Summer 2011 ARONBERG KOUSER, P.A. Attorneys At Law · Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid (2008) and RAV4 (2007-2008). There could be malfunctions in the curtain shield airbag

Cherry Hill430 Route 70 West • Cherry Hill, NJ

Somers Point599 Shore Road • Somers Point, NJ

Philadelphia1515 Market St., Ste. 1520 • Phila., PA

(856) 429-17001-800-49JUSTICE

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Cherry Hill • Philadelphia • Somers Point

Summer 2011

ARONBERG &KOUSER, P.A.Attorneys At Law

www.430lawoffice.com

Aronberg & Kouser: Family Law

Answers To Often Asked QuestionsAbout Child Custody & Support

A. No. There are various custodyarrangements, and courts usuallygive some aspect of custody to eachparent. The most common types of“joint custody” arrangements are:• joint legal custody. “Legal custody”refers to major decisions about thechild, such as medical and school-ing. In “joint legal custody” arrange-ments, both parents share in thesedecisions.• joint physical custody. “Physical

any people have questionsabout child custody andsupport. Here are answers

to some often asked ones.

Q.Q.Q.Q.Q. Who makes child custodyWho makes child custodyWho makes child custodyWho makes child custodyWho makes child custodydecisions?decisions?decisions?decisions?decisions?

A. A judge. But if the parents agreewho gets custody, the judge usuallyaccepts their choice. If the parentscan't agree, the judge decides,based on what is best for the child.

Q.Q.Q.Q.Q. Does custody go to one parent?Does custody go to one parent?Does custody go to one parent?Does custody go to one parent?Does custody go to one parent? continued on page 3

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■ Divorce

■ Alimony

■ Equitable Distribution

■ Child Custody

■ Parenting Time

■ Marital PropertySettlement Agreements

■ Separation Agreements

■ Restraining Orders

■ Prenuptial Agreements

Mr. Snyder is committed toaggressive representation of hisclients, whether it is in the Court-room or at the negotiation table.

Call today for a free family lawconsultation available to anyFraternal Order of Police member.

ivorce can be an overwhelm-ing process to navigate.Whether it is divorce, child

support, child custody, or parentingtime, we are here to assist andprovide excellent legal service toour clients.

Daniel K. Snyder, Esquire hasbeen voted a New Jersey rising starin the area of Family Law for thepast 3 years by the New JerseySuper Lawyers Publication. Mr.Snyder formerly served as judiciallaw clerk to the Honorable E. DavidMillard, Presiding Judge of theFamily Part, Superior Court of NewJersey. After several years in privatepractice, Mr. Snyder now serves ashead of the matrimonial departmentat Aronberg & Kouser, P.A.

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2ARONBERG & KOUSER NEWSLETTER

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If You Would LikeTo Receive Our

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Safety AlertAutomobile &Product RecallsAutomobile &Product Recalls

Safety Alert Studies ShowParent Involvement

Greatly ReducesCrash Risk To Teens

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■ Chevrolet Cruze (2011). During manufacturing the steering wheelcould have been improperly fastened and may detach from thesteering column. For more information, call Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438.

■ Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid (2008) and RAV4 (2007-2008). There could be malfunctions in the curtain shield airbagsystem. For more information, call Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

■ Ford E-150, E-250, E-350 and E-450 trucks (2011). In certaininstances the driver power seat track worm gear may break, allowingthe seat to shift forward or backward. For more information, call Fordat 1-866-436-7332.

■ Toyota Tundra vehicles with a 3-joint type propeller shaft (2011).The slip yoke may break, which could result in loss of power andvehicle control. For more information, call Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

■ Hyundai Santa Fe 2WD (2010). Certain vehicles with automatictransmissions could have a misalignment of the intermediate shaftwith the right side output gear. This could lead to transmissiondamage and loss of power. For more information, call Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.

■ Ryobi ¼ Sheet Sanders (model S651D). Pieces of the fan can breakoff from the fan assembly, posing a laceration hazard. For moreinformation, call One World Technologies at 1-800-597-9624.

