Middlesex County Divorce

The second-most populous county in New Jersey is Middlesex County, which has its county seat in New Brunswick. The median income for a Middlesex County household is over $60,000. The county is mostly flat and is divided by the Raritan River. It is the site of Rutgers, which is the state university of New Jersey. Over a third of the households in the county have children under the age of 18, and unfortunately some of these marriages end in divorce or separation, which raise complicated issues. The Middlesex County divorce lawyers at Goldstein Law Group can assist you with any related matters that arise, including property division, alimony, child custody, and child support.

In New Jersey, divorce is also called dissolution of marriage. During divorce proceedings, the court will make decisions about many aspects of each spouse’s future, including how property and debts will be divided, who will pay child support, and which parent will have primary responsibility for the children. One spouse will be the plaintiff in the lawsuit, although in many cases both spouses are seeking a divorce. You can only file for divorce in New Jersey if at least one spouse is a resident of the state for at least 12 months directly preceding the filing of a divorce petition.

A plaintiff can file either a no-fault or a fault divorce. No-fault divorces are filed if a couple has been separated for at least 18 months before the start of the proceedings or if there are irreconcilable differences for at least six months before the start of the proceedings. Fault divorces are filed on the grounds that one spouse's conduct caused the marriage to fail. The reasons a marriage might fail and a fault divorce might be granted include extreme cruelty (such as domestic violence or abuse), mental illness, or desertion. A divorce attorney can advise Middlesex County residents on whether a fault divorce may be appropriate.

In some cases, spouses agree on all of the important issues in the divorce, including who should pay alimony, how debts will be divided, and where the kids will live. However, in most cases, you may have strong disagreements with your spouse about some aspect of the divorce. If you differ on any issue, your divorce will be a contested matter that can be scheduled for trial.

In many cases, even in contested matters, it is possible to negotiate a settlement that will work for both parties, before the judge issues a final decision. There are many opportunities before trial to persuade your soon-to-be ex-spouse of your position, or to achieve some type of compromise. Uncontested divorces can proceed to a final hearing quickly if the marriage has lasted at most five years, the spouses have written and signed a property settlement agreement, there is no dispute about how much the spouses make or how much their assets are worth, and there are no disagreements related to parenting time or child custody.

At Goldstein Law Group, our Middlesex County divorce attorneys have a sophisticated practice that assists individuals seeking a divorce and trying to resolve complex related issues. Our attorneys can negotiate to settle as many points of contention as possible before trial, while preparing for any hearings that may be needed. We maintain our main office in Metuchen. Contact us at 732-967-6777 or via our online form for a Free 10 Minute Case Evaluation* with a family law attorney.