Timothy M Tippins

June 28, 2024 | New York Law Journal

In this article, Timothy M. Tippins shares some thoughts that may be useful to the rising generation as well as to fellow 'Old Schoolers' who are now charged with welcoming and acclimating the newcomers into our profession.

By Timothy M. Tippins

12 minute read

March 06, 2024 | New York Law Journal

In his Matrimonial Practice column, Timothy M. Tippins discusses a recent ex cathedra assault on due process that should evoke concern, if not outrage, from the entire profession.

By Timothy M. Tippins

14 minute read

January 03, 2024 | New York Law Journal

In his Matrimonial Practice column, Timothy M. Tippins explores the historic role of fault in equitable distribution and considers recent decisions that suggest the forces of change may be afoot.

By Timothy M. Tippins

12 minute read

January 12, 2022 | New York Law Journal

In this edition of his Matrimonial Practice column, Timothy M. Tippins outlines the broad contours of the Report of the Blue-Ribbon Commission on Forensic Custody Evaluations and its recommendations, as well as the historical context of forensic evaluations that led to formation of the Commission.

By Timothy M. Tippins

15 minute read

May 12, 2021 | New York Law Journal

In a previous edition of his Matrimonial Practice column, Timothy M. Tippins called attention to the fact that the "willingness to foster" factor in custody litigation—the disposition of one parent to foster the relationship between the child and the other parent—was emerging as something of a super-factor, wielding a force capable of swamping an array of other variables that cut in the opposite direction. As Tippins discusses in today's column, a recent appellate decision seems to propel this factor to an apotheosis of power previously unimagined.

By Timothy M. Tippins

13 minute read

March 03, 2021 | New York Law Journal

In his column on Matrimonial Practice, Timothy M. Tippins explores the implications of 'People v. Williams' and its potential impact in the context of forensic custody reports and testimony.

By Timothy M. Tippins

12 minute read

February 05, 2021 | New York Law Journal

In his Matrimonial Practice column, Timothy M. Tippins uses the so-called "expertise" that we've seen almost daily during the pandemic to illustrate the point that expert utterances need to be assessed with a massive measure of skepticism. Specifically, forensic testimony in custody trials is one that is truly ripe for intense and skeptical judicial scrutiny.

By Timothy M. Tippins

11 minute read

March 04, 2020 | New York Law Journal

Social science research has convincingly demonstrated that the opinions of mental health professionals simply cannot be trusted when they are not supported by research-validated knowledge. The significance of that research extends beyond the ivy-covered walls of academia; it also has profound implications for the courtroom when purported experts come knocking. In his Matrimonial Practice column, Timothy M. Tippins explores those implications in a historical context and describes recently reported research suggesting that courts are being less than vigilant gatekeepers in the face of shoddy mental health testimony.

By Timothy M. Tippins

20 minute read

November 05, 2019 | New York Law Journal

In his Matrimonial Practice column, Timothy M. Tippins explores the question of whether the subjective, nonscientific judgment of evaluators, predicated upon their years of experience, is a legitimate basis for their opinions.

By Timothy M. Tippins

18 minute read

September 04, 2019 | New York Law Journal

In his Matrimonial Practice column, Timothy M. Tippins addresses the essential role of psychological research in the conduct of forensic custody evaluations. He further addresses the abandonment of that research-base by no small number of evaluators, and the significance of that dereliction, which must be fully understood by the lawyers and judges who are the consumers of these reports.

By Timothy M. Tippins

17 minute read