Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Personal Injury Awards in divorce

Personal Injury Awards in divorce. If one party was injured during the marriage, the other party may be entitled to a portion of any personal injury award based on lost earnings. This may be true even if the award is not received until after the parties are divorced. This may be the type of situation where you will need the services of an attorney in order to actually receive what you are entitled to receive. ) Keep in mind that receiving a personal injury award may affect your eligibility for public benefits.

source http://www.lsnjlaw.org/english/family/divorce/divorcenj/divch1/index.cfm#ch1prep

Health Insurance if divorced

Health Insurance if divorced

If your spouse works for an employer with 20 or more employees and his or her employer provides him or her with group health benefits, you can request that your spouse continue to cover you under his or her insurance policy for a limited time after the divorce. The law that requires employers to offer this continuation or extension of health coverage in certain instances where coverage under that plan would normally end is known as COBRA, which stands for Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1986, the official title of that federal law. If your spouse’s employer does not have health insurance, or is not covered by COBRA, you can request that the court order that he or she pay for the cost of insurance for you and your children.
source http://www.lsnjlaw.org/english/family/divorce/divorcenj/divch1/index.cfm#ch1prep

Pensions and Retirement Accounts in divorce

Pensions and Retirement Accounts. If you or your spouse has a pension, you will probably want to consult a lawyer. To divide a pension, you will need to get a special evaluation. A pension expert must estimate the value of the pension at the time it will be paid and tell the court how to determine the amount of the pension that should go to the other spouse. The expert will prepare a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO), which will explain how to divide the pension. This order must be approved by the court. The portion of the pension that goes to the other spouse is usually based on the number of years the parties were married.


source http://www.lsnjlaw.org/english/family/divorce/divorcenj/divch1/index.cfm#ch1prep

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Kenneth Vercammen Law Office 25th Anniversary Party Friday, July 30, 2010

Kenneth Vercammen Law Office
25th Anniversary Party
Friday, July 30, 2010


"Celebrating 25 years of providing excellent service to clients and the community"
1985-2010
Happy Hour, Open House, Client & Community Appreciation Social. Open to the public 4-7 PM

Food, Refreshments, T- shirts and special gifts

The Law office is located at 2053 Woodbridge Avenue, Edison, NJ 08817 near the Nixon Post Office, approximately 1/2 mile from Route 1/ Wick Plaza, and 1 mile from Middlesex County College. There is 50 parking spaces nearby on Russell Ave. and Lillian St. around the corner from Kim’s Kafe, on Woodbridge Ave. near the Green Derby Tavern, and across the street on School House Lane.
Visit our website at www.njlaws.com for Directions and other details or call and we will fax directions or email at KenV@njlaws.com

Kenneth Vercammen, Esq. at (732) 572-0500(Law office)
Fax form to 732-572-0030 or email
kenvnjlaws@verizon.net

-Yes, We will be attending the party

Name: _____________________________
email: _____________________________
http://www.kennethvercammen.com/25th.party.html

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Equitable Distribution of Marital Assets and marital debt NJ

Equitable Distribution of Marital Assets and marital debt NJ

Equitable distribution refers to how to divide property and debts that were incurred during the marriage between the parties under New Jersey divorce laws. Property and debts are not automatically divided 50/50, although they sometimes are. In dividing property, the judge will decide what is fair. If you have a substantial amount of property, you will probably want to consult with a lawyer about equitable distribution.

Normally, decisions about dividing property and debts cannot be changed after the judgment of divorce. In unusual cases, you may be able to get a change if you can show the court that there is a very good reason to change the decision.

Marital property can include:

Real property (a house or land).
Personal property (furniture or cars).
Severance pay, pensions (even though you may not receive the money until sometime in the future), and personal injury awards.
In deciding the issue of equitable distribution of marital property, the judge must do the following:

Decide what property is marital property.
Determine the value of each piece of property to be divided.
Determine how the property will be divided between the parties.
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Equitable Distribution of Marital Debt. Marital debt is defined as any debt brought about by either party between the date of their marriage and the filing of a divorce complaint. However, the court may not consider all debt acquired during that time to be marital debt. Debt that comes from purchasing items not related to the marriage, especially purchases made after a separation, may not be subject to equitable distribution. In that situation, the court will often decide that only the spouse who incurs that non-marital debt is responsible for it.

Warning: See a lawyer if you or your spouse has significant debt.

