In 2018, country music singer Thomas Rhett had another hit when he sang “ain’t it funny how life changes, you wake up, ain’t nothing the same.” In the song, aptly titled “Life Changes,” Rhett focuses on joyous life changing events, such as marriage and parenthood. While there is a country music song for almost every […]

In general, the term custody refers to the authority and responsibility to care for and maintain a child as well as control a child’s upbringing. In New Jersey, custody is broken down into two components, legal custody and physical custody. Physical custody means the physical care and supervision of a child. This includes attending to […]

On June 30, 2021, Brian Budic, a partner with Florio Perrucci Steinhardt Cappelli Tipton & Taylor LLC, will present at the New Jersey Association for Justice Boardwalk Seminar® 2021. Budic will present Family Law, Equitable Distribution, and Support Considerations for Personal Injury Clients as part of the event’s Rising Star program. This virtual event will […]

Looking for an attorney can be an incredibly stressful time – especially if you need to hire a divorce lawyer. When people look for a bankruptcy attorney, or a real estate attorney, they normally ask people they trust for a recommendation. With the potential embarrassment some people may feel about needing to consult with a […]

By Brian Budic, Esq. New Jersey Courts have long recognized the unquantifiable benefits of a relationship between children and their grandparents.  Specifically, a New Jersey Supreme Court decision stated “[a] very special relationship often arises and continues between grandparents and grandchildren. The tensions and conflicts which commonly mar relations between parents and children are often […]

Despite a recent rise in coronavirus cases across the State of New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy has now stated that he has no immediate plans to order schools to close. Therefore, Executive Order 175 remains in full force and effect. Execute Order 175 expressly delegates the decision whether to provide in-person instruction, full-time remote instruction, […]

As stay-at-home orders became widespread across the country as a result of COVID-19 earlier this year, there was extensive speculation that an increase in incidents of domestic violence would soon follow. Many based this theory on the reality that individuals would be occupying the same limited space within the home, with nowhere else to go, […]

Generally, New Jersey Superior Court Judges find that it is in a child’s best interest to spend time vacationing with both parents. Accordingly, the allowance for each party to exercise vacation time is frequently set forth in either a Property Settlement Agreement or Court Order. In New Jersey, it is quite common for a Court […]

In matters involving unmarried parents, New Jersey Courts have adopted a presumption in favor of the surname chosen by the custodial parent. Gubernat v. Deremer, 140 N.J. 120, 144 (1995). However, in adopting that presumption, the Court expressly stated, “we readily envision circumstances in which the presumption could be rebutted.” Id. “The non-custodial parent bears […]

In the State of New Jersey, it is a well-established principle that the “primary and overarching consideration” for Courts in making a decision with respect to child custody is the best interests of the child. Generally speaking, it is in a child’s best interest to have both parents involved in the child’s life to the […]