■ Kohler Courage Engines (twin-cylinder) sold with three brands oflawn tractors: Husqvarna, Cub Cadet, and Troy-Bilt. Certain enginescould have a wire connector that becomes disconnected causing theoperator’s seat switch to fail. When this happens, the blades will notshut down, posing a laceration hazard. For more information, callKohler Co. at 1-800-451-2294.

■ Lights and Sounds Children’s Scooters. A child’s finger can getcaught in the hinge mechanism between the steering column and theplatform, posing a laceration hazard. This recall involves threemodels of Kiddieland “Lights and Sounds” three-wheeled scootersincluding a red Spiderman, blue Thomas & Friends™ and pink girl’sscooter. For more information, call Kiddieland at 1-800-430-5307.

■ Pampers® Natural Stages Infant Ortho and Bulb Pacifiers (“stage1” pacifiers). The pacifiers fail to meet federal safety standards andpose a choking hazard to young children. For more information, callKey Baby at 1-800-447-1224.

ar accidents are the top causeof teen deaths. But recentstudies by the Children’s

Hospital of Philadelphia show thatactive involvement by parents cangreatly reduce the risk their teenagekids will be in an accident.

One study found that whenparents set clear driving rules,watched where their children wentand who they drove with, the teenswere about 50% less likely to crash,twice aslikely to weara seat belt,and about75% lesslikely to drivedrunk. Thesefigures arecompared to teens whose parentsweren't actively involved in theirchildren’s driving habits.

A second study showed thebenefits of teens sharing a vehiclewith family members instead ofhaving their own car. According tothe study, about 25% of teens whowere a car's main driver had a crashin the prior year, compared to about10% of teens who shared a car.

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3 ARONBERG & KOUSER NEWSLETTER

Thank You

For Your Referrals

Thank You

For Your ReferralsOur firm receives many newclients as a result of referralsfrom clients and other friendsof our firm. We would like tothank everyone who refersfriends and family to our firm.We appreciate the trust andconfidence you show in us bymaking these referrals.

We welcome and continue toencourage referrals, and wewill strive to provide top qual-ity legal service to everyoneyou refer.

Aronberg & Kouser, P.A.

Answers To Questions About Child Custody & Support, continued from first page

Tips For Working WithYour Doctor After An Accident

fter an accident, it’s impor-tant to have a good workingrelationship with yourA

doctor. Your doctor has a key rolein determining how much compen-sation you receive as well as howfast and fully you recover from yourinjuries. Here are some tips tomaintaining a good working rela-tionship with your doctor after anaccident.

• Tell your doctor about all yourinjuries. Your doctor will makenotes of your injuries, and thesenotes can show an insurancecompany or court the full extent ofyour injuries. If you don’t tell yourdoctor about problems, any claimyou make for them may be doubted.Also, by telling your doctor aboutproblems when you experience

them, they can be treated soonerand you can recover faster.

• Follow instructions. Accidentvictims have a duty to minimizetheir losses. So if you disobey yourdoctor – like if you ignore instruc-tions to rest for a week – this canlower the compensation you re-ceive.

• Keep appointments. If you missappointments, this tells a court orinsurer that your problems aren’t asbad as you claim them to be.

Your doctor is vital in helpingyou recover from your accident andshowing the extent of your injuries.Following these tips will help youget better faster and help you obtainthe maximum compensation foryour injuries.

custody” is where the child lives.In “joint physical custody” situa-tions, the child spends about thesame time with each parent.

There are also “sole custody”arrangements, and combinationsof joint and sole custody. Forexample, a “sole physical custodyand joint legal custody arrange-ment” means the child lives withone parent, but both parentsmake major decisions.

Q. Q. Q. Q. Q. Can custody arrangements beCan custody arrangements beCan custody arrangements beCan custody arrangements beCan custody arrangements bechanged?changed?changed?changed?changed?

A. Yes. Courts usually acceptchanges agreed to by the parents.If the parents can't agree, theparent seeking the change can aska judge to make it. Generally, heor she must show a major changein circumstances and the newarrangement is best for the child.