In deciding the issue of equitable distribution of marital debt, the judge must do the following:

Decide what debt is marital debt.
Decide how much debt each party will be responsible for.
Generally, if the parties incur debts during the marriage, they are both potentially responsible for it. However, it may be possible to prove that a debt belongs to only one party. The other party will have to show that the debt happened after the parties stopped living together, or that the debt is for items unrelated to the parties’ relationship.

Warning: If you are separated, and your spouse is authorized to use your credit card, you will probably want to cancel that authorization even before your divorce is final.

In deciding how to divide property and debts, the court must look at a number of factors, including:

The length of the marriage.
The age and physical and emotional health of both parties.
The income or property each party brought to the marriage.
The parties’ current economic circumstances.
Any written agreement between the parties concerning property distribution.
The custodial parent’s need to own or use the parties’ home and household items.
Expected future medical or educational costs for a spouse or child.
Any other factors the court finds relevant.


Special Considerations

Pensions and Retirement Accounts. If you or your spouse has a pension, you will probably want to consult a lawyer. To divide a pension, you will need to get a special evaluation. A pension expert must estimate the value of the pension at the time it will be paid and tell the court how to determine the amount of the pension that should go to the other spouse. The expert will prepare a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO), which will explain how to divide the pension. This order must be approved by the court. The portion of the pension that goes to the other spouse is usually based on the number of years the parties were married.



source http://www.lsnjlaw.org/english/family/divorce/divorcenj/divch1/index.cfm#ch1prep

Alimony/Spousal Support NJ

Alimony/Spousal Support

Alimony refers to support paid by one spouse to the other to help the other spouse continue to live the way he or she lived while married. Alimony may be awarded to either party in a divorce action. The rules of alimony apply to both parties regardless of gender. Keep in mind that receiving alimony may affect your eligibility for public benefits. Please see Important Information About Doing Your Own Divorce.

There are several different types of alimony.

Permanent alimony. Generally, permanent alimony is awarded only if the parties have been married for a very substantial time period, or if you are financially dependent or permanently unable to work because of disability or lack of skills or work experience. You may get alimony for the rest of your life or until you remarry. Either party may apply to the court after the divorce to adjust the amount of alimony when there has been a change in the parties’ circumstances.
Limited duration alimony. You may get temporary alimony until the occurrence of a particular event, such as when you get a job. In determining how long to grant alimony, the court must consider how long it will take you to improve your earning capacity so that alimony is no longer needed. The court can change the award based on changed circumstances or if the expected event does not occur. The court can change the amount of the award but will rarely change the length of time for alimony to be paid.
Rehabilitative alimony. You will probably get temporary rehabilitative alimony if you are likely to be able to support yourself after more education or training. You must show the specific steps for rehabilitation and the amount of time they are expected to take. This type of alimony can also be changed based upon changed circumstances.
Reimbursement alimony. You can get this type of alimony if you supported your spouse through school or training and expected to benefit from your spouse’s increased income after finishing school.
In deciding whether or not to award alimony, the court should consider a number of factors. These include:

The parties’ actual needs and ability to pay.
The length of the marriage.
The age and physical and emotional health of both parties.
The standard of living established during the marriage and the parties’ abilities to maintain a reasonably comparable standard of living.
The parties’ earning capacities, educational levels, vocational skills, and employability.
The length of time the party seeking alimony has been out of the job market.
The parental responsibilities of the party seeking alimony.
Each party’s financial or non-financial contributions to the marriage.
Any other income available to the parties.
The equitable distribution of property and debts.
The tax consequences of any alimony award.
Any other factors the court finds relevant.
source http://www.lsnjlaw.org/english/family/divorce/divorcenj/divch1/index.cfm#ch1prep

Types of Relief in a Divorce Complaint

Types of Relief in a Divorce Complaint

You must decide what you want and ask for those things in your divorce complaint. For example, you can ask the court to:

Grant alimony (also called spousal support). When you complete your complaint, you only need to make a general request for alimony/spousal support. You do not need to specify a dollar amount at this time.
Divide property (also called equitable distribution):
Divide personal property (such as furniture or cars);
Divide real property (such as a house or land); and
Divide debts.
You do not need to specify the details concerning division of property in your complaint.
Allow you to change your name.
Order that one or both parties have custody of the minor children.
Order that one or both parties have parenting time/visitation with the children. Once again, this is a general request. You do not need to specify the details concerning custody or parenting time/visitation.
Order child support. You do not need to specify a dollar amount in the complaint, but you do need to make a general request.
source