New Jersey Divorce Attorneys

Regardless of whether you or your spouse has initiated divorce process or you are just beginning to consider a trial separation, the family law firm of Levy, Ehrlich & Petriello, A Professional Corporation, in Newark, New Jersey, welcomes your inquiry. Contact us to schedule an initial consultation regarding any of the following aspects of marriage dissolution:

Equitable distribution and property division
High-asset marital estates
Real estate
Retirement accounts
Pensions
Investments
Stock options
Securities
Business valuation
Debts
Contested prenuptial agreements
Exempt premarital assets
Child custody
Parenting plans and visitation
Child support
Modifications
Enforcement
Spousal support
Pendente Lite (temporary support)
Alimony
Marital Torts
Assault
Emotional Distress
Battered Spouse Syndrome

Division of Marital Property

When you and your spouse got married, you created a new legal entity known as a marital estate. During a divorce, all of the assets and debts that you incurred together must be accounted for and equitably distributed between you. Our experienced, knowledgeable divorce lawyers can help you navigate the complex equitable distribution process and ensure that your property rights are protected.

The spouse instituting a divorce action in New Jersey must prove to the court one of several statutory grounds for divorce. Many of those grounds — such as separation, abandonment, extreme cruelty, and adultery — have complex requirements and onerous waiting periods. New Jersey, however, now has "no-fault" divorce which permits spouses to divorce in a much shorter period of time on the basis of irreconcilable differences. Often spouses come to a mutual decision to divorce. In such cases, our experienced at family lawyers can provide you with the skilled legal advice necessary to negotiate a property settlement agreement that protects your rights and obtain a divorce judgment on an expedited basis.

Spousal Support

Depending upon the relative financial positions of the spouses during the marriage, one spouse may be obligated to provide ongoing financial support to the other during the pendency of the divorce case and after. Pendente lite, or temporary, support is intended to provide for the needs of a financially dependent spouse during the divorce case. Temporary support is often critical to an unemployed spouse who is suddenly abandoned by the wage-earning spouse and left without any means of support.

Additionally, the law may entitle a financially dependent spouse to pay divorce support called alimony. A spouse’s eligibility to receive alimony is based upon consideration of numerous factors, including the length of the marriage, age, education, employment history, and the parties’ health. Depending on the particular facts, the court may award no alimony, limited duration alimony, rehabilitative alimony or permanent alimony.

Whether you are the paying spouse or recipient, Levy, Ehrlich & Petriello’s divorce attorneys will use their knowledge and experience to protect your spousal support rights.

Marital Torts and Tevis Claims

The Family Court also has jurisdiction over cases in which one spouse accuses the other of intentional torts, such as physical or psychological abuse. Often these allegations arise in a divorce case because they are used to establish one of the required grounds for divorce. Separate and apart from the divorce, however, victims of martial torts are entitled to receive an award of damages for their pain and suffering, related medical expenses, and even punitive damages in cases of egregious conduct. Martial torts, also known as Tevis claims, are a separate lawsuit within the divorce case and, depending upon the circumstances may be decided by a jury instead of a judge. Whether you are a spouse who has been injured or one who has been falsely accused of wrongful conduct, at Levy, Ehrlich & Petriello, our family law litigators have the experience to protect you in the courtroom.

Levy, Ehrlich & Petriello, A Professional Corporation, has a great deal of experience assisting clients in this area of family law. Please contact Alan Ehrlich at 973-643-0040 (Ext. 108) or by email at alan@lep-lawyers.com or Jeffrey Plaza at (973)643-0040 Ext. 119 or by email at jplaza@lep-lawyers.com to learn how we can help.