Divorce and Family Law

We handle all types of divorce and family law litigation including child custody and support matters, spousal support and equitable distribution, domestic violence matters, post-judgment enforcement and modification of support matters, cases involving contribution to college expenses, as well as cohabitation and relocation cases. We have the expertise to handle matters involving complex valuation issues and we regularly work with business owners and their spouses through the divorce process.

We also offer the alternative dispute mechanism approaches of collaborative divorce and mediation.

Collaborative Divorce is a team approach to resolving the issues involved with divorce. It offers a more civil and respectful alternative to traditional divorce litigation. The goal is to resolve all issues relating to the divorce through a team approach in a non-adversarial manner, without going to Court. In Collaborative Divorce, the focus is on the future of the parties and their children, without undue focus on the past. The process keeps private information out of the Court system. Through the use of cooperative techniques, the team works together to develop a global resolution that is based on achieving goals and protecting the interest of all family members. The process also seeks to preserve the mental health of the children. It enables the parties to better control their own destinies. The result is a more efficient and less costly way to divorce.

For more information on the collaborative divorce process, click here.

• Each party retains collaboratively trained counsel.
• The team includes a divorce coach who is a mental health professional (such as a psychologist, or licensed clinical social worker) to assist the parties in communicating throughout the process. The divorce coach is also very effective in assisting the parties in resolving custody and parenting time issues. Children often have difficulty expressing their feelings, and often in the divorce process they are not given the opportunity to do so. In certain cases, the team includes a child specialist who is trained in understanding children. In appropriate cases, the specialist will meet privately with the children to assist them in expressing their feelings and concerns about the divorce. The specialist then communicates the children’s feelings, concerns and hopes to the team so that the team can make the best plan possible for the children.
• The team can also involve a financial specialist in appropriate cases to assist in addressing the valuation and distribution of assets and liabilities as well as the development of spending plans.
• In the collaborative divorce process, the parties agree not to go to Court to litigate the issues. All team members sign what is known as a Participation Agreement. It provides that if a settlement is not reached, the attorneys and other professional team members will withdraw from the matter and will not participate in any ensuing litigation. The parties must then retain new counsel and professionals. The commitment to settlement in the collaborative divorce process encourages free and open communication and facilitates settlement.

Mediation is an alternate dispute mechanism through which the parties retain a mediator to act as a neutral facilitator to assist the parties in resolving all of the issues. The mediator does not represent either party, and the mediator does not give legal advice to the parties. Each party is advised to retain independent counsel to consult with during the mediation process. In some cases, parties bring counsel with them to mediation sessions. At the conclusion of the mediation process, the mediator prepared a Memorandum of Understanding containing the terms of the parties’ agreement. This is a non-binding document. The parties are encouraged to review the Memorandum of Understanding with independent counsel. One party’s attorney then drafts the Marital Settlement Agreement which is the formal document signed by the parties.

We negotiate and draft prenuptial agreements to assist our clients in preserving their estates in the event of death or divorce.

Our attorneys handle domestic violence matters and represent both victims of domestic violence and defendants who have been accused of domestic violence. Mr. DeLorenzo’s experience as a former Burlington County Assistant Prosecutor as well as his years of criminal defense work provides him with the expertise necessary to handle these types of matters both in the family part and in the municipal and criminal courts.