Family Law News

Judges Can Order Parents To Attend Classes To Ease Divorce Trauma On Children

NEW YORK—Judges in New York State will have the authority to mandate parents involved in custody or visitation disputes to attend certified parent education programs, following a new court rule issued today. The programs, designed to give parents practical tools to reduce the stress of family break-up on their children and protect them from the negative effects of parental conflict, have been available for several years, but until now, judges have only been able to make referrals, not order participation. As a result, compliance with these program referrals has been lower than optimal.

The new rule, which goes into effect immediately, was adopted by the Administrative Board of the Courts and promulgated by Chief Administrative Judge Jonathan Lippman.

“Under the leadership of Chief Judge Judith Kaye, the benefits of parent education programs have been well established in New York,” said Judge Lippman. “They help reduce parental conflict and ease the trauma of family break-up on youngsters. However, without the authority to mandate participation in these valuable programs, judges are finding that litigants are not complying with their referrals. This new court rule will give teeth to a judge's order, which ultimately serves the best interests of the children and families involved.” Read more at nycourts.gov

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	Did You Know?
	You may be able to leave your pension to your spouse or child. In general, if you are married, your spouse is entitled to a portion of your pension if you die first. There is some cost to that, however, that usually serves to reduce the monthly retirement payments you would have received if the benefits were to be paid just during your lifetime. If you and your spouse agree, you can waive this survivor benefit protection, and/or sometimes name some other person(s) (such as a child) as your beneficiary. Consult with your family lawyer and review the plan summary carefully to find out your rights and responsibilities in this area.