Leland Law Firm is committed
to serving families when legal solutions are needed to help tackle and resolve the challenges that
face us all.
Mission StatementContact InformationMary Jane Leland, Esq. |
Family LawMary Jane Leland represents individuals and families in the following areas:
Grounds for Divorce in New Jersey include irreconcilable differences, added by the New Jersey legislature in 2007. Persons may file for divorce without having to allege wrongdoing. This helps minimize each blaming the other for the break up and can reduce tension in an already tense situation. Legal Services of New Jersey provides a useful guide for victims of domestic violence. New Jersey Statute 9:2-7.1 provides grandparents living in New Jersey with the right to seek an order for visitation rights with their grandchildren. In filing an application with the court to establish this visitation, the burden falls upon the grandparent to "prove by a preponderance of the evidence" that such visitation is in the best interests of the child. If the petitioning grandparent has been a full-time caretaker for the child, it is presumed that visitation is in the child's best interest and the court then looks to the other statutory factors. The statute lists eight factors for the court to consider in reaching its decision. The U.S. Supreme Court decided Troxel v. Granville, 530 U.S. 57 in 2000. Parents' Rights: Courts recognize constitutional parental liberty interests. This comes with the presumption that "natural bonds of affection lead parents to act in the best interests of their children." See Parham v. J.R., 442 U.S. 584, 602 (1979). The Court is consistent in recognizing these interests but these interests are not without limits. See Lehr v. Robertson, 463 U.S. 248 (1983). New Jersey Statute 9:17-40 provides that the parent and child relationship extends equally to every child and to every parent, regardless of the marital status of the parents. |
Recent Posts
October 2, 2011
June 18, 2011
January 21, 2011
December 15, 2009
|