Experienced Family Law Attorneys Addressing Changes To Custody And Support Orders

Life is full of changes. If you are divorced or have an existing custody and support order related to paternity, these changes may impact your ability to pay support or engage in parenting time. To accommodate for these shifts, you must obtain a modification to your custody, child support or alimony order.

Failing to do so could lead to an enforcement action. An experienced attorney can help you navigate this complex process efficiently and thoroughly. At Cipriano Law Offices, P.C., we have decades of experience working with individuals throughout Essex County and surrounding communities as they work through their life changes. Child support, alimony and child custody may all be modified, while property division cannot.

The Modification Process

In order to make changes to an existing custody or support order, you must prove that your life circumstances have shifted in a way that is substantial enough to warrant the modification. These changes can include:

  • Change in employment
  • Loss of job
  • Marriage
  • Additional children
  • Illness or injury
  • Parental relocations involving moving with a child

Our child support, custody and alimony modification lawyers are committed to providing concrete, straightforward advice to our clients. We serve as guides and advocates as we help you obtain the best results possible through mediation, settlement or litigation as necessary. Our entire team is involved in your case from its start to its resolution, as we help you make choices that serve the best interests of your children and your future.

Understanding How Changes To Custody And Support Orders Work In New Jersey Family Court

Changing a custody and parenting time arrangement often requires a thorough analysis of every detail. While opportunities or life changes may seem significant to a parent, the courts weigh many factors to determine what may be in the best interests of the children. The perspective of the courts may be difficult for an individual to evaluate without the guidance of a legal team with experience seeking and challenging petitions to revise or change existing child custody and child support orders.

Our legal team keeps up to date on the cutting edge of the law, and serves Northern New Jersey in all aspects of child custody dispute resolution. We guide clients through the difficult issues that may arise when life circumstances change, making a current child custody, child support or alimony order unworkable. Changes in parenting time arrangements may also occur when work-related circumstances change. We represent individuals seeking a post-judgment modification, or those seeking to challenge a change. Our ability to evaluate the details of individual circumstances and apply the law on a case-by case basis helps our clients to understand the full scope of how courts determine these difficult disputes.

Retained Jurisdiction In Child Custody And Support Disputes

Parents should know that New Jersey courts retain jurisdiction over child custody issues when a divorce is finalized or a paternity order is issued. When parents agree to changes in parenting time arrangements or custody matters based upon a change of circumstances, they may seek a consent decree from the court. Note that family law mediation may help parents efficiently reach an agreement. It is important to update existing orders through a consent decree in situations where meaningful changes are made to avoid later disputes.

Often, post-judgment revisions to custody, support or alimony orders involve contentious disputes. It is critical to work with a legal team experienced in all aspects of family law dispute resolution processes. Our legal team is skilled in negotiation, mediation and family law litigation. Moreover, we strategically analyze the facts surrounding a motion to modify an existing family court order to obtain the best possible outcome for our clients. Courts weigh statutory factors in these disputes and how individual facts and circumstances and the law interact are important considerations for addressing these disputes.

Contact Cipriano Law Offices, P.C.

To learn more about our northern New Jersey divorce modification attorneys, you may email us or call our office in West Caldwell at 973-852-3346 to schedule an initial consultation.