The Latest News Divorce

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.

So often there are simple ways to improve relationships.  This article explores several of the tiny ways that you may not realize are making your marriage harder. 

Two of the items that I think are crucial are whether you forgive and forget a transgression and let it go and not constantly bringing it up which just re-opens the wound.

Selected excerpt(s) and linked article courtesy of Susannah B. Lewis, yourtango(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

Relationships, especially marriages, are hard work and difficult.  Even the happiest of couples may have serious bumps along the way.  Although there are studies that the divorce rate has dropped in recent years, that also can be attributed to the fact that some people have chosen not to get married.  However, that doesn't change the fact that when you are facing a dissolution of a relationship, it may not be always easy to extract oneself.  People split for a multitude of reasons.  However, sometimes at the core are some basic simple things like kindness, honesty, integrity and good communication.  This article explores 15 men who revealed different reasons why they chose to get divorced, which include a lack of a sex life, not willing to engage in therapy, deception by a partner though cheating and spying on them or looking through their phone, having grown apart and many others.  Whatever the reason may be, if therapy and reconciliation are not possible, then it's best to go about getting divorced through an amicable resolution process like Collaborative Divorce, where the parties are utilizing professionals who are dedicated to a settlement process and not litigation.

Selected excerpt(s), photo and linked article courtesy of Bethany Heitman, Prevention.com & SEB_RA Getty Images

While the temperatures have been skyrocketing this summer, this has also been the hottest summer for divorce. 

Many prominent people and top celebrities have announced their Divorce/Separation in the news and social media this summer, including Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, who posted an announcement on Instagram that he and his wife would be divorcing. 

Summer can create an empty nest syndrome, where parents, while their children are at camp or college, realize they have grown apart.  I also found this interesting; paradoxically as many weddings occur in the summer, people attending these weddings sometimes find themselves comparing their own crumbling relationship to new couples while witnessing a beautiful wedding.

Other factors would include the uncertain times and economics that we find ourselves in today. 

Selected excerpt(s) and linked article courtesy of Heather Schwedel, slate(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 #CelebrityDivorce

My dear friend and colleague Elizabeth Vaz is the founder and President of the Long Island Collaborative Divorce Professionals group, which is committed to helping families find a better path when faced with divorce or family conflict.

We are a coalition of interdisciplinary experts comprised of eight attorneys, four financial neutrals, and two family support specialists whose dedication and sole mission is to serve Long Island families in supportive and confidential ways during times of family crisis, and I am proud to be a part of this invaluable service.

To help reach even greater numbers of our Long Island neighbors, our first YouTube video seeks to inform and answer all of the questions you may have regarding the Collaborative Divorce process.

We plan on updating our YouTube channel with even more videos to help foster understanding and further our mission of helping families make informed choices about how best to proceed throughout any family crisis.

For immediate information, please visit:

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Phone: 844-542-3700 • Email: info@licdp.com