While New York City family courts are granted a broad range of discretion with regard to determination of child support, they are guided by Section 413 of the Family Court Act. The law offers a general percentage and dollar amount for support, depending the number of children and income of paying...

In the state of New York, parents have a legal duty to support their children until the age of 21, unless they are sooner emancipated. This "doctrine of constructive emancipation" is derived from the Child Support Standards Acts and corresponding case law in New York. Some of the circumstances under which children might become emancipated prior...

In any court case - civil or criminal - it's important to show up. In criminal court, failure to appear can result in a warrant for arrest, additional jail time and fines. In a civil case - including divorce - you likely aren't going to be jailed for skipping out, but repercussions could still be...

The U.S. Supreme Court declined review of a same-sex marriage case. Advocates on either side of the aisle had pressed for action, seeking a definitive ruling on whether the Constitution guarantees same-sex marriage rights. But by declining, the court effectively opened the door for same-sex marriages in as many as 11 states. The appeals presented...

Raising children, especially teenagers, is rife with challenges. As anyone with a 15-year-old knows, there are few things you can "make" them do if they are dead-set against it. But it's important to note as we are in the midst of a new school year that even if you can't force your child to go...

Across the country, same-sex couples have been winning victories when it comes to the right to enjoy some or all the benefits that a heterosexual couple would - including the right to marry, adopt and raise children, receive tax breaks and share health insurance. Varying state-level actions have resulted in a legal patchwork of laws...

It's no secret that divorcing couples aren't generally fond of one another. There is a reason they are splitting, after all. However, there is good reason to keep those statements to yourself - especially where your children and social media are concerned. No matter how true and justified your complaints, voicing them to children can...

 

In Part one of this series I discussed the Initial de novo child support filing in New York Family Court. In this proceeding you are asking the Family...

In a case closely watched by child safety advocates across the country, the New Jersey Supreme Court is slated to decide whether a pregnant mother who underwent methadone maintenance therapy during gestation should be found guilty in family court of abuse and neglect of her infant son, who was born dependent on the drug. In...

This is my first article in a series of articles regarding Child Support in New York State. In my years practicing as an attorney I have won many child support cases.  My knowledge of the Child Support process was key in these victories.  These articles will tell the reader many of the things you...