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.

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New Jersey Statute – Grandparent Visitation

According to the Grandparent Visitation statute, N.J.S.A. 9:2-7.1, a grandparent who is deprived of visitation can seek an order of visitation from the court. In order to do so, the statute states that the grandparent must demonstrate that visitation is in the best interest of the grandchild. As a general rule, however, parents have the right to raise their children the way they wish to, without interference. We call this parental autonomy.

Validity of the Grandparent Visitation Statute – Moriarty v. Brandt

To better understand the current status of grandparent visitation in the state, we need to discuss a case called Moriarty v. Maguire. In Moriarty, the court dealt with the apparent clash between the Grandparent Visitation Statute and parental autonomy. The court in Moriarty ruled that in order for a grandparent to gain visitation against a parent’s wishes, the grandparent must show by a preponderance of the evidence that without the visitation the child will face harm.

Grandparent Visitation Litigation – Major v. Maguire

In Major v. Maguire, grandparents Anthony and Suzanne Major sought visitation under the Grandparent Visitation Statute. The Major’s son, Chris Major, was separated from their granddaughter’s mother, Julie Maguire, when he passed away in 2013. During the separation, the Major’s said they had a close relationship with their granddaughter, including weekly or bi-weekly visits, attending dance recitals, and family trips. Suzanne stated that she frequently took care of her granddaughter while Chris was dying, even living with them in the final weeks. Since Chris’s death, the grandparents stated that they have only seen their granddaughter twice for short visits. Continue Reading →

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Divorce is never an easy subject. In the best of circumstances, a lot of decisions must be made for a successful dissolution. In the worst cases, it may become an ongoing battle with neither party willing to give in. In every situation, an experienced Bergen County divorce attorney can make the difference.

Why Choose Peter Van Aulen

Peter Van Aulen has been a Bergen County divorce attorney for more than 23 years, serving Bergen County and surrounding areas. During his years dedicated to family law, he has been part of many situations revolving around divorce and child custody issues.

His Record

Mr. Van Aulen has handled child custody cases as part of divorce for both men and women. He has obtained restraining orders for victims of domestic abuse. In addition, he has represented those falsely accused of the crime. Continue Reading →

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The dissolution of a marriage is stressful enough, that is why it is important to choose one of the best divorce lawyers in NJ to handle your divorce case. Your divorce lawyer should be qualified, experienced, and reasonable.

NJ Divorce Lawyer Qualifications

At the most basic level, the person you choose to represent you in a divorce case needs to be qualified as a lawyer. All lawyers must be licensed to practice law in the state of New Jersey. In order to be licensed, a lawyer must graduate from a law school that is accredited by the American Bar Association, pass a professional responsibility exam, pass the New Jersey Bar Exam, and receive a Certification of Character.

New Jersey Divorce Lawyer Experience

There are tens of thousands of lawyers in New Jersey, how do you know which one to choose? While some lawyers have a general law practice, meaning that they handle multiple types of legal cases, many lawyers tend to specialize in a particular area of the law and devote their law practice to that type of case. Divorces cases, sometimes called matrimonial cases, fall under the umbrella term of family law. Choosing an experienced matrimonial attorney to handle your divorce case makes good sense, and asking the attorney you are considering about their experience handling divorce cases is a must. Continue Reading →

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Mothers and fathers are responsible for ensuring that their children are provided with food, clothing and shelter, regardless of the relationship of the parents. For this reason, the State of New Jersey takes the payment of child support very seriously and provides services and NJ child support case information to ensure that child support orders are paid.

In New Jersey, child support payments may be handled either by the probation department or may be paid directly to the other parent. Handling child support payments through the probation department using the NJKiDS system provided by the state is often a good idea for both parents. The parent paying support benefits because a record of payments is automatically generated, providing proof of your payment. Paying the other parent directly creates a potential risk of not getting credit for payments made. For the parent receiving support, the record of payments made is also beneficial because missed payments will be clearly shown, and the probation department will automatically be notified to begin enforcement of the child support order.

New Jersey Kids Deserve Support (NJKiDS)

The New Jersey Kids Deserve Support (NJKiDS) is a state-run computer system that contains NJ child support case information that parents can access by phone or online. It contains a record of the information about your child support case, including a record of past 13 months of child support payments and any major case events that have taken place. Using this system is beneficial to the parent receiving child support payments because if a payment is missed, it will automatically take action to enforce your child support order. Continue Reading →

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What is Physical Child Custody in NJ?

Physical child custody is also known as residential custody. A child lives with the parent who has physical custody. The parent who the child lives with is called the Parent of Primary Residence (PPR).

What is Sole Physical Child Custody in New Jersey?

A parent may have sole physical custody of the child, meaning that the child lives only with one parent. In this arrangement, the child often has visitation time with the other parent, but does not stay overnight.

Can We Have Joint Physical Child Custody in NJ?

Yes, in New Jersey parents can share physical custody. The child will split time equally between both parents’ homes. A common example of this custody arrangement has a child living with a parent for a week, and then living with the other parent the next week. Continue Reading →

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A divorce settlement agreement, also referred to as a ‘marital settlement agreement’ or ‘property settlement agreement’, is a legal document specifying the terms of a divorce. The agreement reduces to writing all of the issues the divorcing couple has agreed to. By entering into a settlement agreement in a New Jersey divorce case, the parties avoid a lengthy and costly trial.

