Divorce Law in New Jersey
Divorce Law refers to the legal termination of a marriage and often involves working through several complicated issues. Are you facing a costly divorce in New Jersey? Does your estranged spouse have an attorney? Usually, couples going through a divorce are unable to compromise on most items and reach an agreement on their own. Thus, many couples go through mediation or the court system to resolve their case.
Issues Involved in New Jersey Divorce Law
There are many complicated issues that you need to settle during the divorce process. Many of these elicit strong emotions from one party or the other, resulting in volatility.
Dividing Property
One of the most challenging issues in the divorce law process is dividing property, debts and assets. In many states, like New Jersey, anything you and your spouse purchased over your marriage is subject to division. This includes things such as real estate, bank accounts, cars, stocks, etc. Some states split marital property evenly, while others go along an equitable split. In the latter, the judge weighs the contribution each spouse made to the marriage and uses that information to decide the disposition property, which may not equate to a perfect 50/50 division of your property, debt, and other assets.
Child Support
Both parents are responsible for paying for the care of their children. There is a child support guideline that helps determine how much each parent should contribute based on their income and the amount of time they spend with the children. Child support pays for things such as healthcare, food, clothing and other basic needs.
New Jersey’s Child Support Guidelines are based on the Income Shares method. This method uses each parent’s share of the parents’ combined income to determine each parent’s share of the child support amount. Child support can be paid online or by mail through the New Jersey Family Support Payment Center.
Additionally, New Jersey’s Child Support Program has a variety of enforcement tools available, including income withholding, credit reporting, tax refund offset, and the seizure of assets. Additional methods include passport denial and driver’s license suspension. If the court gets involved, an order requiring an arrest can result if the payment is not made as directed.
Alimony
Alimony, or spousal support, can vary dramatically depending on the marriage, and New Jersey divorce law court looks at multiple factors when determining the amount and length of alimony, including:
- A spouse’s need and the other spouse’s ability to pay
- The age and health of each spouse
- The length of the marriage
- Each spouse’s earning capacity and level of education
- The division of property
- Parental responsibility of the children
- Sole investments and assets of either spouse
New Jersey Courts can award pendente lite, open durational, limited duration, rehabilitative, and reimbursement alimony. Pendente lite alimony may be awarded as support during the divorce proceedings. Open durational alimony typically ends when the paying spouse reaches retirement age and is usually only considered if the marriage lasted more than 20 years. Limited duration alimony may be awarded for a limited period to help the receiving spouse become self-supporting. Rehabilitative alimony may be awarded specifically for job training or education. Reimbursement alimony reimburses one spouse for financial contributions to the education or career advancement of the other spouse.
Child Custody and Visitation
Child custody is perhaps the most emotional issue during a divorce that involves children. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the court bases all decisions on what is in the best interest of the child. Keeping this in mind may help navigate the rough waters of custody.
Under New Jersey law, New Jersey favors joint custody and will consider joint custody in every case. The factors considered in awarding final custody include the parents’ wishes, the child’s wishes, and the child’s relationship with both parents and siblings. Additionally, the stability of home and school, the distance between the parents’ homes, and the parents’ employment responsibilities are also considered. Any history of domestic violence or substance abuse is weighed heavily by the courts.
Generally, New Jersey courts award joint legal custody giving both parents the legal right to make decisions for the children, such as education, medical care and religious practices. Legal custody has nothing to do with physical custody or visitation. In fact, Joint custody does not mean both parents split time with the child evenly, just as sole legal custody does not bar the non-custodial parent from visiting the child.
The Process of Going Through Divorce Law in New Jersey
Are you leaning towards getting a divorce from your partner? If so, it is important to understand the necessary steps of the New Jersey divorce law process.
Step 1: File the Divorce Law Petition
The divorce law process begins when one spouse files a legal petition to terminate the marriage. The petition must include:
- A legal reason for divorce (grounds for divorce)
- A statement that shows at least one spouse meets the state’s residency requirements for divorce
- Other statutory information your state requires
Most states offer the option for filing a no-fault divorce, which does not require a legal reason for the divorce.
The courts allow a no-fault divorce in New Jersey if “irreconcilable differences” is listed as the cause of divorce.
Step 2: Request Temporary Orders
The divorce law process in New Jersey can take several months, and in some cases, spouses cannot wait that long for judgments, but temporary orders can be requested and approved for a multitude of reasons, including:
- Child custody
- Child support
- Spousal support
- Property restraining orders
- Status quo orders
Request temporary orders as quickly as possible so you are not absent the resources or protection that you need.
Step 3: Serve Your Spouse and Wait for Their Response
If you are the one who files a petition for divorce, you must have your spouse served with their divorce law papers and then file a proof of service with the courts. If your spouse accepts service, then they need to fill out an affidavit to that effect. However, in many cases, the petitioner must hire a process server or sheriff to formally serve the petition on the other spouse. It is this third-party who then records the proof of service.
Step 4: Try To Come to an Agreement
The best outcome for anyone going through this process is to have an uncontested divorce, meaning both spouses agree on all issues.
This can be reached between both partners or with the help of a mediator. Not only will this save each spouse money, but there will typically be a lot less animosity.
Step 5: Go To Court
If you and your spouse are unable to reach an agreement, then the case continues before a New Jersey judge. While there is some benefit to having a judge hand down orders, it may also be a detriment as there is little to no control of the agreement by the parties. In New Jersey, divorce cases are filed and heard in the Family Division of the Superior Court at the county court level.
Step 6: Receive the Judgement of Divorce
The divorce law trial will end with the official judgment of divorce, ending the marriage. This final dissolution of marriage sets out the details about property and debt division, child custody and all relevant issues between the couple.
Work With an Experienced New Jersey Divorce Law Attorney
If you are going through a divorce and are unable to reach an agreement with your partner, you should hire an experienced New Jersey divorce law attorney. A lawyer will fight for you and make sure you get what is yours. We can even help you connect with an attorney across New Jersey state lines.
Submit a request online or call us today at (866) 345-6784 to get in touch with an experienced lawyer in your area!
