The Latest News Divorce

I find this article disturbing.  It took a long time for New York to join many other states in the nation to include no-fault divorce, permitting clients to obtain a divorce without substantiating specific grounds. 

There were instances in the past where certain individuals could not get divorced because an angry spouse refused to grant them a divorce and the other spouse was unable to establish the requisite grounds.

This article suggests that the Republican Party has been pushing back on the idea of no-fault divorce being invalid and that not being in love or irreconcilable differences is not a valid reason to get divorced. 

People should be permitted to marry whom they choose and should also be permitted to obtain a divorce when they choose, regardless of the grounds.

Selected excerpt(s) and linked article courtesy of Marcia Zug, The Conversation, phys(dot)org
Royalty-free photo courtesy of Pixabay

Concetta Spirio.  A Compassionate Collaborative Divorce Attorney, Mediator & Peacemaker Providing The Highest Level of Legal Representation For Over 35 Years.

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Most couples try their best to keep their relationships happy and amiable. But it isn't an unusual thing for relationships to go south. There also might be a variety of reasons why things go wrong and then eventually lead to a relationship breaking up. Turns out, the biggest reason behind a divorce happening isn't actually cheating, but this one thing that leads to bitterness and resentment which seeps into a marriage and eventually could lead to a divorce.

Selected excerpt(s) and linked article courtesy of Radhika Agarwal, scoop(dot)upworthy(dot)com
Royalty-free photo courtesy of Google's ImageFX

Concetta Spirio.  A Compassionate Collaborative Divorce Attorney, Mediator & Peacemaker Providing The Highest Level of Legal Representation For Over 35 Years.

#Concetta #ConcettaSpirio #ConcettaLaw #SpirioLaw #Marriage #Divorce #RealEstate #Litigation #Wills #Trusts #Estates #EstatePlanning #Mediation #CollaborativeDivorce #LongIsland #Suffolk #Nassau #Islip #Sayville #LGBT

Matrimonial attorneys surveyed by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers have seen an increase in women paying spousal support.  Spousal support, formally known as alimony, is financial assistance and monetary aid provided by one spouse to another after a marriage ends.  The purported goal is to help maintain the marital standard of living and assist a lower earner in becoming more self-sufficient.  That is the purpose that is intended.  Historically, alimony and spousal support was predominantly paid to women.  However, in the 1980s in a case supported by the late Ruth Bader Ginsberg, it was deemed unconstitutional to unequally treat the sexes and ordered alimony to be gender neutral. 

Over the past two decades we have seen many high-profile woman from Brittany to Madonna to J Lo directed to pay millions of dollars to their exes in spousal support.  One of the most shocking decisions was Kelly Clarkson’s order to pay her ex-husband a one-time payment of $1,326,161.00 and monthly payments of $115,000.00 in spousal support until January of 2024.  In addition, notwithstanding that Clarkson was the primary custodian caring for their two children the majority of the time, she was ordered to pay $45,601.00 per month in child support. 

These are just some examples of women being directed to pay child support.  When prenups and alternative means or methods of obtaining divorce are not used, the parties are at the peril of the court and their decisions, whether we think them to be rational or justified.  Unfortunately, parties like this get stuck with the court’s verdict. 

That is why Collaborative Law for dissolution of a marriage is the way to keep you, your family, your children and your money safe. 

Selected excerpt(s) and linked article courtesy of Annita Katee, wellandgood(dot)com
Royalty-free photo courtesy of Pixabay

Concetta Spirio.  A Compassionate Collaborative Divorce Attorney, Mediator & Peacemaker Providing The Highest Level of Legal Representation For Over 35 Years.

#Concetta #ConcettaSpirio #ConcettaLaw #SpirioLaw #Marriage #Divorce #RealEstate #Litigation #Wills #Trusts #Estates #Mediation #CollaborativeDivorce #LongIsland #Suffolk #Nassau #Islip #Sayville #LGBT

Surprisingly, psychologists have found that it's not the grand gestures or the extreme passion of a good sex life that makes a marriage last in the long term...it's the little things like taking care of one another and paying attention to all of those small things throughout the days of your lives together.  That small bit of attention goes a long way and more often than not lasts longer than the grand gestures.

In other words, grand gestures without the in-between communication, support and engagement might very well be a sign your relationship won't last.

Relationships that have open and honest communication, where there is an interest in one another, remembering the little things like saying thank you or taking care of something for your spouse...these are the elements that make a relationship endure. 

This article is a testament to interaction and paying attention to one another and having personal exchanges multiple times during the week and most definitely during the day.  Isolation and disconnect are definitely killers to any relationship.

Selected excerpt(s) and linked article courtesy of Minda Zetlin for Inc. This Morning Newsletter.  Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Covid has had a dramatic global impact on our world and everyone in it, especially all the human souls that have been lost in this last year.  One of the other harsh realities that Covid has had is the difficulty it has created in marriages and relationships, which, prior to Covid, appeared to have been sound and healthy.

Being Covid restricted and limited to our home environments, many have found themselves in their marriages and significant relationships with fewer places to go and fewer distractions to occupy their time.  Couples have been forced to live almost 24/7 in the same space without any independent outside relief.  Even in the best of relationships, people need some down or alone time and distractions, plus occasions with other people they interact with other than their primary relationship or spouse. 

For many this dynamic made them aware that they could no longer ignore some of the harsh realities of their marriages and intimate relationships.  For others however, it actually created a dynamic that enabled their relationship to strengthen because they spent more quality time and chose to do inventive things together.

