(973) 403-9200
By Charles F. Vuotto, Jr. Matrimonial litigants who have minor children are required to attend a Parents’ Education Program promulgated under N.J.S.A. 2A:34-12.3 to assist and advise divorcing parents on issues concerning divorce, separation and custody. After pleadings are filed, the parties will be automatically scheduled to attend this program when custody, parenting time or read more
As family lawyers, we are not only required to know and understand family law, but also, to some degree, the emotional and psychological issues at play. This obligation becomes more necessary when dealing with children impacted by divorce. We often first meet our clients when they are on the verge of deciding whether to proceed read more
By Charles F. Vuotto, Jr., Esq. Can parties agree to provisions barring a custodial parent from relocating with his or her child out of the state? This question has just been answered by the Appellate Division in the unreported decision of Bisbing v. Bisbing.[1] In Bisbing the parties’ Marital Settlement Agreement (“MSA”) provided that the read more
It is public policy of New Jersey to assure minor children of frequent and continuing contact with both parents after the parents have separated or dissolved their marriage and that it is in the public interest to encourage parents to share the rights and responsibilities of child rearing. In order to effect this policyboth parents read more
Are some parenting coordinators overstepping their bounds? Is this ‘overstepping’ being facilitated by poorly drafted agreements? In April 2007, the Supreme Court approved the Parenting Coordinator Pilot Program for Bergen, Middlesex, Morris/Sussex and Union counties and adopted guidelines for the program.1 As described in the overview section of the program standards, Read more
By: Charles F. Vuotto, Jr., Editor-in-Chief Mental health professionals are often asked to perform custody and/or parenting time evaluations in family law cases. Generally, those evaluations are conducted by psychologists; however psychiatrists and social workers may also perform them. Each of those mental health disciplines, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers, is governed by their read more
By Charles F. Vuotto, Jr., Esq. (Editor-in-Chief) Harm to the child. An easy enough legal standard, right? Perhaps not. Although our case law is riddled with this critical standard for judicial review in a myriad of situations, there is minimal instruction from our courts as to how the standard of “harm to the child” is read more
By Charles F. Vuotto, Jr., Esq. Editor-in-Chief CAVEAT: All references below are to discussions occurring on the NJSBA Community’s Message Board with permission of each of the referenced authors. Many of us have recently seen reports of the Morris County case involving an 18-year old high school senior who left her parents’ home (either voluntarily read more
By Charles F. Vuotto, Jr. Are some parenting coordinators overstepping their bounds? Is this ‘overstepping’ being facilitated by poorly drafted agreements? In April 2007, the Supreme Court approved the Parenting Coordinator Pilot Program for Bergen, Middlesex, Morris/Sussex and Union counties and adopted guidelines for the program.[i]As described in the overview section of the program standards, read more
by Charles F. Vuotto Jr. The Honorable Lawrence R. Jones, J.S.C., has issued yet another insightful decision in the case of Madison v. Davis,1 concerning a legal issue of first impression regarding the rights and obligations of divorced parents when their child attends preschool.Recognizing there is no existing law directly on point, Judge Jones drew read more