Law and Mediation Office of Helene Bernstein, PLLC Legal Blog

I am a big fan of the television show This Is Us. Although I am sad to see the show end, I was excited to see the show highlighting the use of divorce mediation by the characters Toby and Kate as the respectful and collaborative alternative to divorce litigation....

By Helene Bernstein, Esq. of the Law and Mediation Office of Helene Bernstein, PLLC. As New York begins to reopen, I’m excited to announce that I have joined the Board of Directors of FamilyKind. Since joining FamilyKind over a decade ago as a founding member, I’ve...

As a mediator, I come across clients who tell me they want to stay married but either marital therapy didn’t work for them or their spouse has no interest in attending therapy. I recently attended a training on the topic of Martial Mediation in order to provide...

During this pandemic and COVID-19, many divorced or separated couples have requested modification of their child support orders pursuant to their divorce agreement or Family Court court orders. However, asking a judge or a support magistrate to make such changes is...

I recently received a favorable decision for my client, the former husband, in the case of Christina Giasemis v. Peter Giasemis, 2020 N.Y.Slip Op. 5491 (October 2020, Second Department ) a post-divorce judgment case where the appellate court reversed the lower court...

As a mediator/attorney who offers private mediation services and consultant mediation services through Familykind (www.familykind.org), an organization that provides services to families experiencing separation and divorce, I had the opportunity this month with Andrea...

I recently had the opportunity to join Stacy Francis on the Financially Ever After podcast. As we discussed on the show, COVID-19 is having a profound impact on the world of divorce. Here are a few highlights discussed on the program: A key point to consider is that...

Co-parenting can be challenging in normal times. During this pandemic co-parents must work together in order to meet today’s unique challenges. Today, I’d like to discuss what you and your co-parent should be thinking about and how you might tackle some of these new...

From left to right: Emily Jonas, Bess Steiger, Lesley Friedland, Dona Kahn, Jenny Psaki, Helene Bernstein FamilyKind was proud to send a group of highly skilled mediators and parent educators, from New York, New Jersey, and Westchester (pictured above), to work with...

This time of year is a joyous time of year for Jewish families to get together and celebrate the holidays. It is also a time for increased conflict for separated or divorced parents who want to spend time with their children. Couples should sit down with a Jewish...