MEETING OPTIONS DURING THE CORONAVIRUS: The Law Offices of Peter Van Aulen understands your concerns regarding the spread of the Coronavirus, and now offers different meeting options to our clients and those seeking legal representation. All meetings, including initial consultations, can be handled either through the phone, FaceTime, Zoom, or in person.
Health insurance costs are a significant financial obligation for most Americans, but couples going through a divorce tend to feel the financial strain more acutely. Employer-provided health insurance plans only cover family members, such as the employee’s spouse or children. That means that once a couple is divorced, the ex-spouse…
New Jersey law requires that parents of children who are divorced or separated from the other parent receive permission before removing a child from the state. The reason for the law is that one parent removing a child from the state often makes it difficult for the other parent to…
There are different “filing status” options for a person filing a tax return. The options include: single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household, or qualifying widow. In order to file a tax return as a married person, you must have been married on the last day of…
What Government Agency enforces a NJ child support order? The New Jersey Probation Division is tasked with enforcing New Jersey child support orders. What happens if NJ child support is paid through the New Jersey Probation Department and the obligor fails to pay? If the obligor fails to make scheduled…
How is cohabitation defined under the amended alimony statute in NJ? The amended alimony statute which was signed into law on September 10, 2015 defines cohabitation as a “mutually supportive intimate personal relationship” whereas the parties have taken on “duties and privileges that are commonly associated with marriage.” Does a…
What are the different types of alimony in NJ? There is Open Durational Alimony (replaced permanent alimony in the amended statute and applies to marriages twenty years or more), Rehabilitative Alimony (granted to a litigant for a short term to assist them to become financially self-sufficient through education and training),…
Definition of Emancipation of a Child Emancipation is the legal act of a minor becoming free from the custody and control of a parent or guardian. Likewise, the parent or guardian is free from responsibility toward the child. Emancipation does not automatically occur when a child has reached 18 years…
NJ Child support obligations are extremely serious, not just because it goes to give the child food, clothing and shelter, but because the consequences for failing to pay support can have serious impact on the payor’s life. MECHANISMS TO ENFORCE PAYMENT AND PENALTIES FOR NON-PAYMENT The court can give you…
New Jersey Child Support Guidelines are extremely complicated, put together in about a hundred pages of principles, standards and considerations. The schedule of child support obligations, which is one of many appendices to the statute, is merely a starting point in determining parents’ child support obligation. The premise underlying the…
College expenses cause financial difficulty for most families, but they can be especially burdensome for families with divorced parents, where the parent’s income supports two households. Even still, New Jersey Courts regularly require divorced or separated parents to contribute to the cost of a child’s college expenses. The Newburgh Factors:…