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Forty years ago, no-fault divorce was a controversial topic. Among the arguments made against it was that the full-time homemaker would lose leverage if unilateral divorce became a reality. But the American household has changed considerably over the years: more and more, two-parent earner households are the norm, and the working mom/stay-at-home dad model has become commonplace. Since 1969, when Gov. Reagan signed the nation’s first no-fault divorce law, the country has gradually fallen into place with no-fault divorce legislation—except for New York State. But that seems about to change. On Tuesday, June 15, the State Senate’s Democratic Majority passed a legislative package that seeks to finally end New York’s status as the remaining state without no-fault divorce. The No-Fault Divorce bill restructures New York State’s matrimonial law to streamline the process and improve the outcome of divorce for New Yorkers. The bill, approved 32-29, would allow no-fault divorce after a marriage has “irretrievably” broken down for six months or more and after all financial and custody issues are resolved. The legislative package must still pass the State Assembly, which is considering two bills that would adopt some version of no-fault divorce. Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson, a Democrat from Westchester and the Bronx who was chief Senate sponsor of the bill, said after the vote, “What I’m hoping is that because the Assembly now has a partner in the Senate, that will give impetus to help the Assembly move along.” Under current law, New York couples who want to divorce must fault […]

On Wednesday, June 9, 2010, John Jay College, the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation, and the Family & Divorce Mediation Counsel of Greater New York sponsored a panel discussion on the Proposed Maintenance Guidelines. The panel was comprised of three attorneys, Steven Abel, Esq., Alton L. Abramowitz, Esq., Emily Ruben, Esq. and forensic accountant and business valuation expert, Mark S. Gottlieb, CPA. The program was moderated by Rod Wells, CFP. While the panel and the audience primarily agreed the intent of the proposed legislation has merit – there was some concern whether the proposed legislation addresses the need of a mechanism to calculate maintenance awards. Emily Ruben, Esq. (Attorney-in Charge of the Brooklyn Neighborhood Office of The Legal Aid Society) pointed out that many couples going through a divorce do not have substantial assets to divide and that their greatest asset of the marriage is frequently the income of the more-monied spouse.   That being said, moderate and low-income spouses usually cannot afford the often costly litigation required to establish a right to maintenance. Considering the unpredictable and inconsistent climate of maintenance awards, the less-monied spouse will usually settle, albeit under some pressure, to avoid costly litigation. The New York legislative houses are each considering possible legislation to establish guidelines for post-marital income sharing not dissimilar to the Child Support Standards Act. By establishing guidelines for both the amount of maintenance to be awarded and the duration of the award, post-marital guidelines would provide the consistency and predictability for spousal support […]