Informed Decision Making
{3:00 minutes to read} As I mentioned in my prior post, The Initial Consultation, I meet with all of my prospective clients before I begin the mediation. During this first meeting, one of the things [...]
The Initial Consultation
{2:18 minutes to read} It is my practice to meet with a couple when they first contact me about my services. I believe this meeting is so important that I require it for all of [...]
Power and Control
{2:09 minutes to read} When I first met with Tricia* and Brian*, they informed me that they had decided to end their marriage. However, since they were unable to afford to live separately, they had decided [...]
There Is No Predictability in Divorce
{2:18 minutes to read} At a recent conference, I sat in on an update on the law. The presenter, who was an attorney that was very knowledgeable about divorce law, was reviewing various cases and [...]
How to Lose Custody
{2:24 minutes to read} The law with regard to custody is fairly simple to recite. A court will award custody to the parent it feels has the “best interest” of a child in mind. I [...]
“Equitable” Distribution?
{3:36 minutes to read} When mediating their divorce, many couples want to know “what would happen if we went to court.” I suppose for many of them they want to be assured that what they [...]
Divorce & Debt
{3:54 minutes to read} Many people are under the impression that they are responsible for the debts of their spouse simply because they are married. But, Getting married does not necessarily make you responsible for [...]
Putting the Children First
{3 minutes to read} In my last post I outlined how the Child Support Standards Act (CSSA) works in New York. I recently worked with a couple who created an agreement that worked much better [...]
Child Support: The CSSA
The Child Support Standards Act (CSSA) imposes a legal obligation on parents to support their children until they are emancipated. This is defined to be the age of 21, unless they demonstrate that they can [...]
The Grey Divorce
{2:36 minutes to read} While the rate of divorce for the general population was relatively flat between 1990 and 2010, the divorce rate for couples age 50 and over doubled during that span. As a group, [...]