In this day and age, it's common for relationships to fail. Unfortunately in some extreme cases, when that happens, bad things may follow. Sometimes, the situation between a couple is so bad that a person may have no reasonable choice other than to enlist the assistance of law enforcement and the court system. If you’ve [...]
As we all know, life can be very stressful. Unsurprisingly, stress can cause us to make bad decisions, the results of which, ironically, create even more stress. When it comes to car accidents, there's the initial shock of "Oh my gosh, what just happened?" followed by an adrenaline rush as you try to figure out [...]
Everyone makes mistakes in their lives. The vast majority tend to be, all things considered, relatively minor and are usually fixed without too much trouble. Mistakes that have had significant effects on either themselves and/or others might involve the justice system. Unlike many other types of mistakes, those that involve breaking the law have a [...]
Beneficiaries, heirs or other interested parties have legal recourse under New Jersey laws to challenge wills, trusts or the administration of deceased loved ones' estates. Even when an estate plan seems relatively straightforward, there can be disagreements or misunderstandings about key provisions or about the way an estate or trust is being administered. While it [...]
It is essential to trust that caregivers, family members and friends will honor, respect and treat your elderly loved ones with the care they deserve. When physical, sexual, emotional or financial abuse is suspected, it can leave you feeling helpless, angry and anguished. Elderly abuse occurs all too often. It has been estimated that 10 [...]
Tragically, swimming pool accidents affect too many Morris County, NJ, residents each year. Even worse, children are often the victims of such accidents, likely because they tend to use swimming pools more frequently than adults and are less experienced. National statistics for the summer of 2017, provided by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, are sobering: [...]
Construction sites can be inherently dangerous places. Whether due to safety violations or hazards, negligent supervision, equipment failures, collapsed scaffolding or other conditions, injury accidents can happen frequently. Just like most other workers injured on the job, construction workers are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits to cover lost wages and medical expenses while they are [...]
If you are considering divorcing your spouse or if your spouse has indicated that he or she intends to divorce you, you probably have a lot of questions. As you begin the next chapter in your life, the decisions made during the process and the outcome of your divorce can impact your future for years to [...]
There's no easy way to deal with someone's death, especially if it's a person you knew and loved. The permanent absence of a person close to you, whether sudden or foreseen, has a tendency to interfere with your life, to intrude on your daily routine and, in some cases, impact your judgment and decision making [...]
When someone passes away, their life ends. The impact of their life, however, does not. They leave behind loved ones and memories, stories and a legacy. And many people leave behind financial assets, artwork, jewelry, real estate and personal property. Combined, all of those things make up what is called the "estate" of the deceased, [...]
Imagine that you're in the process of looking for a new job. After sending out what seems like countless emails and pursuing multiple job leads, it happens: you get an interview for the job you want. Everything goes great. You're going to be offered the job...after the organization conducts a credit check and a background [...]
Dealing with the death of a loved one is hard. Whether expected or sudden, the loss of someone close to you can be emotionally devastating, often disrupting your life and the lives of your family. And then there’s dealing with estate matters of the deceased. With luck, your relative’s affairs were in order and distribution [...]
From the time we are young, many of us dream of having the perfect love story. We all want a loving spouse, a beautiful family and a home to call our own, but unfortunately, not all love stories have their happy endings. In this day and age, divorce has become a common outcome for many [...]
Part of being human means making mistakes. Most of our daily mistakes are, however, fairly minor or, if more significant, at least limited in the impact they have on our lives or the lives of others. But, there is also a different kind of mistake. A mistake that involves breaking the law. The kind of [...]
It is unlikely that anyone who gets married expects to subsequently get divorced. Certainly no one wants it to happen, but sometimes things happen. The dissolution of a marriage can become a very uncomfortable, emotional and messy matter. How bad a divorce turns out depends on what is at stake and how committed the parties [...]
Have you or a loved one been charged with reckless driving? If it's the first time, you may have a lot of questions about what such a charge actually means, what legal steps are involved and how a conviction might impact you. You can, of course, try to come up with answers to these questions [...]
We all make mistakes. Some are large, some small and, fortunately, few are irreparable. Many mistakes impact others. However, there are times when things we do wrong have lasting consequences on us personally and the only solution may be to hire a lawyer - take a traffic violation such as reckless driving, for example. At [...]
