One of my favorite assignments as a board-certified family lawyer was being chosen by a family court judge to represent a child whose parents were divorcing. The reason the courts appoint attorneys for children whose parents cannot agree on post-divorce care and custodial arrangements, is to protect the children from the worst aspects of their parents’ dispute and to give them a voice in the process. It was a gratifying job, but a frustrating one. … [Read more...]
Two Common Misconceptions About Divorce
As a divorce lawyer, I am often surprised by the questions I hear from my clients reflecting common misconceptions about divorce that they’ve picked up from friends, relatives and the media. The most common misconception is that “there is no such thing as a friendly divorce.” In my over 40 years in practice I have been involved in scores of divorces during which the couples have worked out the details of their divorce settlements with a minimum of unpleasantness and bad behavior. … [Read more...]
Think Like a Child When Going Through Divorce
For many of my years as a family lawyer I was asked by judges to represent the interests of children going through divorce. As an “ad litem” or “amicus attorney”, it was my duty to talk to my young charges to find out what they were thinking and what was bothering them. In many cases their parents couldn’t agree on where the children should live after the divorce, which parent should have the power to make decisions regarding the … [Read more...]
Putting The Kids First In Your Divorce
Many times in my career as a family lawyer I was appointed by a judge as an amicus or ad litem attorney with the job of representing the best interests of the children whose parents were going through a divorce. As such, I would meet with my young clients to find out how I could best help them, and what I heard time and time again was the complaint: “Please make my parents stop fighting.” What this told me was that the parents were not able to put their own anger and fears aside and focus on … [Read more...]
Getting A “Get” – The Problem of Jewish Divorce
Religious Jews who wish to divorce can have a problem: a civil divorce alone does not release them to remarry. Pious Jews need a release by a properly constituted religious body before they are free to enter into another martial relationship. It has been the conventional wisdom in the past that this is a matter of no concern to the civil courts; that the doctrine of church-state separation forbids intervention in areas that are essentially of a religious nature. This is not necessarily the … [Read more...]
Catholic Divorce in Texas
What's A Devout Catholic To Do? Much has been written about the many changes in the Catholic Church that have liberalized some aspects of church doctrine. But the church’s attitudes toward divorce have not changed appreciably. And the process for obtaining an annulment can be complicated. Familiarity with what is involved in obtaining a Catholic annulment and sharing that information with a Catholic client can be a great service. For the devout Catholic couple who can no longer live … [Read more...]
Understanding Divorce Options
If you’ve come to the decision to divorce, you come to another important decision – how will you accomplish your goal? There are several roads leading to the termination of your marriage, and the one you choose can have a significant impact on your future and that of your family. Following are options to consider: Collaborative Law In the Collaborative Law model, husband and wife and their lawyers agree in advance that no one will take any contested issue to court. The “Collaborative Team,” … [Read more...]
