The Handbook
From the Introduction:
Over the forty years that I have practiced matrimonial and family law in New York State, I have often been asked to share the methods that our office created and refined to serve our clients so successfully, and to relate some of our clients’ stories.
The result is this book, a sort of Reader’s Digest guide to getting through a divorce with the best possible outcome, personally, emotionally and financially. Women makeup 85 percent of my clients, so I decided that women considering divorce could benefit the most from such a handbook.
To put the legal issues in perspective, the odd-numbered chapters represent our office policy and protocol that we have developed over the years. The even-numbered chapters reflect a composite of some of our clients who tell how they went through their own divorces, from a simple case to an average standard divorce to a highly complex case involving custody, enhanced earnings, maintenance/alimony, and distribution of significant dollar assets.
I firmly believe the title’s admonition: Divorce is “A Chess Match You Cannot Afford to Lose!,” learned from our office’s experience with thousands of women’s cases. Clients interviewed for this book agreed that sharing their experiences would help other women of all ages, professional standing, heritage, and personal situations to prepare for their own divorces.
Since divorce is a new experience for most women, I try to answer questions a woman contemplating divorce might have, from the basic, such as, “Where do I find a lawyer, and how do I find the right lawyer for me?” and “How many lawyers should I interview, and what can I afford?,” to the complex, “How will my children be affected by the divorce process?” and “If I tell the judge how my husband has abused me, physically or emotionally, how will my husband respond? What will he say about me? Will he say it was my fault?” “What is the team concept?” “Do I need more than one lawyer?” “Will I be treated as a team member and not just as a client?”
Read the rest of the Introduction and other select pages from The Divorce Handbook for Women Only! by downloading the FREE PREVIEW below.
Table of Contents
| Chapter 1 | Grandmasters |
| Chapter 2 | Alone |
| Chapter 3 | Pieces on a Chessboard |
| Chapter 4 | The Gnat |
| Chapter 5 | Three Chessboards at Once |
| Chapter 6 | Boot Camp |
| Chapter 7 | I.C.E.D.-T |
| Chapter 8 | The Bully |
| Chapter 9 | The Team Approach |
| Chapter 10 | Where to Begin |
| Chapter 11 | Dual Track |
| Chapter 12 | The Anchor |
| Chapter 13 | Custody |
| Chapter 14 | My Angel |
| Chapter 15 | Custody: A Psychologist’s Overview– The Expert on the Team By Robert R. Demerath, Ph.D |
| Chapter 16 | Domestic Violence |
| Chapter 17 | Afterword |
| Chapter 18 | Consultant |
| Appendix A | NYS Domestic Relations Law 236B(5) |
| Appendix B | Statement of Client’s Rights and Responsibilities |
| Appendix C | Course of a Matrimonial Action |
| Appendix D | Personalized Safety Plan |
| Appendix E | Release of Claim to Exemption for Child of Divorce or Separated Parents |
| Appendix F | Reference Materials |
| Appendix G | Resume |
The Glossary
We have prepared a glossary of terms that are used in divorces and with which
many litigants are unfamiliar.
The Divorce Handbook contains these words which are part of the “legalese” that
we have converted to an easy and meaningful definition.
We devised this glossary when our client from Palm Beach explained during one
session, “I don’t know the difference between a DISPOSITION and a DEPOSITION.” “What is the difference between a NOTICE TO PRODUCE and a NOTICE OF APPEARANCE?”
The glossary of key words sells for $3.95 but is provided to you FREE when you purchase The Divorce Handbook for Women Only! through our website. We will also be making The Glossary available FREE at our various book signings over the next several months.
