Equitable Mediation to Open Three New Locations in Bergen County
October 27, 2011 by Joseph F Dillon · Comments Off
Equitable Mediation Services announced today that it will now be serving divorce mediation clients in Bergen County, New Jersey in the towns of Paramus, Saddle Book and Hackensack, expanding the number of it’s New Jersey office locations to 12.
Managing Partner and Equitable Mediation founder Joseph Dillon said “I know I speak for everyone here at Equitable Mediation when I say that we’re pleased to be able to assist divorce mediation clients in an office location that’s convenient for them during their time of need and by expanding into Paramus, Saddle Book and Hackensack, we’re able to do just that for Bergen County couples.”
Until recently Equitable Mediation Services focused mostly on Central NJ and the lower part of Northern NJ with office locations in Bedminster, Bridgewater, East Brunswick, Iselin (Metropark), Morristown Princeton, Short Hills, Red Bank and Roseland. With the expansion into Bergen County and the towns of Paramus, Saddle Book and Hackensack, clients in those areas will still be able to obtain the benefits of mediation in NJ but in a location that’s much closer to their home. This is especially convenient for those individuals who may live in New Jersey but work in New York City which many Bergen County resident do.
“Our clients come to us from all over the state and up until recently, for those individuals who phoned us seeking mediation services in Paramus, Saddle Book or Hackensack, the best we could do was offer them a meeting in one of our other office locations which for some, wasn’t convenient. Having these three new office locations is going to make it easier on our clients in Bergen County to get the services they need from a firm they can trust. We’ve been mediating for a long time and divorce mediation is our full time profession. Using an unknown firm without Accredited Professional Mediators just isn’t something clients should want to take a chance on.”
Because the laws of the State apply to all clients who are eligible to file for divorce in New Jersey, Equitable Mediation Services is able to service clients no matter where they live. Adding three new Bergen County office locations is in line with the Equitable Mediation philosophy of reducing the stress of an already uncomfortable situation by being where the clients need divorce mediation services the most. For information on the new Equitable Mediation Services office locations, please see the addresses below.
- Paramus Divorce Mediation: 140 East Ridgewood Avenue – Paramus, New Jersey
- Saddle Brook Divorce Mediation: (the Park 80 West building)- 250 Pehle Avenue, Suite 200 – Saddle Brook, New Jersey
- Hackensack Divorce Mediation (opening winter 2012) – 401 Hackensack Avenue – Suite 200 – Hackensack, New Jersey
If you have any questions about divorce mediation in NJ or our services, please call us at (908) 864-2177.
Full Mobile Version of Equitable Mediation Services Website Now Available
October 24, 2011 by Joseph F Dillon · Comments Off
Did you know that 10% of the visitors to the Equitable Mediation Services website are using mobile devices? In order to make it even easier on our visitors, we have developed a true mobile version of our website that works seamlessly with your Android, iPhone or Blackberry device. Simply visit our regular website at www.equitablemediation.com and you’ll be automatically redirected. Or if you’re one of those folks who are smart enough to access it direct, please visit www.equitablemediation.mobi. As always, we welcome your feedback and would love to know what you think. Please call us at (908) 864-2177 with comments or questions.
Financial Issues in Divorce Mediation: Child Support
October 18, 2011 by Joseph F Dillon · Comments Off
As a NJ divorce mediator with both a legal and financial background, I can tell you from experience that most of the issues clients face are financial not legal in nature so over the next three posts I’d like to discuss in more detail the financial issues in divorce mediation starting with Child Support. When calculating Child Support in NJ, the first thing we need to understand is that the guidelines represent the minimum amount of child support allowed. So we run the guidelines and ask the parties if this amount of support seems fair. To reality check this, we use a series of budgets to determine what the household spending on the children was during the marriage and what we anticipate it to be after the divorce. By checking our calculated child support number against the budgets, we can see if they are in line with each other to ensure that the children will not become the economic victims of divorce.
The second financial issue we face with Child Support is that of ordinary versus extraordinary expenses. It’s a fallacy that the Child Support guidelines cover everything: they do not. There are expenses that you as parents will incur that are not in the child support guidelines. Car insurance for the child is one obvious example but what about less obvious examples like clothing? Sure if a child needs some new socks that’s in the Child Support award but back-to-school shopping is not.  By taking the time to understand each child’s unique needs, we can ensure we properly outline what’s in and what’s out of Child Support and make sure again, the children get the financial resources they need.
Finally it’s important we understand that both parents are paying Child Support. In 100% of the cases, one party is providing funds to the other party for what appears to be child support. Typically the argument goes like this “I’m giving you $XXXX in Child Support and that should be more than enough for you to live on!” There are two things wrong with this statement:
- Child Supportt is for the children’s expenses, not the ex-spouses’ so they are not “living” off this money as the children are using 100% of those funds for their day to day expenses.
- Both parties are paying Child Support so this check that is being written is for one party’s share of the support. It by no means covers 100% of the children’s expenses.
The bottom line is your children will need resources from both of you in order to lead happy and healthy lives and it’s up to the both of you as parents to provide those resources. By being aware of the financial issues surrounding Child Support up front, we can come to an agreement that has each of you contributing to your child’s well-being and allowing them to lead happy and healthy lives. Remember you may no longer be husband and wife but you’ll always be mom and dad.
Have questions about Child Support? Please give our office a call at (908) 864-2177 as we’d be more than happy to help.