Q. Q. Q. Q. Q. Who decides visitation rights?Who decides visitation rights?Who decides visitation rights?Who decides visitation rights?Who decides visitation rights?

A. Usually the parents. If they can't

agree, a judge decides.

Q. Q. Q. Q. Q. How much is child support?How much is child support?How much is child support?How much is child support?How much is child support?

A. The amount is set by the court,usually under state guidelines. Somestates give judges wide leeway to setthe amount,while othersdo not.Most statesspecifyfactors todeterminethe amount,includingthe parents’income andcosts toraise the child.

Q. Q. Q. Q. Q. Can child support be changed?Can child support be changed?Can child support be changed?Can child support be changed?Can child support be changed?

A. Yes. Both parents may agree tochange the amount of child support.However, a judge usually mustapprove the change for it to belegally enforceable.

Q. Q. Q. Q. Q. What if I want to change theWhat if I want to change theWhat if I want to change theWhat if I want to change theWhat if I want to change thechild support amount but mychild support amount but mychild support amount but mychild support amount but mychild support amount but myex-spouse doesn't?ex-spouse doesn't?ex-spouse doesn't?ex-spouse doesn't?ex-spouse doesn't?

A. If the parties can't agree, eithercan ask a court to order a change.Courts usually will modify childsupport only if there has been amajor change in circumstances.

Laws for modifying childsupport vary between states, butseveral situations often support achange request, including:• The party paying support is outof work or earns less than whenthe support order was made.• The party paying support earnsmore money than when thesupport order was made.• The party receiving supportnow earns significantly moremoney. Here, the party payingsupport could get the paymentlowered.• There's been a change in

continued on page 4

4ARONBERG & KOUSER NEWSLETTER 4ARONBERG & KOUSER NEWSLETTER

IF ANINJURY

OCCURS

IF ANINJURY

OCCURS

No one expects to be in an

accident. But if you are in one,

please call us to find out about

your rights. We handle all

types of personal injury cases,

and we will fight to obtain the

maximum compensation for

your injuries and losses.

Thank you for letting us

serve your legal needs.

ARONBERG & KOUSER, P.A.ATTORNEYS AT LAW

430 Route 70 WestCherry Hill, NJ 08002

PRESORTED STD

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Child Custody & Support, continued from page 3

ARONBERG & KOUSER, P.A.

PERSONAL INJURY MATTERSAuto Accidents • Slip and Falls

Product Injuries • Work InjuriesNursing Home Abuse

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OTHER LEGAL MATTERSSocial Security • DWI/DUI

Criminal Matters • Family LawWills/Living Wills • Real Estate

Traffic Violations

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custody.

• The child’s needs change.All states allow a modification in

child support to provide for thechild's health needs.

Q. Q. Q. Q. Q. Can I get child support in-Can I get child support in-Can I get child support in-Can I get child support in-Can I get child support in-creased if living expenses rise?creased if living expenses rise?creased if living expenses rise?creased if living expenses rise?creased if living expenses rise?

A. Many states allow the use of acost-of-living adjustment (COLA).This provides for an automaticincrease in child support based onchanges in an economic indicatorlike the Consumer Price Index. Insome states, judges include in childsupport orders a COLA provision soa party need not go to court whenthe cost of living rises.

If there is no COLA in a childsupport order, a party may still be

able to get a cost of living raise.Some states permit an increase inchild support after a certain timepasses from the support order andonce the Consumer Price Index (orother indicator) rises a certainamount. But the parent may needcourt approval for the change.

Q. Q. Q. Q. Q. Can I get back child supportCan I get back child supportCan I get back child supportCan I get back child supportCan I get back child supportreduced?reduced?reduced?reduced?reduced?

A. Generally no, which is one reasonwhy people who want the amount ofchild support they owe reducedshould make a change requestpromptly. Judges usually won't makethe new amount of child supportretroactive before the date thechange request was made, andusually won't reduce back pay owed.