Blog | M. Hart Divorce & Family Law

12/4/21

From time to time, I get calls from people struggling with a family law issue and want to know if I offer “free consultations.” Common family law issues include: How does property get divided in a divorce? What are my rights if I decide to divorce? How can I collect child support from my ex? What if my spouse wants a divorce but I don’t?...

11/19/21

How to Get What You Want in any Negotiation in Business and Life

Whether we know it or not, we are negotiating all the time. From salary negotiations or business deals to buying a home or a car or negotiating bedtimes or curfews with our kids. Knowing how to effectively negotiate is a critical life skill that can yield dividends in every area of your life. But many negotiations become stuck between competing positions to get as much...

11/13/21

Six Powerful Actions to Overcome Negative Bias and Improve Your Relationships

As human beings, our brains default to focus more on negative experiences than positive ones. Psychologists call this Negativity bias drives our thoughts, feelings, and actions. And this can have a profound effect on our relationships – with our spouses, kids, extended family members, employees, bosses, business partners, and colleagues. For example, negativity bias makes it more likely to magnify your partner’s faults or...

11/6/21

What Divorcing Spouses Can Do When Virtual Court Stalls Settlement

Divorcing spouses should not rush to court these days. Once you file a divorce complaint with the court, you’re on the court’s timeline and required to attend mandatory settlement conferences and mediation to try to reach an agreement on issues like But since the start of the pandemic, mandatory court settlement appearances are held virtually with little success. The problem is that there is...

10/29/21

The Zoom Effect on Divorce Settlements in New Jersey

Divorcing spouses and their attorneys have been appearing in court remotely since the start of the pandemic. According to some New Jersey family court judges, court appearances will not resume in person until sometime in late 2022. In the meantime, more and more divorce cases are not settling. When divorcing spouses and their attorneys physically go to court for a motion or settlement conference, for...

10/18/21

The #1 Reason Couples Divorce According to a Divorce Lawyer

As a divorce and family lawyer for over 20 years, divorcing spouses come to my office deciding to call it quits for wide variety of reasons. But there really is one common thread I see over and over again. It’s the breakdown in the ability to effectively communicate with each other. And this tends to differ between men and women. Men, for instance, often talk...

10/8/21

Three Alternatives to Court for Your New Jersey Divorce

Contrary to common belief, going to court for a divorce is not the only option; and, in my experience as a family lawyer for over 20 years, I find that court is generally the last resort. While some divorcing spouses might want their “day in court,” it’s generally not an outcome they would expect or want. After all, judges are human like everyone else. And there...

10/2/21

How to Divorce Amicably without Court

Contrary to common belief, to get a divorce in New Jersey, you don’t need to file a divorce complaint with the court right away. Depending on your circumstances, it might make sense to reach a divorce agreement with your spouse first. Because generally, once you file the divorce complaint with the court, both you and your spouse are forced to abide by court-imposed events and...

9/24/21

Emotions Can Derail Personal Connection & Relationships – Here’s What We Can Do, According to a Bestselling Author

We might very often find ourselves letting our emotions get the best of us and say or do something that hurts an important relationship – whether in our families or workplaces. Our emotions can drive us to act in ways that cut us off from connection and the intimacy that we all need and crave. In the #1 Brene Brown is a research professor at...

9/10/21

Three Powerful Lessons on Humanity to Learn from 9/11

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on our country, we might take a moment to reflect on what we can learn from that fateful day that changed history forever. According to 1. We are all connected. 9/11 was the awakening of the idea of global connectedness and exposed us to the love and support of people all over the...