The True Cost of Custody Litigation
I recently had a client email me requesting help with some parenting issues she was having with her former husband. My client was asking about how she would go about filing a petition in court [...]
Take it from the Judge: The Courtroom is no place for a Family!
I read with interest a statement by Minneapolis Family Court Judge Bruce Peterson who offered that it was “time, perhaps, to get courts out of divorce.” In an editorial published for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, [...]
Can You Afford to Leave?
In a recent blog I talked about a client who was worried that he would be “charged” with abandonment if he left the marital home before he had a legal separation or divorce. I outlined [...]
Legal Advice Part 2: Well-Meaning Friends and Family
I recently had a couple come to me where the husband said, “My wife and I aren’t getting along and there’s a lot of strife in the house so I’d really like to leave. But [...]
Divorce Mediation and Domestic Violence
In my previous blog we discussed whether or not a mediator is required to screen for domestic violence and determined that it was indeed required by the Model Standards. We now turn to what the [...]
Divorce Mediation and Domestic Violence
Part I: Screening In a response to a recent Blog post a reader, who was a certified mediator, asked if mediators are generally screening for domestic violence. She also offered that mediation may be “unsafe” [...]
How Can I Help?
I recently co-chaired a conference for the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation that featured Diane Neumann, an attorney and mediator from Massachusetts who, at the conclusion of the mediation, prepares all of the [...]
Healthy, New York?
In a recent Blog posting I outlined how COBRA allows a divorced spouse to secure health insurance coverage through his or her former spouse’s employer. However, COBRA coverage is often unaffordable for many people. So [...]
Traditional vs Roth IRA
Although December 31st has passed, you still have until April 17, 2012 to make a contribution to an IRA for the 2011 tax year. But should you contribute to a Traditional IRA or a Roth [...]
Nesting: It’s Not Just For the Birds
“I’m not sure our marriage is working and feel that I need some space to decide whether we should continue to try to make it work” said Linda at the start of our first mediation [...]