Child Support and Spousal Support Archives

January 10, 2023

What Happens When I File a Divorce Action?

Court Procedure in Divorce Cases We hear a lot about the emotional aspects of divorce; feelings are not just a salient feature, but for many are the dominant feature of the process. But what, exactly, is the process? It may ...

October 22, 2022

Searching On-Line For Top Divorce Attorneys in Dutchess County- Buyers Beware!

We recently ran a number of on-line searches for divorce attorneys in Dutchess County, New York using a number of different word searches. The results were frightening! These searches lead uninformed people seeking divorce lawyers to some of the worst ...

September 24, 2018

Free Divorce Options Presentations

What happens if I get divorced? How does the divorce process work? Will I have enough money to support myself and my children? Will I get to be with my children? How does custody and visitation work? What will happen to ...

July 15, 2018

DON’T BELIEVE RADIO ADVERTISING: Divorce Mediation Faster, Safe, Costs Less than Litigation

Some lawyers, trying to secure more divorce clients, trash mediation in their radio ads. Contrary to these advertisement’s claims, mediation frequently results in a better understanding of dispute issues and legally binding agreements, at less emotional and financial cost than ...

May 10, 2018

CUSTODY: Trying to work out parenting plan works in your favor

CUSTODY ARRANGEMENTS: BEING ACCOMMODATING WHEN CHOOSING YOUR PARENTING PLAN DOESN’T PREJUDICE YOUR RIGHTS IN LITIGATION A mediation colleague recently blogged about the advantages of mediation over litigated divorce in working out the right parenting plan for your child or children. ...

April 1, 2018

Tax Treatment of Spousal Maintenance – How Will the New Tax Laws Impact on my Divorce?

DEDUCTIBLE FOR THE PAYOR, TAXABLE FOR THE PAYEE — FOR HOW LONG? Alimony, now known in New York as maintenance, has as its premise in the idea that the so-called “monied spouse” in a divorce should make payments to the non-monied ...

January 23, 2018

Tax Treatment of Spousal Maintenance II

Will the new federal tax law alter application of New York’s spousal maintenance formula? Last month when we posted about the tax treatment of alimony (called “maintenance” in New York), the new federal tax bill had not yet passed in ...

July 19, 2017

Proper Courtroom Behavior and Attire

DON’T CANCEL OUT YOUR INVESTMENT IN LEGAL FEES BY DRESSING OR ACTING INAPPROPRIATELY A British website, judiciary.gov.uk, says “When you see a judge or magistrate sitting in court, you are actually looking at the result of 1,000 years of legal evolution.” ...

May 25, 2017

Pendente Lite Motions

“LITE” DOESN’T MEAN LOW-CALORIE Pendente lite. It’s pronounced “pen-den-tay lee-tay” and it’s Latin for “pending the ligation.” The phrase refers to motions made before a court for judicial relief (outcomes) needed by a party during the pendency of a lawsuit, without waiting ...

July 27, 2016

Children’s Needs in Divorce

FEEDBACK FROM CHILDREN OF DIVORCED PARENTS — WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN’T One of our collaborative divorce colleagues interviewed a group of teens and young adults with divorced parents about their thoughts and feelings following the divorce. Their responses may ...