When Is Your Divorce Final?
I was recently contacted by a client who was denied coverage under her husband’s health insurance plan. The reason for the denial was that her claim was for a service that occurred after the judge [...]
Spousal Maintenance
Spousal Maintenance is generally awarded to a spouse who sacrificed their own career for the benefit of the marriage. New York has adopted “guidelines” that were intended to standardize the amount and duration of Spousal [...]
The Not-So-Golden Years, Part 2
{3:00 minutes to read} In Part 1, I outlined a mediation I conducted whereby the wife had left the workforce for several years to care for the children, which left her in a very tenuous financial [...]
The Not-So-Golden Years, Part 1
{3:36 minutes to read} I had a recent mediation that has caused me to consider how to address the future consequences that face a spouse who left the workforce for many years during the time [...]
Who Sets and Enforces Ground Rules in Mediation?
{2:42 minutes to read} My friend, Chip Rose, is a mediator in California. One of the things he believes is that it is the responsibility of the mediator to control the process while the clients [...]
Grounds for Divorce in New York
On October 12, 2010, New York joined the other 49 states and now allows a divorce without alleging and proving “marital misconduct”. So, instead of claiming that your spouse is “guilty” of adultery, cruelty or [...]
Equitable Distribution
The basic premise of the Equitable Distribution law is that marriage is an economic partnership. Upon the dissolution of that partnership, the assets and liabilities that were accumulated during the marriage are divided between [...]
Real Estate
It has been my experience that more time is spent discussing real estate than any other asset. That is partly because real estate is likely to have the greatest amount of value as an asset. [...]
Retirement Accounts & Pensions
If you worked at a job that provided these benefits while you were married, they are considered marital property and are subject to Equitable Distribution, even if the payouts are not available until long after [...]
Custody & Parenting of Minor Children
When we create a Parenting Plan for our clients, joint legal custody generally means that both parents have control over decision making while sole custody gives the decision-making ability to one parent. Shared parenting generally [...]