What Issues Does A New Jersey Divorce Settlement Agreement Cover?

Most of the issues relating to a divorce can be settled in a Divorce Settlement Agreement.

  • Child Custody
  • Child Support
  • Parenting Time and Visitation
  • Alimony
  • Division of Assets

Includes:

  • Division of debt and credit, household items, property, and valuables

I Don’t Want To Compromise! Why Not Go To Trial?

Compromising with a former spouse is difficult, as any divorced person knows. But compromising often leaves both parties in a better position than fighting out all of their issues in court. Many issues relating to money, property, and children can be resolved through the settlement process. Going to court is a lengthy and costly process that many divorcing couples wish to avoid. Often the reason a party wishes to go to trial is money related, but the cost of going to trial is usually much more expensive than settling. Not satisfied that a settlement is in your best interest? Make sure you speak with a matrimonial attorney to determine whether trial is the right move in your particular case. Continue Reading →

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The New Jersey Child Support Guidelines allow the courts to determine the level of financial support that a child with divorced parents is entitled to. The concept of child support exists because it is the philosophy of the state that a child should still benefit from constant financial support of both parents even if the child’s parents are not together. The guidelines attempt to ensure that a child with divorced parents is entitled to the same financial opportunities as a child of an intact family.

The guidelines are used by the courts to both create the initial child support order and modify orders if necessary. The court will apply the guidelines to each family situation and will presume that it is a proper arrangement unless one of the parents proves otherwise.

What Expenses Are Covered By Child Support?

It comes as no surprise to parents that children can cost a lot of money, but the question for the courts is how do we determine the actual amount? The following categories represent the things that a parent who receives child support will use that money to pay for. Continue Reading →

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In March of 2016 the New Jersey case of Harrington v. Harrington was decided. The case deals with the retroactive modification of child support when a child is emancipated. In Harrington, the plaintiff and defendant had three unemancipated daughters, a twenty-year-old college student, a seventeen-year-old high school student planning to attend college, and a fifteen-year-old high school student, when they divorced in 2012.

The plaintiff agreed to pay $240 per week in unallocated child support. Unallocated child support is support that is not allocated as specific amounts of money per child, but rather one amount for all the children. In this case, that means that the $240 per week payment is not divided into ⅓ (or $80) per child.

In September 2014 the parties mutually agreed to emancipate the two eldest daughters, which typically means that the payment of child support would be recalculated. However, neither party sought to change the child support order, and the plaintiff continued to pay $240 per week in child support. Continue Reading →

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In 2014 the New Jersey legislature amended the statutes that relate to alimony. Prior to the amendments, a person paying alimony had to actually retire before he or she could ask the court to modify the alimony. That made it difficult for the person paying alimony to plan for his or her post-retirement finances. Under the amended law, the payor can seek an order modifying or terminating the alimony order based on a plan to retire before actually retiring–allowing the prospective retiree to better plan for the future.

The New Jersey Superior Court addressed the issue of when a motion to modify alimony is timely based on prospective retirement in the April 2016 case of Mueller v. Mueller. In Mueller, the parties were married for 20 years before they divorced in 2006. Thereafter, Gordon Mueller paid Rosemary Mueller $300 per week in alimony, the amount agreed upon in the parties matrimonial settlement agreement. Gordon sought a court order that says that his alimony obligation will terminate upon his retirement under the new law. Gordon was 57 at the time he sought the court order, and planned to retire in 5 years when he was 62 years old.

As a threshold matter, the court discussed that the agreement was entered into well before the amendment. The court found that this case fell under N.J.S.A. 2A:34-23(j)(3), which covers alimony agreements that were entered into before the effective date of the amended statute, which is September 10, 2014. The age at which Gordon planned to retire was 62, which is not  the “full retirement age” defined by the Social Security Act, so the case would be covered by the section of the statute that deals with early retirement. Once determining that the statute applied to this case, the court could consider the factors listed in the statute in order to determine if it would be equitable for the alimony to be modified or terminated. Continue Reading →

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New Jersey Laws Against Discrimination (LAD) do not limit protection of employees to the mere marital status of being single or married, but also protect employees from discrimination based upon other marital statuses. The June, 2016 Supreme Court of New Jersey decision in Smith v. Millville Rescue Squad took the opportunity presented in the case to identify and implement the legislative intent of the LAD by defining the scope and boundaries of the Act insofar as the term “marital status,” not previously defined in the Act or in case law.

The Court held that “marital status” was inclusive of “employees who have declared that they will marry, have separated from their spouse, have initiated divorce proceedings or have obtained a divorce. Thus, any employee in any of these enumerated statuses, as well as single and married, are afforded protection against discrimination in employment..

The facts reported in the case are as follows: Robert Smith was a certified EMT and paramedic in the employ of Millville Rescue Squad (MRS) for 17 years. He was terminated in February, 2006 from the position of Director of Operations. His superior, CEO of MRS, John Redden, was aco-defendant in the case. Mr. Smith’s wife, mother-in-law and her two sisters were also employed by MRS in various positions. Continue Reading →

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Peter Van Aulen was selected to the 2016 and 2017 Super Lawyers list. The Super Lawyers list is issued by Thomson Reuters. A description of the selection methodology can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Peter Van Aulen has received a rating by Martindale Hubbell. A description of the rating methodology can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Peter Van Aulen is certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Matrimonial Attorney.

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Saddle Brook, NJ 07663
Phone: 201-845-7400

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