Alton L Abramowitz

January 30, 2015 | New York Law Journal

In his Divorce Law column, Alton L. Abramowitz writes: It is time for the Legislature to take a look at the Equitable Distribution Law and to ask itself whether it is time to enact a presumption of equal distribution of marital assets that puts the burden of proof on the party seeking an unequal division, usually the more economically powerful spouse, rather than on the spouse providing contributions that cannot be measured in dollars alone.

By Alton L. Abramowitz

9 minute read

January 29, 2015 | New York Law Journal

In his Divorce Law column, Alton L. Abramowitz writes: It is time for the Legislature to take a look at the Equitable Distribution Law and to ask itself whether it is time to enact a presumption of equal distribution of marital assets that puts the burden of proof on the party seeking an unequal division, usually the more economically powerful spouse, rather than on the spouse providing contributions that cannot be measured in dollars alone.

By Alton L. Abramowitz

9 minute read

January 26, 2015 | New York Law Journal

Alton L. Abramowitz, Chair of the Family Law Section, discusses a legislative proposal that provides a framework that will surely enable our system of divorce to better serve the families of litigants.

By Alton L. Abramowitz

5 minute read

January 22, 2015 | New York Law Journal

Alton L. Abramowitz, Chair of the Family Law Section, discusses a legislative proposal that provides a framework that will surely enable our system of divorce to better serve the families of litigants.

By Alton L. Abramowitz

5 minute read

October 29, 2014 | New York Law Journal

In his Divorce Law column, Alton L. Abramowitz discusses a recent decision in which a Support Magistrate authorized the petitioner in a support proceeding to serve the respondent with the summons and petition via Facebook, perhaps signaling the dawn of a new era in the often frustrating realm of serving process on evasive defendants in matrimonial and other family law proceedings.

By Alton L. Abramowitz

10 minute read

July 29, 2014 | New York Law Journal

In his Divorce Law column, Alton L. Abramowitz a senior partner at Mayerson Abramowitz & Kahn, writes: The battle over how to distribute the "profits" due to appreciation, as well as the underlying initial investment at the time of purchase of a marital residence, can become one of the most difficult and important financial issues confronting the attorneys for a divorcing couple, oftentimes bringing to the forefront anger that has built up for many years over real and imagined slights, all revolving around the questions of: "Whose house is it?" or "What contributions did my spouse make?"

By Alton L. Abramowitz

12 minute read

April 30, 2014 | New York Law Journal

In their Divorce Law column, Alton L. Abramowitz and Sophie Jacobi-Parisi of Mayerson Abramowitz & Kahn write that as recent opinions illustrate, there are still no easy solutions when a divorced custodial parent seeks to relocate with a child. A search for a pattern providing precedential guidance leads to the question: Has the unspoken question of gender bias, perhaps a lack of economic equality, at last made it to the forefront of relocation determinations in the First Department?

By Alton L. Abramowitz and Sophie Jacobi-Parisi

13 minute read

January 31, 2014 | New York Law Journal

In his Divorce Law column, Alton L. Abramowitz, a senior partner at Mayerson Abramowitz & Kahn, writes: New York courts have repeatedly turned a blind eye to the fundamental right of divorcing parents to fully and properly prepare to confront the evidence that will be presented against them at a custody trial. The rules governing access to forensic reports are restrictive and inconsistent, but proposed legislation attempts to address these shortcomings.

By Alton L. Abramowitz

11 minute read

October 31, 2013 | New York Law Journal

In his Divorce Law column, Alton L. Abramowitz, a senior partner at Mayerson Abramowitz & Kahn, writes that on the one hand, reviewing a forensic evaluator's underlying materials before a custody trial would improve a litigant's ability to cross-examine the findings and methodology. On the other hand, those materials contain highly sensitive information, the disclosure of which could damage relationships and give evaluators pause about memorializing initial impressions in writing.

By Alton L. Abramowitz

11 minute read

February 27, 2012 | New York Law Journal

In the debut of his Divorce Law column, Alton L. Abramowitz, a partner at Mayerson Abramowitz & Kahn and the national president-elect of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, writes that, unfortunately, the focus for New York precedents have been on the age-old concepts of "custody and visitation" and, as a result, the goal of achieving what is "in the best interests of the child" is only partially fulfilled.

By Alton L. Abramowitz

7 minute read