BY JOY S. ROSENTHAL, ESQ. Many people across New York state use the Maintenance and Child Support Calculator we offer on our website (the “Calculator”). This article contains some tips and pointers for using it – it is designed for lay people as well as for lawyers. Currentness of this article: This article was published in February 2019. “Currently”, where used in this article, means current as of February 2019. The results produced by the Calculator are based on several values … read more »

As a lawyer, I have worked in New York City Family Courts since 1994. In the last few years, I have become increasingly attracted to mediation as a method of solving disputes within families. I studied community and family-based mediation, and, in 2006, began mediating custody and visitation cases for the New York City Family Court Mediation Program (“the Program”). Through this court-funded program, parents1 who use Family Court to seek custody of or visitation with their children are offered free mediation services as a method of resolving cases instead of going to trial. Mediation helps the courts remove cases from congested calendars. It is also helpful to parents who wish to create their own agreements, a process which often results in their having more investment in the outcome. It creates a model for parents for their own future problem-solving. It creates an opportunity to make agreements that are more specifically tailored to that particular family’s situation. It allows parents a full opportunity to be heard–by each other, as well as by the mediator. It gives [p. 128] parents a chance to step back and consider their priorities, and their roles in their children’s lives. These actions all enhance the quality of the lives of the parties and of the children who are the subjects of these disputes.

What do I need to do to prepare to make a will? A will is a document that determines what happens to your possessions after you die. If you have young children, you can use it to name their guardian if the other parent is not available. You must also appoint someone as the executor of your estate – that is, the person who will make sure that your wishes are followed. In the largest sense, the two things you … read more »

Every child is entitled to be supported by both parents. If the parents do not live together, the parent the child lives with is called the custodial parent, and the other parent is the non-custodial parent. The non-custodial parent must pay child support to the custodial parent. How much? New York State has set forth child-support guidelines. The basic support rule is that the non-custodial parent must pay 17% of her or his income for one child, 25% for two … read more »

Families are systems. Each person plays a certain role, and the family works together as a unit. Marriages are, in many ways, partnerships. By dividing responsibilities, the family unit can get more accomplished than if each member was acting alone. Contents Introduction Uncontested Divorce Divorce Mediation Collaborative Divorce Contested Divorce Temporary Agreements Working with your Lawyer Resources When couples are splitting up, they are really going through a family reorganization. They have many decisions to make, like where will the … read more »