Everything about and for divorce lawyers.
Not sure what brought on this post but I know there is something that triggered the thought in my head recently. I may have read that New York or some other state was planning to make it mandatory for lawyers to do a certain number of hours pro bono, i.e. they work and don’t get …
An article on the Huffington Post gave me pause just now. The author Fred Silberberg stated that in New York you can get divorced and the public has no right to be there in the court room. That the court proceedings are not open to the public. I was not aware of that. I have …
Read moreThe no-fault divorce revisited: Is your divorce anyone else's business?
Avvo.com ran an interesting article the other day about mobile websites. Apparently most Americans now own smartphones and it is from their smartphone that they search the internet, not from their ipad or from a pc. That is passe, actually–searching the Internet from a pc or tablet. Most people (count me out) are very tech …
Read moreDo divorce lawyers really need to have a "mobile" website to stay competitive?
I quickly stopped by our friend across the pond John Bolch’s blog, Family Lore, and saw this post http://www.familylore.co.uk/2011/02/is-there-future-for-family-lawyers.html and I wondered if he may be on to something? I personally see divorce and family lawyers becoming a thing of the past in under twenty years. Technology, no fault divorce laws, animosity towards divorce lawyers, prenups, reduction …
Divorce lawyers are depicted unrealistically in TV and fiction best-sellers I was just reading a website by a colleague in Oklahoma and got the idea for this post about the differences between a TV divorce lawyer and a real life divorce lawyer. To be honest, while my TV viewership has increased ten fold over the …
Hard law requirements and soft law expectations for divorcing couples and their counsels The terms “Hard law” and “soft law” are not as sexy as they sound. They are terms of art in International law as a matter of fact. “Hard law” has to do with what you are required to do – spelled out by …
I confess that I don’t really know anything about Katy Perry. I’ve heard her name and I know she sings but beyond that, nada. Don’t follow the girl, couldn’t identify a song as being hers, and probably never will. But I know she’s huge and I see her in the gossip magazines and I know …
NEW YORK DIVORCE & THE GIFT TAX With some exceptions, any transfer of property is subject to the gift tax, including transfers made pursuant to a settlement agreement in a divorce action. That is the general rule. So generally, your settlement agreement would, or is supposed to be, subject to the gift tax as prescribed by …
The Justice Department appeals repeal of DOMA The Justice Department has filed an appeal in the First Circuit, appealing 2 Massachusetts rulings that basically finds DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) unconstitutional, on several fronts. The district court had found DOMA unconstitutional on several grounds: For one thing, it violates the Equal Protection Clause. But it …
The demise of Elizabeth Edwards in 2011 inspired this post about divorce and inheritance rights. The question presented is what are surviving spouses like John Edwards’ rights, if any, to the estate of their deceased spouse? The rule may vary state to state, but in New York, as a general rule, the surviving spouse has …
Read moreDeath, Divorce & Inheritance Rights: What are you entitled to?