What is a “Negotiation Coach”?
Posted in Clients,Divorce,Mediation, negotiation & dispute resolution on January 12, 2018
A Negotiation Coach? What’s That? By Chaim Steinberger (c) 2018 From time to time, I’m approached by people who don’t want to do their negotiating through lawyers. They may believe that lawyers might make matters unnecessarily complicated. They might inflame the situation. Or one party doesn’t want to hire a lawyer and doesn’t feel comfortable… read more
How Badly Will Divorce Harm My Children?
Posted in Uncategorized on January 10, 2018
The Harms of Divorce By Chaim Steinberger Approximately three times as many children of divorce drop out of school and have children of their own while they themselves are still teenagers than that of children of non-divorced parents. [1] Taking Stock of Parent Education in Family Courts: Envisioning a Public Health Approach, 51 Family Court… read more
Lucky Boy is Awarded Three Parents
Posted in Uncategorized on March 31, 2017
In a recent, unusual decision the Supreme Court, Suffolk County (H. Patrick Leis, III, J.), awarded a 10-year old boy three parents. The unusual facts of the case justified this unusual result. The case, Dawn M. v. Michael M., 47 NYS3d 898, 2017 WL 923725 (Supreme Court, Suffolk Cty., 3/8/2017), involved a husband and wife… read more
Always, Always, Always, Challenge an “Indicated” SCR Report of Abuse or Neglect
Posted in Divorce,Lawyers,Resources for Lawyers on December 15, 2016
Always, Always, Always, Challenge an “Indicated” SCR Report of Abuse or Neglect: The standards are higher for a neglect finding at the administrative review or fair hearing (c) 2016 By Chaim Steinberger New York State has three independent, though interconnected, systems of dealing with parents accused of abusing or neglecting their children. First, there’s the… read more
Eternity with that “Bastard”?
Posted in Clients,Divorce,Lawyers,Resources for Lawyers on December 8, 2016
Eternity With That “Bastard”? Who Says the Fun Has to Stop: Decades-old Family Feud Continues After Death In a decision issued two weeks ago, a judge was called on to decide whether a sister may disinter a decedent (a person who died), from where she was buried by her son in Queens, NY, to Jerusalem,… read more
“Should I attend therapy or wait until the custody battle is over?”
Posted in Clients,Divorce,Uncategorized on November 13, 2016
Someone just asked me whether she should attend therapy during a divorce and custody litigation or wait until the litigation was done. That is, she wanted to know whether a divorce court deciding custody issues would be biased against a parent who is [diagnosed and] in therapy. Here’s what I answered: The best answer to… read more
Lying Lawyers? “I’m shocked, shocked!”
Posted in Clients,Divorce,Lawyers,Uncategorized on April 1, 2016
In Court this morning, opposing counsel said that he didn’t lie in his papers. “I didn’t say I never signed it,” he claimed. “I just said I didn’t remember signing it. That’s something entirely different.” That was the basis for my motion for sanctions. Based on his attempted deception of the Court. The judge looked… read more
Do Judges Know All the Law?
Posted in Divorce,Lawyers on March 29, 2016
(c) 2016, Chaim Steinberger, Esq. Many people have misconceptions about the legal system. For example, many people believe that all judges know all the laws. That when they’re presented with issues like an oracle, they pronounce the law cleanly, correctly, and accurately every time, from on up high. Unfortunately, our society, and the laws that… read more
Prenups: Protection or Peril?
Posted in Divorce on March 16, 2016
Prenuptial agreements are on the rise (see, e.g., WSJ article). But do you really need one? Is having one a good idea or a bad one? Does it offer you protection or will it hurt you and your family-to-be by creating a self-fulfilling prophecy? Most people don’t realize that negotiating and signing (“executing,” in legal… read more
Getting Even or Getting Ahead: Do divorce litigants want nasty lawyers or would they rather win?
Posted in Clients,Lawyers on March 13, 2016
(c) 2016 CHAIM STEINBERGER, P.C., By Chaim Steinberger Descending in the elevator from a meeting of the New York County Lawyers’ Association Matrimonial Law Committee, one lawyer asked a newer one, “Where are you working now?” She answered with the name of a prominent, well-known, scorched-earth firm. I bit my tongue as the conversation about… read more