Before civil unions, same sex couples could enter into a formal arrangement through New Jersey’s Domestic Partnership (DPA) Act/law. The DPA gave certain rights and obligations to the couple entering the domestic partnership. In 2007, NJ enacted a Civil Union...
In September 2016, an NJ trial court opined (in an unpublished opinion) on proper parental conduct at the sporting events of their children. In the case of D.W. v. M.W. (FV-15-1025-16, Ocean County — a domestic violence case), the estranged wife asked for an...
Update: the Supreme Court ruled and I address it here. Michael Thieme and Bernice Aucoin-Thieme were living together for eight years before they married. Their marriage lasted 14-months. For the divorce, the parties agreed on a full settlement, including a clause...
Earlier this year, I posted about a “wrongful death” case regarding a beloved family dog. Today, the Georgia Supreme Court issued a decision in this case. The court upheld Georgia precedent and what a majority of the state courts have held: animals are...
How does the law look at pets? Traditionally, many cases have stated that pets are property, just like the couch the pets sleeps on. This offends the many people who think of their pets as children, as a part of the family. The bond between pet and owner(s) can be...
Yesterday, the New Jersey Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in the case of Anthony C. Major v. Julie Maguire. The case dealt with grandparents of a child (the parents of the father) who were petitioning the court for visitation rights to see their grandchild....
A mediated divorce often costs less than 1/3rd of a litigated divorce
Mediation can finalize a divorce in much less time than litigation -- months versus years
You lose none of your rights by mediating
Mediation is confidential
Make decisions about your future for yourself
Parties are more satisfied with terms they agree to in mediation than terms imposed by a court
Agreements obtained through mediation are far less likely to end up back in court
Mediation is a forward-looking process (where do you go from here)
Mediation can be used to resolve many types of disputes, including the dissolutions of gay and lesbian (same-sex) relationships, civil unions, domestic partnerships and commercial and community disputes
Mediation allows you to get on with your life more quickly
