Family Law & Divorce Blog

Many married couples choose to remain living in the home together even after separating, although “separation” takes on a new meaning under these circumstances. Is There Formal Separation in New Jersey? Under legal separation, a couple remains married, at least temporarily, but lives apart. Although many states institutionalize this arrangement, New Jersey does not. Instead, […]

With a divorce rate of 2.3 per 1,000 residents and over nine million people living in the state, New Jersey sees tens of thousands of divorces on a yearly basis. If you have decided to pursue divorce or separation, you’re not alone. The process requires a lot of serious, life-altering decisions, including how you will […]

In some situations, an emergency child custody hearing may be necessary to protect a child from harm. The court only grants emergency child custody hearing if an emergency remedy is the only way to protect the child from imminent harm. Emergent hearings may be held if the child is in danger because of: Emergency child […]

Under the best circumstances, co-parenting can be challenging. However, New Jersey courts prefer joint physical and legal custody. It is presumed that sharing custody is in the child’s best interest. However, some circumstances could cause a parent to lose custody of their child in Monmouth County. Let’s review how the court decides custody matters in […]

Job loss is a problem for the entire family. When wage-earners lose their job, they cannot pay bills and expenses. However, when that person pays alimony to an ex-spouse, the ex-spouse also suffers a loss in income. Alimony is spousal support ordered by the court. In 2014, New Jersey made significant changes to its alimony […]

Permanent alimony (or open-durational alimony) in New Jersey is a form of financial support paid by one spouse to the other after a divorce is finalized. Divorced couples who had been married for at least 20 years may be required to permanent alimony. As the name suggests, permanent alimony has no scheduled end date, and […]

Divorce involves difficult emotions, but it is ultimately a legal process that involves many financial implications. Receiving divorce papers starts a time limit for you to have a chance to be heard regarding the case. If you sign divorce papers, this can affect your legal rights, as can ignoring them altogether. Here is what you […]

If you and your spouse want to divorce as quickly and inexpensively as possible while keeping things amicable, the best option is to pursue an uncontested, no-fault divorce with “irreconcilable differences” as the grounds. In New Jersey, couples have two types of divorce to choose from: fault-based and no-fault divorce. Grounds for a fault-based divorce […]

In New Jersey, a divorce decree officially ends your marriage, regardless of whether your divorce is contested or uncontested. However, finalizing a divorce is not the end of the process. It is important to address all post-judgment matters appropriately.  What is a Final Divorce Decree? A divorce decree (or Judgment of Divorce) is a court […]

Unlike many states, New Jersey does not formally recognize any form of marital separation. That doesn’t mean you can’t separate, of course. You can, however, choose to live separately and even form a written separation agreement. You can also take advantage of temporary court orders during your separation. Unfortunately, there are also many mistakes you […]