When divorced parents share legal custody, each one has an equal say in the children’s medical care. So what happens when parents do not see eye-to-eye over the COVID-19 vaccine? New York State made the COVID-19 vaccine available to children 12 years old and older starting in May 2021, with the goal of making shots available to younger children in…
During the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, divorce lawyers across the country saw an uptick in filings, with more couples feeling the strain of quarantine and deciding to call it quits. But year-to-year data shows that fewer people are filing for divorce in 2021 than in 2020, suggesting that one side effect of the pandemic is…
In the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic and as the months trudged on, there was considerable opinion that marital relationships and family dynamics would be adversely affected. Now that the worst of the crisis seems to be over and we are returning to normal life, what does the data actually show about how the coronavirus influenced divorce rates? During…
Forced closer together by lockdowns, travel restrictions, work-from-home orders and school closures during the pandemic, many married couples have seen their relationships strained to the point of breaking. This has led to a surge of divorces in New York and across the nation. But with the backlog of cases caused by COVID-related court closures, estranged spouses have learned that divorce…
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced married and unmarried couples alike to reexamine their relationships, spurring an increase in divorces and a drastic falloff in weddings. Unmarried couples seem to be questioning the wisdom or desirability of tying the knot. Marriage rates in the United States, which had been on the decline since the 1980s, plunged more steeply when the pandemic…
Everyone knows at least one divorce horror story. It may involve a spouse who hid or stole marital assets or who quit a job to avoid paying alimony. Too often, divorcing couples seem to write off the love and respect they once held for each other and behave as if they are complete strangers or sworn enemies. Parents turn on…
The coronavirus pandemic has created unique challenges for parents dealing with child custody orders or agreements. Not surprisingly, some parents have simply run out of patience with self-help remedies and may feel like their only remaining option is to go to court, either to enforce an existing arrangement or to seek a formal modification of custody. However, any New York…
Due to the ever-present dangers associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more court hearings are happening virtually these days. These are still relatively new endeavors for court officials and attorneys, and everyone has had to sort of grow more comfortable in the virtual setting together throughout the last year. Here are a few tips to help you make sure…
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the U.S. economy, unemployment claims are hovering near 1 million a week, millions of workers have had their hours cut and more than 100,000 business have closed. With their sources of income cut off, many divorced parents are struggling to meet their child support obligations. Unfortunately, there are no court-approved relief…
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 iPad. Using the iPad in…