Essex County Family Law Lawyers — Serving Newark and All 22 Essex Municipalities

Essex County family law attorney — Avery & Avery Divorce, custody, alimony, child support, and DV restraining orders across all 23 Essex courts. (201)

Also in this practice

A Former Judge. A Father-Son Trial Firm. Fifty Years of New Jersey Practice.

All Essex County divorces, custody disputes, alimony actions, child-support modifications, and domestic-violence final restraining orders route to Essex County Superior Court — Chancery Division, Family Part at Wilentz Justice Complex, 212 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 07102. Avery & Avery, Esqs. has handled NJ family-law matters across two generations and six counties.

Robert W. Avery has practiced NJ family law since 1976, including the firm’s signature federal Hague Convention case Delvoye v. Lee, 329 F.3d 330 (3d Cir. 2003) — an international-custody matter that established Third Circuit precedent on “habitual residence.” John S. Avery joined the firm in 2012 and handles the bulk of the Essex/Bergen Family Part calendar.

For a free family-law consultation, call (201) 943-2445.

Essex Family Court Routing

Divorce — Essex County Superior Court Family Part

NJ divorce grounds run under N.J.S.A. 2A:34-2 — irreconcilable differences (the post-2007 default no-fault ground) plus the historic fault grounds. Filing residency: at least one spouse must reside in NJ for 12 months before complaint.

Custody and Parenting Time

NJ custody analysis under N.J.S.A. 9:2-4 runs through the best- interests factor list. Contested custody matters in Essex typically involve a court-ordered custody evaluation and (in close cases) a child interview.

Alimony — N.J.S.A. 2A:34-23(b) and (c)

The 2014 Alimony Reform Act eliminated permanent alimony and substituted open-durational alimony for marriages of 20+ years and limited-duration alimony for shorter marriages. Modification on retirement runs under N.J.S.A. 2A:34-23(j).

Child Support — Guidelines Under R. 5:6A

NJ Child Support Guidelines run from Court Rule R. 5:6A + Appendix IX. Above-Guidelines awards (combined parental income > $187,200) shift to discretionary analysis under Crews v. Crews, 164 N.J. 11 (2000).

Domestic Violence — N.J.S.A. 2C:25-17 et seq.

TROs may issue from any NJ municipal court (after-hours) or directly from Essex County Superior Court during business hours. FRO hearings proceed in Essex Family Part within 10 days under the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act.

Why Avery & Avery for Essex Family Law

Federal Hague Convention precedent — Delvoye v. Lee (3d Cir. 2003) established the firm’s depth in international-custody / abduction matters
Cross-county practice — many NJ divorce matters involve cross-county marital homes (e.g. Bergen residence + Newark property); we handle the routing
Two-attorney coverage — Robert and John appear together on contested matters; one trial firm, two generations

Schedule a Free Essex Family Law Consultation

Call (201) 943-2445 or submit through the form.