New York Family Law Blog

The Recession of 2007-2009 presented many people worldwide with problems that most had never seen before in their lifetimes. Although the global economy continues to struggle, most would agree that the recession is easing and many are beginning to put their lives back in order. A Brooklyn Divorce Lawyer has learned that although many couples are getting their finances back on track, there are others who have decided to call it quits as a couple.

Those who have studied certain points in history, such as the Great Depression, and various recessions and depressions that have occurred since, have indicated that most couples have a tendency to stick together during times of economic hardship. However, once better times begin to emerge, there is usually an increase in the number of divorces that are filed. While there is some discussion as to the exact cause for this, many do agree that when the prospects appear better to exit a bad marriage, that many people will take that path. This often occurs more whenever financial prospects appear better than when it does not.

While the economic recession may be concluding for many, there are perhaps just as many who continue to have financial difficulties. The number of personal bankruptcies being filed remain at similar levels, and that the financial stress continues to cause many couples to have problems. Financial stress is one of the biggest reasons that couples file for divorce. Many couples continue to struggle with mortgage payments that both parties submitted to without issues during better economic times, but when the economy soured so did their credit scores and bank accounts.Not to mentioin, if children are involved, the high legal costs asscoiated with a child custody battle, equitable distribution or child support payments.

Post-recession divorces affect everyone, including the affluent. There may be at least one big difference between divorces involving the affluent and divorces involving others. Most of the affluent couples who are seeking divorce are primarily concerned with their own financial portfolio than how the economy has affected it. In other words, they may be more inclined to divorce if their financial status will improve afterwards.

Regardless of what the reasons are that bring couples to a Brooklyn Divorce Lawyer, seeking financial help before it is too late is imperative to protect everyone concerned.

Continue reading " Divorce Numbers Rise as Economic Recession Passes " »

A group of students in Orange County, Florida have taken the law into their own hands, and they just might win. The students are Law Students at FAMU, studying with a prominent New York City Family Lawyer, and they have developed the bill as a forward-thinking response to child support issues in the state of Florida.

Statistically, almost 20,000 children make their way into the foster system in the state of Florida each year, most being removed from parents by the state Department of Human Resources. This volume of people creates a tangible burden on the state of Florida, one which the New York Family Lawyer and his students think that absentee parents should help to shoulder.

Essentially, the bill drafted by the students re-configures the way that forced removals are considered under the law, and applies the same rules as those that apply during custody and support hearings for custodial parents. Parents of children who have been removed from their homes would be required to pay a sort of “child support”, said the Long Island Child Support Lawyer.Opponents of the bill claim that the new system would be unethical, similar to charging “rent” to incarcerated prisoners. They also claim that placing additional financial hardship on families who could not properly care for their children in the first place can only make matters worse. The bill’s authors have claimed that the bill will contain language which allows for indigent parents, and those truly unable to pay, to apply to have the fee waived.

Continue reading " Law Students try to make a difference in Child Support and Custody cases " »

There has been an increase in the number of divorce cases in recent months. One possible reason for this happening is because of the recession becoming much less serious. It’s thought that several people who were in troubled marriages simply waited until the financial crises have eased slightly. People start to feel more comfortable in their abilities and future and so will start divorcing.

A previous employee of Disney World decided that it was the right time for her to divorce, and leave her partner. She explained to a Suffolk County Divorce Lawyer that she had been in a troubled marriage for several years before deciding to leave.

It has been explained that during the real estate boom a couple of years ago, her husband took some of the equity from their home to buy apartment units. The apartment units were bought through the spouses name to benefit from a better credit rating, it was explained. However, due to the financial crisis many of these apartments remained empty. This meant that unpaid rent notices and loan payments were quickly becoming out of control. The couple had no choice other than declare bankruptcy.

Many people in troubled marriages must have been waiting for the financial crisis to ease. When people start to feel more comfortable then they will then decide whether or not they want to divorce.

The facts have actually proved that this theory is correct. The figures obtained say that the number of family law or divorce cases in Orlando have increased by 12% in 2010. And in 2008, the number of divorces in the state had fallen by 5%. This does suggest that people are more concerned with surviving in lean times than they are divorcing and getting out of troubled relationships. Many people think that this is actually a little strange. One of the leading causes of divorce is actually because of financial stress. During the recession it would be much more likely that this stress would break up marriages, however this is not the case.

