Morristown Divorce Attorneys

Divorce Attorneys in Morris County, New Jersey

If you are getting a divorce, you need a law firm that can protect your rights and guide you through this tough time and on to better circumstances. Our firm will explore every option on the table to achieve a favorable outcome on your behalf. Contact Lazor Rantas, PC to discuss your situation and get the help you need from a dedicated team.

Practice Areas

The attorneys at Lazor Rantas, PC have nearly four decades of combined experience representing clients throughout New Jersey and guiding them through the divorce process, including the following legal matters:

It is important to have a legal team you trust to represent your interests and protect your future in a divorce. Our firm can help you achieve your goals whether through litigation, negotiation, or divorce mediation. We want to help you understand your options and make the right decision for yourself.

Contested Divorce

Most contested divorces are based on various issues, including alimony, property distribution, child support, and child custody. Generally, when these issues are not resolved by agreement they are considered “contested” matters a judge must decide. When the issues are resolved by agreement, the divorce becomes “uncontested.”

Alternative Dispute Resolution

One way to reach an agreement is through mediation. Mediation is a confidential process where parties meet with a mediator, who is usually an attorney. The mediator is not an advocate for either party and does not give legal advice. As a result, the goal of mediation is not identifying what each party is entitled to under the law, but rather ascertaining what each party can live with in terms of an agreement. At the conclusion of the mediation, the mediator drafts a document called a Memorandum of Understanding, or “MOU.”

The MOU is a tentative, nonbinding statement of the terms discussed in mediation. Generally, the MOU is not an enforceable agreement and is typically afforded the same level of confidentiality as the mediation process itself. To make the MOU binding the parties, either directly or assisted by counsel, reduce the terms in the MOU into a Matrimonial Settlement Agreement or other applicable agreement, which, when properly entered and executed, represents a binding resolution of the open issues.

Jennifer Lazor and Erin Rantas are qualified family law mediators and can serve clients both as mediators and as attorneys assisting clients undergoing mediation. Lazor Rantas, PC recommends engaging a family law attorney prior to or during the mediation process, even if the attorney does not attend the mediation. Why? Since the mediator does not give legal advice, a party should know the law and how his or her claims measure up according to the law. Learning this information preemptively instead of after-the-fact helps to prevent “buyer’s remorse”, which can arise, for example, when a party undertakes review of the MOU with an attorney after mediation.

Mediation is not the only path to an agreement. For example, parties can reach agreements directly with one another and then retain respective counsel to draft and finalize the terms; or attorneys can work directly with one another to reach agreements for their clients outside of mediation. Additionally, parties can undergo the arbitration process as well. Here, the parties select a qualified individual to act as a “judge” to make decisions on any outstanding contested matters of the divorce. Arbitration takes place outside of the court and can be a binding or non-binding process.

Contact Lazor Rantas, PC

If you are thinking about getting a divorce in the state of New Jersey, we are ready to help. Our firm handles cases across New Jersey including the counties of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, and Union, and the local towns, including but not limited to Morristown, Livingston, Madison, Millburn, Chatham, New Providence, New Vernon, Short Hills, and Summit. The legal team at Lazor Rantas, PC can help you navigate the complexities of the divorce process. Contact Lazor Rantas, PC today to discuss your case.

Divorce