People are calling the office in the midst of this coronavirus crisis to ask how they can get a separation or divorce with the problems we are facing now. Most courts are functioning on a limited basis, except for “essential” matters or emergencies, like orders Read more
Custody
Should Children Have a Say in Custody and Visitation Schedules?
When parents separate, one of the first tasks is to decide on a custody and coparenting plan, with a weekly or monthly visitation schedule for when the children will spend time with each parent. It has become more common for parents to want an equal, Read more
Parental Alienation or Child Abuse: An Overview
Parental alienation and child abuse are two of the toughest issues faced by courts in resolving custody disputes. Here’s what I found while surveying parents’ opinions and stories on Twitter, news sites and custody threads: There is a large body of parents who view the Read more
How to Make the Holidays Better for Divorced Families
It’s January 2019. The holidays are over. For many separated and divorced parents, the holidays are a mixed event: a time for special celebration with their child or children, and a time of heightened stress. Both parents’ wishes to have a joyful Chanukah/Christmas/Kwanzaa with the Read more
Divorce Mediation is Not for Everyone
Many couples choose divorce mediation because it can be cheaper, quicker and less adversarial than litigation. But it is not for everyone. For divorce mediation to work, couples need to be able to be civil to each other. They also have to be willing to Read more
Advice for Alienated Parents
What happens to the alienated parent? There is a lot of advice about how to help a polarized child reduce or bridge the anger and antagonism toward the alienated parent. What happens to the alienated parent if there is no reconciliation while the child is Read more
Is Mental Illness Affecting Your Divorce?
Millions of Americans suffer from some kind of mental illness. And a significant number of them are involved in troubled marriages that result in divorce. We have represented many clients who either had mental illness or had spouses with mental illness, and it can make Read more
How Substance Abuse Will Affect Visitation with Your Children
When substance abuse leads to divorce Seeing a family torn apart by a parent’s substance abuse is a difficult part of my family law practice. Substance abuse causes many marriages or relationships to end, and the circumstances can be bitter: an arrest or order of Read more
Is Open Access After Divorce Always Best for Children?
Recent studies show that after a divorce, children prefer—and fare better—having open access to both parents. “Open access” means frequent, unrestricted access to the noncustodial parent, if one parent has primary physical custody. This sounds ideal. But is open access realistic for most people? Access Read more
What is Collaborative Divorce?
In the last 15 years, a new method for getting a divorce has been developed, to avoid the bitter and often unnecessary conflict many couples experience. Mary F. Kelly has been at the forefront of this effort in Westchester, as an early member of the New Read more
