You may have heard the nightmare stories. Sometimes, the indignation is even palpable. The prospect of going through a divorce (http://www.stoialaw.com/divorce) is bad enough. However, the uncertainty of what happens to retirement accounts when you get divorced can make it seem even worse. For some, it may mean dividing up government pensions. Although a number of corporations still reward their employees with pen ..

Your judgment of divorce (http://www.stoialaw.com/divorce) or a court order may already contain language concerning the termination of your child support obligations. But, what happens if it doesn’t? In the past, the non-custodial parent needed to go back to court to seek relief. Learn how changes in the law can impact your child support (http://www.stoialaw.com/child-support) obligations. This isn’t the ..

Maybe it’s just a gut feeling. However, something just doesn’t make sense. You might have concerns about cash stowed away. Or, question whether your spouse has concealed personal and real property. How are hidden assets relevant to your divorce (http://www.stoialaw.com/divorce)? And, how will you find them? First, all marital assets are significant to divorce actions. You may have heard of the term eq ..

Caution. You may be alarmed by this statistic. According to the New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence (http://www.njcedv.org/facts-stats/), almost 65,000 domestic violence incidents were reported to police in one year. Forty-four domestic violence incidents resulted in a fatality. And, yes, we are only speaking about New Jersey. The data regarding violation of restraining orders for that same year is equally di ..

Mommy murdered Daddy. It certainly sounds like an attention-seeking title. However, fatal family domestic violence as a whole represents a startling national statistic. A Bureau of Justice report (https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/fvs03.pdf) indicates that 22% of murders in one year were related to a family member killing someone in the household. Just what happens with custody of the children in such a case? In c ..

Are you under the impression that the law is applied differently when it comes to child custody (http://www.stoialaw.com/child-custody-and-visitation) for infants? If so, you are under a misconception. The court is required to act in your child’s best interests. (http://law.justia.com/codes/new-jersey/2016/title-9/section-9-2-4a/) Your child’s age is just one of the fourteen factors considered when making c ..

You may not want to get divorced the divorce (http://www.stoialaw.com/divorce) in the first place. So, it might make sense to you to ignore documents from Family Court. After all, your spouse can’t possibly end the marriage without your permission, right? If your thought process is along these lines, you really need to learn the truth. The fact is that there are most certainly consequences to ignoring document ..

The New Jersey courts have a more formal term for financial mediation. The process is actually known as the Program for Mediation of Economic Aspects of Family Law Cases (http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/family/rosters/). It isn’t just regulated to the more populous counties of Morris, Essex and Hudson. It is a statewide program. As we continue our series on settling divorce actions, we’ll explain how finan ..

We’ve already told you that it’s the court that really wants you to settle your divorce (http://www.stoialaw.com/stoialawblog/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-push-for-divorce-settlements). The Matrimonial Early Settlement Program (MESP) (http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/essex/family/mesp.html) is one means of working towards that goal. If you are considering a divorce, you need to know how the MESP might app ..

Are you contemplating divorce and have children? Then, our second installment on divorce settlement should be important to you. Custody and parenting time (http://www.stoialaw.com/child-custody-and-visitation) mediation is the first step in the process. Some consider it the most significant one. According to New Jersey court rules (http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/rules/r5-8.html), a judge may order mediation when t ..