After a long day or night at work, everyone deserves the chance to spend some peaceful time away from their job with the people they love. Unfortunately, this is difficult or impossible for some people, particularly first responders. Whether you’re a police officer, firefighter or emergency medical technician, there is the possibility that you could be confronted with a life-or-death…
During a divorce, parents of minor children should always concentrate on the needs of their sons and daughters as they look to resolve their legal issues. Even when both parties have the best intentions however, it can be easy to overlook young people’s perspective during the negotiation process. Now, some divorcing couples are using a new method of mediation to…
The legal divorce process exists to dissolve marriages and set forth terms addressing parental and financial arrangements. Hopefully, by the time the union is dissolved, you and your ex have reached some sort of understanding on what your personal relationship will be going forward. You might remain good friends or peacefully agree to cut off non-essential contact. However, divorce also…
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…
Mediation can be mutually beneficial for you and your spouse as you go through the divorce process. It can keep you out of court, expedite the process and save you a significant amount of money. Of course, you’ll need to bring it up as a possibility first, which can be easier said than done when speaking to each other probably…
Divorce mediation is a process in which you and your spouse both attend sessions with a third-party mediator whose job is to guide you through making divorce-related decisions outside of court. Mediation is designed to help people avoid the long, drawn-out and expensive court processes associated with divorce trials. By its very nature, it is much less expensive than court…
The divorce process does not have to flow entirely through the courtroom. You may be able to settle most or even all of the issues of your divorce through mediation. However, mediation is not necessarily for everyone. Here are some things to consider before deciding to proceed with mediation for your divorce. You both need to be committed: Mediation only…
An issue that commonly arises in divorce cases is how the two spouses will split responsibility for debts accumulated during the marriage. Debt, like property, can be divided into separate debts and marital debts. The classification of a given debt will determine who is responsible for paying it. Separate debt: Any debt incurred by a spouse before he or she…