NOTE: My legal services include family law, divorce, child support, litigation, arbitration, mediation, child custody and visitation, alimony, equitable distribution, separation agreements, palimony, PSA, property settlement agreement, premarital and prenuptial agreements, midmarriage and marital agreements.

Engaging in unauthorized practice of law is a serious offense originally appeared on NJ Family Issues on January 23, 2012.

This dispute stems from: “William H. Michelson Net Opinion Dooms Plaintiff’s Legal Malpractice Case,” posted on March 11, 2011 by William Voorhees, Esq.

The underlying decision is: HEDINGER & LAWLESS, LLC. v. BETAL ENTERPRISES, INC., A-4797-09T3, March 10, 2011.

NOTE: This Blog/Blawg, NJ Family Issues, is managed by Paul G. Kostro, Esq., an attorney/lawyer/mediator in Linden, Union County, New Jersey.

NEWS: A suit where one attorney sues another for defamation over criticism in a blog posting originally appeared on NJ Family Issues on November 14, 2011.

See my prior Blog Post: David Goldman’s efforts to be reunited with his son Sean.

NOTE: This Blog/Blawg, NJ Family Issues, is managed by Paul G. Kostro, Esq., an attorney/lawyer/mediator in Linden, Union County, New Jersey.

The latest in the GOLDMAN saga originally appeared on NJ Family Issues on February 22, 2011.

New Court Policy Protects Abused and Neglected Children

The New Jersey Judiciary has made a number of important changes during the past 10 years in the oversight of cases involving abused and neglected children. In March 2010, the Supreme Court adopted a policy recommended by the conference of family presiding judges and managers that gives judges full responsibility for monitoring children removed from their homes by the state’s Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) due to allegations of abuse and neglect.

Judges will be supported in this work by the state’s Child Placement Review (CPR) boards. CPR boards are committees of volunteers in each county who review every new case within 45 days to gather information vital to obtaining a permanent home for the child. CPR boards also will conduct new and periodic reviews for cases in which children have been placed voluntarily with DYFS by their parents and guardians without any allegations of abuse or neglect. [For more information, go HERE]

The new policy gives the courts exclusive oversight of each case in which parental rights have been terminated and the child remains in foster care. The courts will continue to monitor each case until the child has been placed in a permanent home.

The policy conforms to changes in federal law, including the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 and the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1982. The policy also eliminates redundancies in the oversight of cases involving children in foster care and provides vulnerable children with better opportunities to achieve permanency. Ultimately, children in out-of-home placements and those who are free for adoption after parents’ rights were terminated will receive better service from this more efficient system of oversight.

NOTE: My Law Office is located at 726 West Saint Georges [W. St. Georges] Avenue (Route 27), Linden, Union County, NJ. Telephone: 908-486-2200; EM@IL

New Court Policy Protects Abused and Neglected Children originally appeared on NJ Family Issues on December 15, 2010.

As described more fully on the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals website, Collaborative Practice is a way for you to resolve disputes respectfully, while working with trained professionals who are important to all areas of your life.

The heart of Collaborative Practice or Collaborative Divorce (also called “divorce with dignity” and “peaceful divorce”) is to offer you and your spouse or partner the support, protection, and guidance of your own lawyers; with the optional benefit of child and financial specialists, divorce coaches and other professionals, all working together on your team.

In Collaborative Practice, the core elements that form your contractual commitments are:

• To negotiate a mutually acceptable settlement without having courts decide issues.
• To maintain open communication and information sharing.
• To create shared solutions, acknowledging the highest priorities of all.

For additional information, you are welcome to visit my NJ Collaborative Divorce webpage and blog.

To schedule an appointment, please send me an email, or call me at 908-486-2200.

NOTE: This Blog/Blawg, NJ Family Issues, is managed by Paul G. Kostro, Esq., an attorney/lawyer/mediator in Linden, Union County, New Jersey.

Paul G. Kostro, Esq. has been trained in Interdisciplinary Collaborative Family Law originally appeared on NJ Family Issues on September 25, 2010.

Read Blog Post by Ann Kiernan, Esq.

NOTE: Adwokat / Prawnik Pawel Kostro mowi po polsku.

New Jersey unemployment law was changed to make it more difficult for bad employees to receive unemployment benefits originally appeared on NJ Family Issues on September 1, 2010.

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution grants the right to citizenship to anyone born in the United States. The first sentence of what is known as the citizenship clause states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.”

Now, opponents of birthright citizenship contend that illegal immigrants are not under United States jurisdiction, therefore their American-born children should not automatically be citizens.

The rest of the story: Citizenship From Birth Is Challenged on the Right, by JULIA PRESTON, published in The New York Times.

See related story: I’m American. And You? By MATT BAI, published in The New York Times.

See related story: Study Looks at Babies Born to Illegal Immigrants By Julia Preston, published in The New York Times.

NOTE: Adwokat / Prawnik Pawel Kostro mowi po polsku.

If you are born in the U.S., you are a U.S. citizen — some say NO! originally appeared on NJ Family Issues on August 7, 2010.

In this case, Plaintiffs challenge a November 2008 voter-enacted amendment to the California Constitution (“Proposition 8” or “Prop 8”).

The court concluded: Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that oppositesex couples are superior to same-sex couples. Because California has no interest in discriminating against gay men and lesbians, and because Proposition 8 prevents California from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide marriages on an equal basis, the court concludes that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.

For more information, go HERE.

Special thank you to Brian Boyle, Esq., who brought this decision to my attention.

NOTE: This Blog/Blawg, NJ Family Issues, is managed by Paul G. Kostro, Esq., an attorney/lawyer/mediator in Linden, Union County, New Jersey.

California Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license originally appeared on NJ Family Issues on August 4, 2010.

See related Market Watch report: Obama signs sweeping bank-reform bill into law, By Ronald D. Orol.

See related CONFERENCE REPORT.

See related Wikipedia article: Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

See Bill Summary, published by The Library of Congress – THOMAS

NOTE: This Blog/Blawg, NJ Family Issues, is managed by Paul G. Kostro, Esq., an attorney/lawyer/mediator in Linden, Union County, New Jersey.

The ‘‘Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act’’ is the law of the land originally appeared on NJ Family Issues on July 21, 2010.

To learn about one couple who did not mediate, and thus are in the public spotlight, read: Wrapped in Marriage’s End, the Fate of a Team, by JENNIFER STEINHAUER, published in The New York Times.

For more information, read about Our Divorce Mediation Services.

NOTE: This Blog/Blawg, NJ Family Issues, is managed by Paul G. Kostro, Esq., an attorney/lawyer/mediator in Linden, Union County, New Jersey.

Mixing business ownership with marital property can lead to serious troubles originally appeared on NJ Family Issues on July 9, 2010.