Continue reading " More Couples Divorcing as Recession Eases " »

Dwight Gooden, 46 and a former Mets and Yankee star, was recently sentenced to five years of probation for driving under the influence while taking his young son to school. He had cocaine and sleeping pills in his system.
Gooden faced three years in prison due to an earlier plea agreement, but a Superior Court judge said the defendant deserved another chance to eradicate his addiction. New York Family Attorneys report that the judge referred to Gooden as a decent guy with a good shot at “finishing the game.” He said that the National Cy Young Award winner of 1985 should think of himself as a fourth-inning pitcher being hammered by the batters of the opposing team. His coaches are considering taking him out of the game. In this analogy, the judge was saying that being removed from the game would result in ruining his legacy, embarrassing and possibly alienating his children, missing a significant portion of their childhood, or even death. And it’s up to Gooden to decide if he wants to play with the attitude of staying in the game.
The prosecutor tried to sway the judge’s decision by citing Gooden’s history. The former MLB player has a slew of failed treatments under his belt. The prosecuting attorney insisted that the former baseball star should have to serve time in prison because he didn’t deserve or qualify for special probation.
The defense argued that Gooden was readier than he even had been to tackle his addiction – for his own sake and for his seven children’s sakes. According to a Family Lawyer in New York, the most convincing argument for a better outcome from this treatment cycle is the knowledge that should Gooden violate his parole, he will be put in prison for 10 years. He’d miss graduations, marriages, grandchildren being born, science fairs, little league championships and much more.
Gooden admitted in interviews in Manhattan and Westchester County after the hearing that his life is on the line. “I just have to take it a day at a time, and sometimes an hour at a time. I can’t look at it like I have to do this for 10 years. I just have to look at it like I have to get through today and then deal with tomorrow when it comes,” he said.

Continue reading " Baseball Star DUI while Young Son in the Vehicle " »

At least he didn't kill her. Star of the hit TV Show DEXTER, Michael C. Hall has filed for divorce from his soon to be former wife, Jennifer Carpenter, said a New York Family Law Lawyer. The two had been married for roughly two years. The split was said to be amicable, with both sides releasing their own press releases. It has been consistent that each press release noted that the two still cared for one another, that they would always be friends, but that they had simply grown apart over the years.

One potential source of strain may have been Hall himself, reports a person close to the situation. The famed actor, who portrays a vicious serial killer on TV, has battled cancer for the past few years. He is reportedly finally clear and free of the disease, having completed treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma earlier in two thousand and ten. A NY City Family Law Lawyer noted that often times it is difficult for a marriage to survive such an ordeal. While the couple typically stays together throughout the difficult period of time, the strain is so much that it damages the love in the long run. There is no report this was the case with Hall and Carpenter, however.

The TV Show DEXTER stars Hall as a serial killer who kills other serial killers. He satisfies his violent urges by only killing the guilty. It is a hit for SHOWTIME and seen all over in places like Brooklyn and Suffolk County.

Continue reading " Actor Michael C. Hall to Divorce Wife " »

A New York Family Lawyer reports on a brutal attack that took place in judge’s chambers. An ex-Marine and his wife, also a former Marine, were meeting in judge’s chambers for their final divorce hearing when the husband viciously and ‘without provocation’ attacked his wife. The attack resulted in extensive facial and head trauma.
Authorities rushed the 23-year old woman to the hospital where she, bruised and swollen, was listed as ‘in stable condition,’ but because of the worry of a head injury, she had to be kept overnight in the intensive care unit for observation. She sustained a facial fracture, torn lip, and broken nose.
Her husband, the attacker, had to be subdued with a stun gun and is being held in the local jail on the charges of felony battery, domestic violence and resisting arrest without violence, according to police reports.
A New York Family Law Office pieced together what happened according to the eye witness accounts and police reports. The husband, who was without a lawyer, balked at having to pay child support, and he was incensed that a judge would tell him when he could and couldn’t visit his children. He was so flustered that he stormed out of the chamber. When he returned, he shouted something about refusing to comply with the orders and left again. The third time the man returned to the office, he raced directly toward his wife, grabbed her by the neck, and began beating her with closed fists on the side of her face. The first blow reportedly knocked her out.
As the woman’s attorney wrapped his arms around the crazed man until deputies arrived, the beaten woman collapsed in the courtroom clerk’s arms and a pool of her blood began forming near the judge’s chair. When deputies tried to arrest the man, he resisted until they eventually had to shock him twice with a stun gun to pin him to the judge’s conference table.
The woman’s attorney described the attack as “unexpected” and “surreal.” He goes on to report that “he was punching with a true vengeance.”
Another witness said, “I’m in shock and disbelief. I didn’t think anybody could take it to that extreme, much less in a judge’s chambers at that. Words, to be honest with you, could not describe what went on.”

Continue reading " Divorce Hearing in Judge’s Chambers Ends in Brutal Attack " »