In a New York divorce, some property isn’t part of the marital estate and thus is not subject to division between the spouses. Understanding what is and isn’t marital property can improve the outcome of your divorce settlement negotiations. New York’s domestic relations law distinguishes between marital property and separate property. Separate property belongs to one spouse individually rather than…
If you’ve visited a few attorneys’ websites, chances are you’ve run across bright red and yellow badges claiming certain lawyers have been rated a ‘Super Lawyer.’ The icon may invoke a mental image of a lawyer in a bright red cape soaring into the courtroom, tipping the scales of justice in their clients’ favors. Sounds impressive, right? What you probably…
She was a registered nurse and now runs a coupon website. They divorced, and he currently works as a waiter. It should be a short story, but it is not. Jon and Kate Gosselin have created headlines for the last several years — first as the well-intentioned parents of twins and sextuplets, then as rising television personalities on their own…
In 2010, former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, announced their separation. By all outward appearances, the couple was happy and comfortable, and the announcement came as a shock even to close friends. Many asked why they were separating. As a firm dedicated to the practice of divorce and family law on Long Island, we hear and understand…
Alternative dispute mechanisms like mediation help you craft satisfying agreements concerning property, financial support and parenting issues at lower financial and emotional costs. Sometimes though, unfortunately, one spouse is willing to work cooperatively and the other is not. Trying to divorce a partner who seems interested in maintaining conflict is not easy. Termed high-conflict personalities, these persons seem captured in…
Nowhere is the ugliness of divorce more evident than in protracted custody litigation involving claims of parental alienation. Courts and court professionals can become polarized, leaving the targeted parent with mounting legal troubles and children adrift and involved in legal battles of which they should have no knowledge. Our firm has extensive experience with parents who use the instability wrought…
The time after you decide to divorce but before you are divorced can stretch for many months, and sometimes for years. During a divorce trial or as you negotiate with your spouse and the divorce moves forward, important decisions are made about property division, spousal and child support, and parenting issues, if there is a child involved. But what about…
As members of the largest family law practice on Long Island, our attorneys work daily to settle disagreements between divorcing spouses about money and assets. A study from Kansas State University suggests that the tendency of spouses to disagree over money may start them down the path toward divorce. Everyone knows money troubles make for a tougher domestic situation. But…
In a divorce involving children, parenting issues can stir a bitter custody battle. Our firm has litigated and won thousands of custody matters for our clients, and we know the importance of gaining, exercising and understanding parenting rights. In New York, two fundamental types of custody must be agreed upon by parents or decided by the court before a divorce…
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court addressed two cases before it concerning the rights of same-sex couples. The response of the court on these two issues was as follows: United States v. Windsor — The court ruled Section Three of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional and deprives citizens of their liberty under the Fifth Amendment of the…