Family Law and Custody

CUSTODY AGREEMENTS

You should make your best effort to settle your custody case early on. A fair settlement, mutually agreed upon by the parties, is the fastest, least expensive, and least emotionally draining approach to resolving these important issues. We have extensive experience in drafting appropriate settlement agreements.

MASTER’S CUSTODY CONFERENCE

If a written settlement agreement hasn’t been reached prior to the conference, the Master’s Office is your next best opportunity to settle your case. If no settlement can be reached, the conference will serve as a jumping off point for the next stage in your custody litigation.

CUSTODY TRIALS

If, unfortunately, no agreement can be reached with the other parent, we have forty years of litigation experience.

RELOCATION CASES

There are new rules governing the procedures to be followed when one parent wants to relocate out of the area. We have experience dealing with relocation cases.

PROPERTY DISTRIBUTION

A. PROPERTY SETTLEMENT AGREEMENTS

Bring in your tax returns, bank and brokerage account statements, pension, 401(k), IRA, loan, and credit card statements, and we can draft a proposed Property Settlement Agreement provided that we have the corresponding information for your spouse. If the agreement is signed by both parties, this will bring the case to a quick end. If we need more information, we have the means to obtain it from your spouse.

B. MASTER’S CONFERENCE

Extensive preparation is made for the Master’s Conference on property distribution. There is a 90% or better settlement rate at the Master’s Conference.

C. PROPERTY DISTRIBUTION LITIGATION.

If there is no settlement at the Master’s Conference, we have forty years experience in litigating complex property distribution matters.

SUPPORT

A. SUPPORT AGREEMENTS

If we have complete information about the earnings of both parties, we can draft a Support Agreement for your spouse’s consideration, and once signed, submit that to the Domestic Relations Office for processing.

B. SUPPORT CONFERENCE

Most cases go to the initial support conference, where again there is over a 90% settlement rate.

C. SUPPORT TRIALS

In the event that there are serious disagreements about earnings, usually found in the case of self-employed individuals, the support claim will go to trial. We have extensive experience in litigating these cases.

DIVORCE

A. NO-FAULT DIVORCE

A divorce decree can be entered with the consent of both parties, however your property distribution issues must be resolved by way of an agreement or a hearing prior to the entry of the divorce decree.

PRE-NUPTIAL AGREEMENTS

If you have the opportunity, we strongly recommend the execution of a Pre-Nuptial Agreement prior to your marriage.

THE COST OF IT

The best way to approach any of your marital difficulties is for both parties to take a deep breath, cooperate with each other, and attempt to settle all aspects of your divorce, property distribution, support, and custody problems. Both parties will walk away feeling better about the process if you can stay out of court. Therefore, we put a great emphasis on attempting to resolve your disputes in order to minimize your expenses. However, it takes two parties to settle, and as reasonable as you may be, if your spouse will not settle, then we can provide the comprehensive litigation services necessary for the resolution of your disputes.