Property Settlement Agreement). In addition to a division of marital...
View ArticleCan Parents Agree to Waive Child Support in Consideration for a Waiver of...
I have encountered this question, or variations of it, with some frequency over the years. My answer, while surprising to some, is always “no.” This is not to say that parties are barred from entering...
View ArticleDoes Equitable Distribution of a Pension Allow for Termination of Alimony...
It has long been held that in order to equitably distribute a State pension (or other defined benefit pension), you apply a percentage of the coverture fraction to determine what the non-employed...
View ArticleTax Issues in Divorce: Real Estate Itemization Credits
With the April 15th tax filing deadline quickly approaching, I am beginning to see an increase of the tax-related issues arise in my client’s cases. The right of either of the parties to claim...
View ArticleDivorce Mediation: Utilizing Attorney Resources during the Divorce Process
With Court backlogs and increasing costs of litigation, many individuals are utilizing the mediation process to resolve their divorce issues. As an attorney that has been trained in alternative dispute...
View ArticleSavings Component Awards: Analyzing the Change of Circumstance Argument
Stark & Stark attorney David A. Beaver, member of the firm’s Divorce Group, authored the article “Savings Component Awards: Analyzing the Change of Circumstance Argument,” which was published in...
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