There is no doubt, that even for the best of marriages and couples, the immense load of stress, combined with close quarters, can make arguments more likely and irritations that would normally be ignored, amplified.  Some couples can work through and overcome obstacles and disruptions and eruptions in their relationship, while other couples simply cannot.  This is the simple truth about divorce and how divorce may come about.  It has been a lot harder during the pandemic, when things are so amplified and also the resources enabling to alleviate the stress are all but non-existent. 

As this article points out, Covid conditions have acted as an accelerant.  To make matters worse for those who need court intervention, the courts have been at times completely shut down and with very limited access for only matters that qualify as true emergencies. 

That is why being able to use alternatives, such as collaborative divorce, is essential.  In a collaborative divorce, the parties never have to step into a court room or court house, only their paperwork goes to the court house.

This article clearly outlines seven (7) reasons why couples are filing for divorce during covid and why covid has been the accelerator for some couples.

Selected excerpt(s), photo and linked article courtesy of Jeremy Brown, Fatherly

The billionaire heiress, Ivy Getty, the great-granddaughter of oil tycoon, J Paul Getty, has filed for divorce after 4 years, from her husband Tobias Engel. 

However, being a member of the Getty billionaire family, a Prenuptial Agreement was in place prior to the nuptials, protecting her famed family’s massive wealth.  You don’t have to be a member of a billionaire family to have a Prenup. We can all take lessons from the rich and famous, who protect their wealth and their assets by having a Prenuptial Agreement prior to marriage.  This is something that is extremely important for couples before marriage, no matter what their current assets are, because it not only protects assets that they may have now, but also assets that they wish to keep in the future.  It also can make the dissolution of a marriage go that much smoother because the couple has contemplated an outline in a contractual agreement that determines what happens to assets that become acquired during the marriage.

If you have questions about the benefits of Prenups or how to avoid a messy divorce, please feel free to contact Concetta G. Spirio, Esq. at Spirio Law and catch my blog article from last week on the “Five Benefits of a Prenuptial Agreement”.

Selected excerpt(s) and linked article courtesy of Mara Siegler, pagesix(dot)com
Royalty-free photo courtesy of Pixabay

Concetta Spirio.  A Compassionate Collaborative Divorce Attorney, Mediator & Peacemaker Providing The Highest Level of Legal Representation For Over 35 Years.

#Concetta #ConcettaSpirio #ConcettaLaw #SpirioLaw #Marriage #Divorce #RealEstate #Litigation #Wills #Trusts #Estates #Mediation #CollaborativeDivorce #LongIsland #Suffolk #Nassau #Islip #Sayville #LGBT

Splashed across the news after much speculation, it was finally revealed that Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce against Ben Affleck without an attorney on the couple's second anniversary.  It also has been revealed that the couple did not have a prenup.  It should be interesting to see whether this is resolved amicably outside the court systems by a settlement, which may be likely, especially since it was also announced that Ms. Lopez is not seeking spousal support. 

As we have tried to educate you, the public, there is definitely a better way than a litigated divorce...Mediation and Collaborative Divorce, and of course the importance of a prenup.  A prenup is vital and can help avoid many financial issues in a divorce.  Without one, things could get ugly.  If a couple is willing to work within the voluntary process of mediation and collaboration, much more can be accomplished in a holistic, non-toxic, private and confidential way.

If you have questions about either Mediation or Collaborative Divorce, please contact me at 631-277-8844.

Selected excerpt(s) and linked article courtesy of Joyann Jeffrey, today(dot)com
Royalty-free photo courtesy of Google's ImageFX

Concetta Spirio.  A Compassionate Collaborative Divorce Attorney, Mediator & Peacemaker Providing The Highest Level of Legal Representation For Over 35 Years.

#Concetta #ConcettaSpirio #ConcettaLaw #SpirioLaw #Marriage #Divorce #RealEstate #Litigation #Wills #Trusts #Estates #EstatePlanning #Mediation #CollaborativeDivorce #LongIsland #Suffolk #Nassau #Islip #Sayville #LGBT

Before making an election on your Social Security benefits it’s important to know what your options are. Make sure you seek advice and do your own research. For most people seeking benefits now, their election will be permanent. Did you know if you are divorced you are entitled to your ex-spouse’s security benefits? Most people are unaware that notwithstanding a divorce they may be entitled to their ex-spouse's Social Security benefit. If you were married for at least 10 years and then divorce, and are unmarried at the time you apply for your benefits, you are entitled to half of your ex-spouse's benefit if it is greater than your own.  However, if you were born after 1954, whatever election you make will be permanent and cannot be changed.   This does not affect your ex-spouse's benefit nor is your election affected by their remarriage. In fact, if you are eligible, you can collect on your ex-spouse’s benefits even if he or she hasn't yet applied for them, so long as you’ve been divorced for at least two years.

However, if you are remarried at the time of your election, you are not entitled to  your ex-spouse’s benefits. You may, however, be able to collect your new spouse’s benefits if you’re at least 62 years of age and your spouse is receiving Social Security benefits. It’s also important to know if you chose to collect early you will lose a significant portion of your benefit. In the event your new marriage ends due to death, divorce, or annulment, you may again be eligible to collect on your first spouse’s benefits.  If you were married more than once and divorced more than once and each marriage was for more than 10 years you can choose which ex-spouse’s benefits to utilize so long as it is more than your own.