Family Law

Ocean County Specialist

You should avoid a trial if possible. Unlike a personal injury suit where one side can be a winner and the other a loser, family court is very different. No one wins. A judge usually will give some favorable decisions to one party, and some to the other.

It is my sincere goal to get every client the best outcome spending the least amount of money. My entire practice survives solely on referrals. Those referrals continue through true satisfaction of clients. On every case, I will do a full analysis of the cost and benefits of a particular course of action and help clients decide how to proceed most effectively. It never makes sense to me to see attorney charge a client $20,000 for the client to receive $10,000. It is always the clients decision as to when, whether and how to settle their matters. My role is to advise clients of the best case scenario, the worst case scenario, the risks involved, and the expenses involved.

Settlement is an economic decision in large part, so you must negotiate well. In the context of Family Law, the children should always come first. If my clients are able to reach an amicable solution with minimal animosity between the parties, the children will benefit the most and have a better time adapting. Divorcing couples with children must understand that they will have to deal with each other for many years to come even after high school. I try to foster cooperation and reach settlements in most cases through compromise. This is where my civil, business and real estate background are essential. I consider myself a highly experienced and skilled negotiator and put more focus on posturing cases for settlement. This does not mean that I am not a zealous advocate. When the need arises, I am ready to litigate and have no fear of taking cases to trial. In some cases, there is no alternative. However, I do believe that litigation in divorce matters should be the last resort for a variety of reasons including the stress on the parties, the children and the high costs involved.

I represent clients in family cases all over the State of New Jersey; however, my family practice is concentrated in Ocean County. Litigants and attorneys will discover that there are significant deviations in practice from county to county. My regular appearances in Ocean County give me the opportunity to know the judges in the county and through this experience I can guide my clients accordingly. For example, there may be particular judges that are more generous in awarding alimony and that will have an impact on the risk factor analysis of the case.

Types of matters:

  • Divorce
  • Separation
  • Child Support
  • Alimony
  • Custody
  • Removal applications relocating children outside of NJ
  • Parenting Time
  • Domestic Violence
  • Adoptions
  • Divorce mediation
  • Basic Information: (under family law)
  • Division of Property

All property is divided under the legal term of \"Equitable Distribution\". The concept does not necessarily always mean 50/50 rather the concept of \"equitable\" is the primary guide to the court. The general rule in New Jersey is that all property acquired from the day you say, \"I DO\" until the day you say \"I DON\'T\" (legally this is the filing date of the Complaint for Divorce) is all marital property regardless if the property is titled in the name of Husband, Wife or Joint. This includes all assets such as paychecks, pensions and retirement accounts. There are three exceptions to this rule of law: gifts, inheritances and premarital property. Those three categories are considered exempt from Equitable Distribution. Of course, there are exceptions to the exemption such as when a party takes an exempt asset and \"commingles\" the property into a joint asset thus losing the exemption. This is why it is very important to retain experienced and competent counsel in your divorce as the legal issues can become very complex and are highly fact sensitive.

Forms:

  • Complaint
  • Answer
  • Certification of Insurance
  • Case Information Statement
  • CLIFS-confidential litigant information fact sheet
  • Property Settlement Agreement
  • Final Judgment of Divorce
  • Motions, Certifications and Proposed Orders
  • Orders to Show Cause
  • QDROs

Events:

  • Case Management Conference
  • Mediation of custody and parenting time
  • Early Settlement Panel (mandatory mediaton)
  • Settlement conference
  • Trial
  • Discovery:
  • Interrogatories
  • Notice to Produce
  • Expert reports-accountants, psychologists, real estate appraisers, pension appraisers