Best Family Law Attorneys in Edison, NJ

If you have issues that you cannot agree upon, you may have to litigate the issues of a divorce. We always fight for our client's rights, if you have to litigate, we will aggressively fight to protect your rights as a parent and your assets in any equitable distribution of the property of the marriage. We are available nights and weekends so that you know you can count on us when the going gets tough.

Often parties wish to seek mediation to determine the terms of their divorce. We can represent you after you have mediated your issues and file your divorce for you or we can work with you after you mediate . Either way, we will assist you in reducing your costs in proceeding towards a resolution of the issues of a divorce.

If you live outside of New Jersey and your spouse lives in New Jersey and has done so for over a year, jurisdiction for the divorce may be in New Jersey. We can help you go forward in New Jersey with a divorce and can communicate with you via phone, email, and fax to get the job done. We have assisted clients living in California, Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, Texas and elsewhere, including those that are in the military and stationed in another state or overseas.

If you want an uncontested divorce in New Jersey, you must meet specific requirements according to New Jersey divorce law. One of the spouses must be a resident of New Jersey for at least a year unless you are pleading adultery. You must meet one of the nine necessary grounds to file for divorce. Once grounds for divorce have been determined, you and your spouse must divide all assets and debts. If children are involved, you must determine child custody and support. New Jersey does not require the use of a lawyer to file for divorce, but the necessary paperwork must be filed at one of the parties' local Superior Court. To file for divorce in New Jersey, 1) a person must be a resident of the state for at least one year, or 2) when the ground is adultery that took place in New Jersey, one of the spouses must be a resident (there is no time limit). The spouse filing the action is called the Plaintiff; the spouse responding is called the Defendant. Divorce actions are filed in the Chancery Division, Family Part, of the Superior Court, which is the county court.

A contested divorce requires that the Plaintiff file all the forms required in an uncontested action. The trajectory of a contested divorce, however, from filing to final judgment, is impossible to predict because of each side jockeying for its own advantage. Normally, the Defendant files an Answer with Counterclaims. Normally, the Defendant has 35 days to answer the Complaint by filing a Counterclaim. The Plaintiff then has 20 days to file a response to the Counterclaim. The divorce may begin contested but end uncontested because even as the parties are maneuvering for battle they sometimes continue to negotiate. Both spouses must file a Matrimonial Case Information Statement (CIS) within 20 days after the Defendant has answered the complaint. The CIS is each party's statement of contested issues, assets and liabilities, property owned by the spouses, spousal income and important financial issues. It may be updated and amended up to 20 days before the final hearing on the divorce.