Blog | M. Hart Divorce & Family Law

7/10/20

What You Don’t Know But Should About Shared Child Custody

If you’re a separated or divorcing parent, one of the first things to do is to determine when and how your kids will spend time with each parent. When parents decide to divorce, children need to know and understand what they can expect from each of you, and where they will be and when. For more details about custody and parenting time agreements, check out...

7/3/20

The Key to Custody and Parenting Time Agreements Without Going to Court

If you have kids and are separated or divorced, this post is for you – especially if you want to stay out of court. The big takeaway is this – be able to master the Herculean task of negotiating and working with the other parent. If you’re not yet divorced, custody and parenting time arrangements will need to be made for your children. The least...

6/27/20

One Simple Action To Stay Calm During Difficult Conversations

You know the feeling. You’re in the middle of a conversation with someone – your spouse, friend, or co-worker – when the person says something that offends you or makes you angry. You feel your blood temperature start to rise. And what we do in that moment can mean the difference between a productive conversation and a full-on heated confrontation or argument. In most cases, lashing back...

6/19/20

Spouses Can Now Get Divorced in New Jersey Without Court Appearance

Divorce in New Jersey just got a bit easier and less costly. But there’s a catch. Both you and your spouse need to do two things: 1. Agree on all matters including 2. Sign a legal divorce agreement, commonly called a signed Marital Settlement Agreement. You and your spouse can reach a Marital Settlement Agreement by negotiating directly or with the help of lawyers, or...

6/12/20

How to Confront a Friend or Loved One Who Lets You Down

It’s inevitable. Whether at home or work, someone close to us eventually lets us down. Perhaps we get angry or hurt. It comes with the territory of personal relationships. What can you do? Should you confront the person or stay quiet? The problem with staying quiet is the likelihood of carrying around resentment that affects your interactions with the person and eventually erodes the relationship...

6/5/20

The Inside Scoop on Uncontested Divorce in New Jersey

It’s a common belief that to start the divorce process in New Jersey, you need to file a “Complaint for Divorce” with the court. If you and your spouse are on relatively amicable or civil terms, however, you might reach a divorce agreement quicker and at less cost by first exchanging financial information with your spouse. For instance, your lawyer might ask you to first...

5/29/20

Your Best Bet for an Amicable Divorce

Divorce is more than a legal process. It is an extremely emotional process. It’s also common for one spouse to want a divorce while the other does not. More often, one of the spouses decides, over a period of time, to end the marriage. When you’re the spouse who wants the divorce, it’s important to know this. The way you handle your emotions and the...

5/22/20

Three Powerful Tips to Control Your Emotions in Conflict & Improve Relationships

Whenever we feel attacked or threatened – even if we feel disrespected, insulted, or personally attacked – we experience what’s known as a “fight-flight-freeze” reaction. Simply put, the reasoning part of our brains shuts down and we’re unable to respond rationally in the heat of the moment. And that doesn’t bode well when we want to maintain close meaningful relationships with others. Let’s face it...

5/15/20

Do This One Thing to Productively Resolve Conflict in Your Most Important Relationships

Do you often find yourself holding in your anger at someone to avoid a conflict? Perhaps you’ve held in your anger for so long that you eventually erupt and lash out at this person. As you might surmise, this is not a good way to resolve a conflict. It damages your emotional and physical well-being by creating stress, and it can destroy a relationship. So...

5/8/20

How We Can Get Through These Challenging Times

Challenges are a part of life. And we’re living in an unprecedented challenge right now during this global pandemic. But we can experience this unique challenge as an opportunity (stay with me on this…) The single thing that I’ve found most powerful is to start with your mindset. Sure, on many days I think, “this sucks!” But I’ve also experienced and believe that every challenge,...