When facing divorce, many parents will go to great lengths to arrive at custody agreements that protect the daily routines of their children as much as possible. Allowing children to remain with the friends and schools they’ve become accustomed to can prove helpful as they adjust to their parents’ divorce.…
Most people would agree that bullying needs to end. How to best accomplish this and protect our children is the question. After a number of well-publicized suicides by victims of alleged bullying, New Jersey passed what has been referred to as the nation’s toughest anti-bullying legislation. The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights…
Marriage is a lifetime commitment. While most people take that commitment seriously, sometimes things occur leading a couple to the realization they can no longer honor their vows to stay together “till death do us part.” The exact reasons behind any divorce are as unique as the individuals involved, yet…
Divorce may be the answer to a troubled marriage but when children are involved, the relationship between spouses never truly ends. Although divorce negotiations can sometimes be bitter, custody arrangements require cooperation if they are to work. There are various forms of custody designed to suit the unique circumstances of…
When it comes to making decisions regarding child custody matters, courts take into account the ‘best interests of the child.’ However, what is actually in the child’s best interest may not always be easy to ascertain. Consider this recent case out of California. The Page family of Santa Clarita, CA,…
April 15, the tax filing deadline, is quickly approaching. You’re newly divorced – or in the process of becoming so – and ready to file your individual tax return. Not so fast. There are a few things to remember about divorce and your tax filing status. For tax filing purposes,…
While they were married, actress Sherri Shepherd and her now estranged husband, Lamar Sally, entered into a surrogacy agreement with a Pennsylvania woman when they decided to start a family. Before that baby was born, however, the couple filed for divorce (he in California and she in New Jersey), and…
With the growing acceptance of surrogacy, same-sex marriage and unwed relationships, the definition of family is not so simple these days. There was a time when family meant mother, father and children; today there are not only biological parents, but surrogate mothers, adoptive parents, and even psychological parents. This new…
The New Jersey Alimony Reform Act of 2014 was supposed to have clarified certain matters that existed under the State’s previous alimony laws, including how courts define cohabitation, one of the conditions under which alimony can be terminated. One New Jersey man is now testing whether or not this has been…
In an ideal world, grandparents and grandchildren share nurturing relationships that can prove beneficial for both generations. Sometimes, however, rifts in the relationship between the grandparents and their own children and/or their children’s spouses can adversely affect the relationship between grandparent and grandchild. In extreme cases, the courts may be…