Joint Petition for Non-Adversarial Divorce Parties with limited assets who have been married for no more than 8 years and have no children may take advantage of a streamlined non-adversarial approach to divorce by filing a joint petition, which can be granted within 30 days. The joint petition must be notarized and contain the following … Read More
Real Estate – New Legislation
Categories: NewsREAL ESTATE – Legislation – Effective July 1, 2018 Legislation The following real estate related bills were passed and signed into law by the Governor: The highlighted bill sections below can be accessed via the following link:.https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/aearchives/20180701ActsEffective.asp. Abandoned Cemetery Lots – A new law changes the procedure that towns and mutual nonstock cemetery associations or … Read More
Property Transfer in Divorce – It’s Complicated
Categories: DivorceProperty Transfer in Divorce – It’s Complicated At the time of granting a divorce or legal separation the court can assign to either spouse all or any part of the property of the other. If the court judges it necessary to carry out the terms of its divorce decree, it may convey title to real … Read More
Streamlining the Divorce Process – Non-Adversarial Divorce
Categories: DivorceStreamlining the Divorce Process – Non-Adversarial Divorce In an attempt to make the divorce process more accessible and more streamlined for parties with a relatively short marriage, a simple asset picture and no children, and who agree on all aspects of the divorce, the court has adopted a Non-Adversarial Divorce procedure. Parties seeking a Non-Adversarial … Read More
Common Traits of Happy People
Categories: DivorceCommon Traits of Happy People “Happy” according to Dictionary.com, one of the many meanings of this word is “characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or joy.” Among the various definitions in Merriam Webster: “effective, or well adapted; enjoying or characterized by well-being and contentment.” The word has been in the English lexicon since the … Read More
The 2017 Tax Act
Categories: TaxesThe 2017 Tax Act will take some time to fully absorb and to sort out all its implications and impacts. In the meantime, here is a very cursory overview of the law and some of the provisions that may affect you and your family. Standard Deductions. Taxpayers who do not itemize deductions take the “standard” deduction. … Read More
Pet Trusts
Categories: PetsSince 2009 Connecticut law (CGS §45a-489a) allows a person (the “Settlor”) to create a testamentary or a lifetime trust for the benefit of a pet or pets. A Pet Trust can benefit one or more animals alive during the lifetime of the person and it must terminate when the last surviving animal dies. Although generally … Read More
Child Custody – Best Interests of the Child
Categories: Child Custody, DivorceThe court’s primary focus in deciding issues regarding child custody (parental responsibility) is “the best interests of the child.” The court may assign custody to the parents jointly, to either parent, or to a third party, based upon the facts of the case and subject to such conditions and limitations as it deems equitable. The … Read More
Child Support – An Ongoing Responsibility
Categories: Child Support, DivorceA parent’s obligation to support their children is on ongoing responsibility, even after divorce. Couples with minor children who divorce, have an obligation to continue to support their children according to their respective abilities. This obligation continues until such time as each child completes the twelfth grade or attains the age of nineteen whichever occurs … Read More
Alimony – No Easy Answer
Categories: AlimonyUnlike Child Support, Alimony is not calculated using a formula. Rather it is based on a combination of many factors which the court considers in determining whether alimony should be awarded, as well as the duration and the amount of the award. Although the court considers all the factors in making an alimony determination, it … Read More