Posts tagged "divorce"

January marks the start of a brand new year and, for many previously married couples, a new start. Known amongst family law professionals as "divorce month", the number of couples deciding to divorce tends to spike during January. Whether the decision to divorce has been a long time coming or the result of a recently discovered secret, there are some key matters that must be considered.

By definition, paternity refers to the legal acknowledgment of the parental relationship between a father and his child. Traditionally, the parental relationship between a child and mother has seldom been questioned since the mother carries and gives birth to the baby. But that may be changing thanks to recent advancements in artificial reproductive technologies.

Technically, a baby born today could have three mothers -- the genetic mother, the birth mother and the adoptive mother. These advancements could have a significant effect on family law in New Jersey and the rest of the country as courts struggle to apply laws regarding surrogacy, adoption, divorce and even inheritance.

There is a lot written about divorce and the impact of divorce on children. Rarely, however, is the impact of divorce on the parents of grown children discussed. As a parent, regardless of their age, it is always painful to see your child hurting and struggling. As such, many grown men and women who are going through divorces often find themselves relying one again on mom and dad for emotional and financial support.

Most individuals who have gone through a divorce readily admit it to be one of the most difficult and painful experiences of their lives. Not only must an individual going through a divorce cope with the reality that their marriage has ended, they must also tend to matters such as child custody, financial hardships and division of assets and property. As with any stressful period, it's important for individuals going through a divorce to find healthy ways to cope and deal with their feelings and emotions.

Couples seeking divorce in New Jersey have a number of options to consider when determining how to reach an agreement. Some couples may choose to go the "traditional," litigated route, which can result in lengthy court disputes. On the other hand, some may opt for New Jersey's Early Settlement Panel, which is a way to take care of divorce in an amicable environment outside of court.

Danica Patrick, the groundbreaking NASCAR driver, may have shared the same sentiment as those who choose an Early Settlement Panel divorce when she said that she will be getting divorced. In her announcement, Patrick indicated that she and her husband of seven years intend to remain friends and reach a divorce agreement in a civil fashion.

Clear and non-combative communication between divorced parents is always important. With the approaching holiday season, however, it becomes even more important that divorced parents are able to put aside their differences and open the lines of communication.

In the past decade, hundreds of thousands of U.S. military personnel have served in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. As these troops come home, they face many challenges. As expected, it's often those men and women who are married that have the most difficult time coming back to their wives and husbands. As a result, sadly, many military marriages end in divorce.

In the past, couples who married did so for life. Marital discord and problems related to infidelity, domestic violence and general unhappiness by both parties were largely ignored and couples stayed together through the good and bad. Today, many couples chose to divorce for a variety of reasons and the American divorce rate hovers around 50 percent.

As we have reported in the past, divorce among the baby boomer generation is on the rise in New Jersey and elsewhere. What this means is that a larger number of older people than ever before are going to be alone during their golden years, and they could be depending more on their children.

In fact, according to a study published recently in the journal The Gerontologist, one out of three members of the baby boomer generation is currently unmarried, and 60 percent of these individuals are divorced. Unfortunately, the study concluded that unmarried baby boomers face a greater chance of being poor and not having health insurance than their married counterparts.