Brakes screeching. That moment of silence just before impact when everything seems to be moving in slow motion. Then, the sound of crumpling metal as the car shudders from the collision. Airbags deploy, the sensation of being slammed into a barrier, and then...nothing. You're shocked. As you regain your senses you check to make sure [...]
Uh oh. Now you've done it. You've been cited for reckless driving. One minute you were tooling down the highway, minding your own business. Perhaps you were driving a little too fast for conditions or having a little fun behind the wheel but hey, you're a good driver, right? Maybe you've never even had an [...]
Time flies when you're having fun. Not so much, however, when you're not. Take divorce, for example. The dissolution of a marriage can and often does have far-reaching and long-lasting impact on the lives of not only the spouses but of their children, other relatives, friends and coworkers as well. A divorce frequently affects the [...]
Are you considering getting a divorce? Is your spouse? If so, you are probably becoming painfully aware of the significant impact ending a marriage can have on your emotions, your finances, the relationships you have with friends and relatives and, if applicable, the lives of the children of the marriage. Divorce can be an ugly [...]
It's pretty much common knowledge that approximately one of every two marriages ends in divorce. Of course, no one thinks it will happen to them. But it does. And if you're reading this, perhaps you or your spouse are considering ending your marriage. If so, you already know that the process can be drawn-out and [...]
Marriage is a special bond, so there are many emotions that you’ll experience when you and your spouse are considering divorce. There’s not much you can do to avoid feelings of depression or blame, especially when you’ve never been through divorce proceedings. When you’re unsure about the process and the paperwork, you risk financial hardship [...]
"Til death do us part." These are, of course, familiar words to anyone who has attended a wedding. They express the hope that a marriage will last as long as the bride or groom shall live. However, approximately half of all marriages end in divorce, so "happily ever after" has become a hit and miss. [...]
Well, it happened. Your driver's license has been suspended. Perhaps you finally got that ticket you were hoping to avoid. Maybe you were caught in that short period when you didn't have automobile insurance. Or maybe it was just something as simple as not getting around to paying a few traffic tickets. If you're facing [...]
People who encounter a legal problem often wonder whether they should hire an attorney, especially when their brush with the law doesn't appear to be too serious and is more of an annoyance than a crisis. Take suspension of a driver's license, for example. Unless it resulted from something major like a DWI/DUI, it just [...]
We all make mistakes don't we? If we're lucky, they're usually minor and can often be fixed by a little bit of work combined with a heart-felt apology. However, some mistakes are major and may follow us around for years, if not the rest of our lives. Take, for example, a criminal record. If you've [...]
No one enjoys a divorce. No matter how much one or both parties may want a divorce, neither will consider the process of getting one enjoyable. A divorce does not, however, need to be the expensive, emotionally devastating scenario popularized in movies, tabloids and on reality television. Like many states, New Jersey provides a process [...]
If you have a criminal record, you know how hard it can make your life. Even if you've "paid your debt to society," your criminal past can follow you around for years, making it difficult to get employment, secure financing, even engage in volunteer activities such as coaching your daughter's soccer team or leading your [...]
Drug possession is a serious criminal offense. A conviction on even the simplest charge can affect finances, employment and even child custody and visitation rights, especially if that conviction has been preceded by others on similar charges. If you (or a loved one) have been arrested for possession of narcotics or other drugs, you'll soon [...]
The "War on Drugs." Although there's been a great deal of controversy lately about how effective it's been, make no mistake that legal authorities (local, state and federal) are all still waging the battle. If you or someone you know has been arrested for a drug offense, we don't need to tell you how aggressive [...]
Has someone you know been arrested for drug possession? Worse yet, have you? If so, the severity of the situation will soon become painfully clear. Drug possession is a serious criminal offense and the consequences can be devastating to the accused and loved ones alike. Jail, fines, loss of certain rights and privileges (such as [...]
That fact that drug possession is a serious crime is obvious to most people. Hopefully you'll never be forced to find out just how serious. Unfortunately, if you (or a loved one) are charged with drug possession, you'll soon discover the severity of such an offense and how significantly it can impact your finances, your [...]
