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…
Traditionally, pets have been treated as property when a couple divorces, which often makes them part of a property settlement agreement or judgment. In New York, judges don’t get into resolving pet custody and visitation battles. To deal with these potential conflicts, some couples started to create “petnup” agreements, setting out clear terms for where a pet will live if…
Most fathers do not envision needing to fight to prove they can provide the best home for their child. Yet, every day fathers across the country must go to court to seek full custody. Preparation, follow-through and consistency are keys to success. Family courts prioritize the best interests of the child, not the wishes of parents. Fathers who want to…
New York may be passing legislation that gives standing to the Supreme Court to consider “the best interest of companion animals in divorce or separation proceedings.” This legislation would be welcome if the divorce process was working smoothly. It is not. The wait time for divorces can be in excess of two years; and the cost of divorce spirals upwards…
New York courts hold child custody hearings when parents cannot reach agreements on parenting plans. The hearing can be monumentally stressful, since emotions are likely to run high where parent-child relationships are involved. Going over the questions you are likely to be asked — and knowing your answers — may provide you with valuable peace of mind. The judge’s ultimate…
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…
For many years, New York was behind the times when it came to recognizing the nontraditional ways in which people have children. The practice of paid surrogacy was banned. But on February 15, 2021, landmark legislation went into effect that allows couples and individuals to have a child by a surrogate they legally hire for pay. The Child Parent Security…
Even though you may have set your mind unchangeably on divorcing your spouse, rushing to file papers could hurt you in the long run. If you try to speed through the process to just get it over with, you may find yourself with poor outcomes that affect your life and the lives of your children for years to come. Before…
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…