Most New Yorkers who have tried to litigate a Family Court case over the previous few years have faced serious delays and other administrative hassles that have made an already difficult situation much worse. Closures prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, budget cuts and a shortage of judges have court employees, legislators and activists calling for… Read More »
Legislation designed to provide extra levels of protection for the children of abusive parents is now the law in the State of New York. Previously, Family Courts and child custody evaluators leaned heavily toward custody and visitation arrangements that allowed parents access to their sons and daughters, even if a risk of violence existed. Sadly,… Read More »
Divorce and Family Court are very personal. Family Court involves, most often, child support and/or custody. During the pandemic, court functions were mostly suspended and appearances in court for non-criminal matters were canceled or did not occur for months. The court system has started to use Microsoft Teams. This is done through IOS, usually an… Read More »
The coronavirus has put a strain on all of our lives, our businesses and our public institutions, including the courts. Across New York, most courts were closed for an extended time earlier in the pandemic. They have since reopened, at least partially, in most areas, so citizens can have their legal issues resolved as timely… Read More »
Until recently, when the word “fiancé” was used in Family Court it was a title and it had great meaning. It was far different than a girlfriend or a boyfriend, it was someone who was, for the most part, stable and going to move towards marriage with one of the parties. The fiancé’s testimony was… Read More »
By now Bryan L. Salamone, Esq. handles almost 1,000 divorce and family law cases a year and in 2017, he was confronted with more than one dozen cases involving custody, care and visitation of minor children by a parent or parents who use prescribed medical marijuana. In many custody cases, the issues are driving the… Read More »
Negotiating child custody arrangements between parents can be one of the most contentious areas after a divorce. Likewise, unmarried parents often have to confront the same set of complicated issues about the care and welfare of their children when they separate, including determining living arrangements, obtaining child support and setting up a visitation schedule. Special… Read More »
When your spouse asked to separate, you agreed. Because you have children, you urged your spouse to work through divorce collaboratively or through mediation. Seven months down the road, you feel stymied. Your spouse appears to have no interest in recognizing the issues and, worse yet, is making serious, unfounded accusations against you. What’s going… Read More »
When you and your spouse no longer want to live together as husband and wife, if you cannot agree on the terms of your divorce, you will wind up in family court. Skilled divorce lawyers who practice in family court on a daily basis are a wise choice to represent you if you find yourself… Read More »
In the past, many jurisdictions in the United States relied upon the tender years doctrine in child custody cases. This doctrine essentially created a presumption in favor of the mother in custody disputes involving children under a certain age. Most states, including New York, have departed from this doctrine as an officially recognized principle of… Read More »