Albert Einstein once said that, “Men marry women with the hope they will never change. Women marry men with the hope they will change. Invariably they are both disappointed.” Actually pretty funny when you think about it. Funny, that is, unless you or your spouse decide to get a divorce. At that point, no amount [...]
"Love conquers all". Or so the old saying goes. As nice as that sentiment sounds, it's unfortunately not always true. If you or your spouse has decided to file for divorce, you know that all too well. Or will shortly. The life to which you've grown accustomed will soon undergo major changes, for you, for [...]
"The divorce is final." If you've gone through one, you know just how much of a relief getting the final decree can be. Unfortunately, however, the finality of a divorce order doesn't extend to all divorce-related matters, especially those that involve children of the marriage. Support, custody and visitation issues remain subject to potential modification [...]
Divorce is one of those strange things in life that no one wants. Until they do, that is. When that moment arrives, lives are forever altered, not only of the couple involved, but of any children they might have, their extended families and their friends. Households are almost always uprooted and finances impacted. No matter [...]
A divorce is a legal action that touches on very private matters but plays out in a very public way. The dissolution of a marriage can become a very contentious, difficult and unpredictable matter, one which often involves strong outpourings of sadness or grief, resentment and anger expressed as hostility and, for some, outright denial [...]
At first, a divorce hardly ever seems like a good thing (although experience tells us it often is). It is usually even less of a good thing when there are children involved, victims of circumstances not of their choosing and completely out of their control. Yet children of a marriage play a major, although usually [...]
Sometimes "good enough" simply isn't good enough. Some situations call for excellence, for the best. Surgery is one. Rocket science also comes to mind. Airplane repairs. And legal representation. When you have something worth hiring a lawyer for, it's worth hiring the best, especially when the stakes are very high. Divorce, for example. If you [...]
Some divorces are amicable, many are not. Either way, ill feelings usually fade over time and both parties go about their lives, leaving what's in the past in the past. And why not? If a final divorce decree has been entered, there's usually no reason for the former spouses to deal with each other. No [...]
There are few things in life more disruptive than the death of a loved one. It doesn't really matter whether their passing was sudden or expected. Either way, when one life ends, others are put on hold. For those who were particularly close to the deceased, the sense of loss is often overwhelming. Family finances [...]
Divorce. A truly unpleasant word. Unfortunately, it's a word so commonly heard that it really doesn't have the shock value it did a generation or more ago. Until it happens to you. If your marriage is coming to an end, you've begun to understand the effect a divorce can have on your emotional and physical [...]
If you've recently suffered the loss of a loved one, you don't need to be reminded of how difficult dealing with such a tragedy can be and how significantly it can impact your life. Depending on how close you were to the deceased, the emotional turmoil may seem overwhelming. Yet, as hard as it may [...]
"Til death do us part." Included in so many wedding vows over the centuries, these 5 words demonstrate the hope and intention couples bring to their marriage. As John Lennon once wrote, however, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans". Not all marriages work out and divorce is often the [...]
It is said that "There's nothing certain in life but death and taxes." However, planning what happens to the money you have, what you own, and who gets what after you die is perhaps one of the most important things you can do for your loved ones. To ensure that those you leave behind are [...]
There's been something nagging at you for a little while. Perhaps it's actually been bothering you for quite some time: What happens to your loved ones when you die? More accurately, what happens to them after you die? Will they be taken care of? And are the people you're leaving behind competent to deal with [...]
Of all the things life requires us to face, the death of loved one is perhaps the most difficult. Whether it's due to a lengthy illness, or because of a motor vehicle accident or another sudden and unexpected event, losing a relative can turn your world upside down. Even if you weren't very close to [...]
Death. Any conversation that starts with that word is bound to both grab the listener's attention and also be very uncomfortable. In fact, it's probably safe to say that the subject of death is rarely discussed at the dinner table or around the water cooler at work. Unfortunately, by completely refusing to talk about it [...]
Deciding whether or not to challenge a will is not a matter to be taken lightly. Both the law and court rules that govern a will contest can be complex. If you are considering taking such a step, you should meet with a will contest attorney in NJ. How can I tell if a will [...]