How Divorce Saved a Marriage

Oddly, sometimes it takes a divorce action to actually save a marriage and make it better. In one situation, a client came in very distraught.  Jane was in a long-term marriage and had 2 lovely children.  For years, her husband Bill, was a wonderful soul mate and...

Is It “Culture Versus Law”?

Learning about Cultural Sensitivity in Family Disputes  “The wise man belongs to all countries, for the home of a great soul is the whole world.” – Democritus Whether it is mediation, litigation or otherwise, sensitivity to cultural differences is very...

The No-Divorce Clause

  “Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go.” – Heman Hesse In many hotly contested matrimonial actions, one of the parties delays agreeing to a divorce for fear that the other side will refuse to abide by his/her...

Mandatory Health Insurance and the Ninth Amendment

  “A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the...

Permanent Maintenance Via Formula?

“To Break the Entail We’d Need a Private Bill in Parliament?” – from Downton Abbey, PBS In October 2010, the New York State legislature has created a new temporary maintenance formula designed to level the financial playing field by providing temporary support...

Are Budget Cuts Creating Hardship for Our Children?

“The little plaintiff or defendant who was promised a new rocking-horse when Jarndyce and Jarndyce should be settled has grown up, possessed himself of a real horse, and trotted away into the other world.” – Charles Dickens It is no surprise that there have been...