Alimony Reform Letters to the Editor

Alimony reform has already been discussed as a hot button issue in New Jersey.  New Jersey courts will order permanent alimony in divorces under certain circumstances such as to a dependent spouse in a long term marriage.  The loudest proponent of alimony reform in New Jersey has been Tom Leustek, a professor at Rutgers and the co-founder…

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Social Security Benefits and Divorce

An individual is entitled to collect Social Security benefits based on his or her own earnings history, or 50% of the spouse or former spouse’s benefit, if it is greater than the individual’s, or 100% if the spouse is deceased. In the event that the individual is divorced, it must have been a marriage of…

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Do I Have to Appear in Court for Divorce Mediation?

The state which has jurisdiction over the parties’ divorce dictates whether they ever have to appear in court before a judge.  If the couple lives in Pennsylvania, the answer is no. So long as both parties are cooperating with the divorce process and procedure, they never have to go to court in order to obtain a consensual divorce. If the…

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