Practice Areas

Mediation

You are the expert on your case. Not the judge. Not your attorney. You. So shouldn’t you be the driving force behind your settlement? Court cases are costly - both emotionally and financially - and can take years to resolve in a court system that may not have the capacity to craft a resolution to fit your needs.

Mediation puts you in the driver’s seat by allowing you to focus on a solution to the unique factors of your case in a non-adversarial manner. Whether it’s the division of marital assets/child custody, a business dispute, or how to best care for an elder or disabled child, I can assist in finding a resolution that works for you.

Child Support

For litigants who are W-2 wage-earners, child support calculations can be relatively straightforward. But when one of the litigants is self-employed, owns a business, owns income-producing property, or has actively sought to hide assets or otherwise mislead the court as to his or her income, it’s prudent to have an attorney assist you.

Child support calculations become complex when the court is being asked to impute income, or attribute a cash value to certain things, such as someone’s licensure or degree. What might seem like a nominal difference at the outcome could actually result in a significantly lower (or higher) child support award. The child support process, including the automatic right to review, differs from other court cases in our system, and it’s imperative that your attorney know how to competently navigate these procedures to obtain the best possible outcome.

Cohabitation Agreements

Not everyone is looking to get married - but residing with one another without a legal agreement is risky, and leaves unmarried couples with few legal protections. A cohabitation agreement is highly customizable, and can outline financial obligations, property distribution, and the division of assets and debts. These legal agreements function similar to pre-nuptial agreements, providing for the distribution of assets and debts if one of the parties moves out or dies.

Divorce Coaching

Parent coordination requires the meaningful participation of both parties. Divorce coaching does not.

You are only one-half of the divorce. You cannot force your co-parent to effectively communicate, see how certain actions may or may not be in the best interest of the child(ren), or agree to certain rules and structure in both homes. What you can do is learn how to operate around a difficult, obstructive, or hostile co-parent through divorce coaching. In addition to teaching you the skills and techniques necessary to parallel parent, through divorce coaching, I will work with you on navigating the legal minutiae of your case, processing the emotions of a new chapter, and how to respond to and meet the emotional and mental health needs of children who are themselves navigating the flux of living in two different worlds.

Appeals

The trial court doesn’t always get it right. Judges are human and bring their own biases to the bench. Sometimes they mis-interpret the law or apply it incorrectly. Other times they make rulings on testimony or evidence that can negatively alter the ultimate outcome. Appeals are narrowly tailored to the particular facts of the case. They require an attention to detail and a thorough understanding of the trial record.

The Second Department, Appellate Division is the busiest appellate court in the U.S. - handling thousands of appeals every year. A successful appeal requires an intricate understanding of the trial record as well as the procedures and timelines of the Court. A brief must be concise and direct, and oral argument requires the attorney be prepared for any number of questions from a panel of jurists.

Uncontested Divorce

For those who are truly seeking an uncontested divorce - meaning you have no assets, no children, and no debts to divide or you have already agreed how you intend to divide those, I can offer you a cost-effective and efficient divorce for a low fee.

Many people feel they can save themselves money and try to navigate the divorce process themselves. This is not a good idea, because each court (and sometimes each judge) has their own rules and procedures, and divorce agreements need to be written in such as way that ensures compliance with State law, which is always changing. More often than not, navigating this process on your own will cost you more money and time if the court rejects it and you have to hire an attorney to redo it. Get it done right the first time, for a low cost, so you can move on with your life.

Prenuptial Agreements

No one gets married to get divorced. But in a country where 40% of marriages end, its imperative that you protect the assets you own pre-marriage, and consider what the division of the marital estate would look like if the marriage were to fail. Did you know that many couples report that, had they been able to have the hard conversations forced upon them during the divorce process earlier, they believe their marriage might not have failed? A prenuptial agreement starts those hard conversations early.

Prenuptial agreements are especially important in blended families. A well-written agreement can protect the financial interests of children from a prior marriage. A prenuptial agreement can save you tens of thousands of dollars in attorneys fees, years in litigation, and the emotional stress of court while you are already navigating the emotional turmoil of a failed marriage. It is a foundational map for efficiently distributing the marital estate and establishing clear terms for maintenance. It is one of the most proactive ways to protect yourself into the future - even if you never have to use it.