In our last post, we discussed the fallout that happens when a husband is accused of sexual harassment in the workplace. I had another interesting situation where my unmarried client was having an affair — for 15 years — with a married man from work without knowing he was married because he hid it well […]
Whenever we hear about a case of sexual harassment in the news, there is often a divorce happening in the background. The divorce part is just not the centerpiece of the story. I’ve had several situations where the wife’s husband was accused of sexual harassment at the office, and it became a major consideration in […]
Having children out of wedlock used to be frowned upon for “moral” reasons, but nowadays it’s more about navigating the legal issues it often presents. Still, when a not-yet-divorced client tells me a baby is on the way with their new significant other, my response is “Congratulations!” Any life born is a blessing. I’ve had […]
Most people who find out their spouse is gay think they’re facing a unique situation — but, realistically speaking, there are a lot of LGBT+ people who have gone the traditional way of marriage and starting families. Many of them are near retirement age and got married when the world was a less tolerant place. While […]
A good lawyer knows the law, and a great lawyer knows their judge. In matrimonial and family law, there are no jury trials. The judge is the audience; the one and only who needs to be persuaded. Like the rest of us, that judge is human and may get up on the wrong side of […]
Recently the country has witnessed the difference between demanding justice and demanding revenge. The lens of 2020 made it clear that they are two distinct things that may overlap in places, but differ in fundamental ways. The toll wrought by the desire for revenge was far more destructive than anyone seeking justice through peaceful protests. […]
As the pandemic stretches on, I’ve been doing a lot of early terminations of residential leases as part of divorces. It seems that some people who were “hanging in there” with their spouse are starting to reach the end of their rope. Perhaps these marriages would have lasted longer, but the pandemic moved up the […]
Many of the people who have filed for divorce during the lockdown or are going to get divorced or separated once life returns to the “old normal” are not doing so exclusively because of issues that arose during the pandemic. Most are people whose marriages were already on the rocks — but were staying together […]
A lot of times people come to me for a second opinion or to have me take over their case. The complaint many people have about their attorney is not about billable hours. Rather, the chief complaint I hear is, “My attorney is asleep at the wheel and neglecting my case.” Is he/she, though? The […]
“We’re all riding the same ocean, but different people are in different boats.” I had heard that quote a long time ago, but it came back to mind as I was setting up my camera for a remote session. With videoconferencing, we’re inviting people into our boats — our homes — and that is a […]
When I heard the term “Flattening the Curve” associated with COVID 19, it was eerily familiar, with great resonance. Divorce is about flattening a different kind of curve. Instead of spreading out medical care, divorce professionals spread out the financial and emotional impact of divorce on a family. COVID is here; it is looking society […]
Educate yourself about alimony payments and know your options. Alimony, maintenance, and spousal support refer to the same thing. Attorneys tend to use the term maintenance, since its purpose is to maintain the receiving spouse’s standard of living for a certain duration of time after the marriage. The lay public tends to use the term […]
Basic Second Law of Thermodynamics is that things gradually fall apart — into a state of disorder and disrepair. As powerful as gravity, the overwhelming force of the world’s natural tendencies is hard to beat. It is no surprise that, as humans, we too peak in our state of optimal growth and then our systems, […]
Is there a price tag to being a Good Samaritan in Divorce? “A Good Samaritan — a charitable or helpful person.” There are infinite ways of exercising kindness to one’s spouse during a divorce, but we will focus on the timing of divorce here. Sometimes, in a divorce, one party needs more time while the […]
As parents go through the pain of divorce, it can become a petty competition between spouses, and the children become the rope in an ugly, unfair tug-o-war. People going through divorce may get reduced to their own worst, most childlike state. They may project a lot of what’s happening to them onto the children. They […]
When parties first engage in the divorce process, they often do not know the law, how their situation looks from the outside, and how things unfold in court. Part of the attorney’s role may be to give the client a gentle wake-up call. Sometimes when you’re strategizing with them, they’re not sure what tools you […]
While courtship is premised on a showering of gifts and benevolence to one’s partner, being a tightwad and hoarding for one’s self often signals the beginning of the end. No surprise. Money can often end up becoming the main source of tension within a marriage, ultimately leading to a divorce. I recently had a case […]
When clients come to me wanting a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement, they are typically the party initiating and driving the process because they have assets to protect and want to minimize or completely contain their exposure. These same clients also tend to be litigation averse and view the entire litigation arena as a threatening, menacing […]
