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 an overhaul of the state…
Many divorces stall over the question of which spouse should get the marital home. If parties with minor children cannot reach a settlement, a judge is often more likely to award the marital home to the spouse who receives primary physical custody. This allows young people to stay in the same school and maintain a consistent daily routine during a…
Ending a marriage can be such an overwhelming experience that many spouses are turning to divorce coaches who can help guide them through the non-legal aspects of their breakup. An experienced adviser can provide encouragement, emotional support and useful suggestions as someone makes the transition from married to single life. As an experienced divorce coach, Andra Davidson has seen clients…
Introduced by Richard Gardner in the 1980s, Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) is the name for a condition where a child turns against one of their parents. This is often associated with a divorce and involves much more than standard backtalk or impudent behavior. Rather, a child who is said to be afflicted with PAS engages in a steady campaign of…
Unlike many other states, New York authorizes courts to include responsibility for higher education costs in a child support order. This might make sense to parents of students in or approaching college, where annual expenses for tuition, room, board and books can come close to $100,000 at some schools. Beyond those basics, there are other costs associated with the college…
Chang es in society and culture are typically followed by responsive changes in the law. This occurred, for example, when New York and other states legalized same-sex marriage. Eventually, in 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court made marriage equality the law of the land. Now, a ruling from a New York City court has raised questions about whether legal rights traditionally…
When the parents and grandparents of children have serious conflicts with each other, it can be a heartbreaking situation for the family and a tricky legal matter. Parents, unless they are shown to be unable to carry out their responsibilities properly, have the legal authority to determine who spends time with their sons and daughters. On the other hand, New…
A divorce usually occurs when both spouses realize that their marital relationship cannot be repaired. The availability of no-fault marriage dissolution in New York and every other state allows parties to go their separate ways without proving any misconduct on their spouse’s part. Still, one spouse has to start the legal process. In a significant majority of cases, it is…
Even in the first few weeks since the Joe Jonas-Sophie Turner celebrity divorce was announced, the various disagreements between the Jonas Brothers singer and the Game of Thrones actress have made headlines. One of the key conflicts is that each party wants to raise their children in their home country. This led Turner to lodge a wrongful retention claim against…
There are numerous reasons why a mother might choose to nurse her infant son or daughter. Scientific studies have shown that breast milk offers several potential health and developmental benefits. Many mothers cherish the closeness with their baby and breastfeeding can also help families avoid the high cost of baby formula. Though the decision to nurse or not is usually…