EXPERIENCED DIVORCE ATTORNEY IN NEW JERSEY

DivorceExperience

Helping You Plan for Your Child’s College Education

For more than 40 years, New Jersey has been at the forefront of the trend toward requiring both parents in a divorce to assume some financial responsibility for their children’s college education. If you don’t come to an agreement with your former spouse, you can be assured that the court will issue an order determining how much you will pay. In most instances, it’s best to work out an arrangement with your former spouse. We can help.

At the Law Offices of Kelly Berton Rocco, we have focused our practice exclusively on family law matters for more than 40 years. We know that it can be difficult to work with your former spouse, and we will be your advocate in all meetings and discussions, and all hearings or proceedings. We’ll carefully explain your rights and options, as well as your likelihood of success. Going to court can be expensive, time-consuming and emotionally exhausting so we’ll always try to negotiate mutually beneficial solutions to resolve your differences. If we can’t get cooperation from your former spouse or from their attorney, we’ll fight with all we have to get a fair outcome.

Our Counsel to Clients Regarding College Education Planning

Your “baby” is about to graduate from high school and thoughts are turning to college: where will your child go to school? Who gets a say? How much will it cost? Who’s going to pay? Unfortunately, many times the details of how to determine where, when and how you and your former spouse are going to answer these questions were left out of your agreement: it may have been too early in your child’s life to even consider, or you were just too tired after slugging out the other “immediate” details that you left this part out. Many times even when we want to include details about college planning, it’s just too speculative or circumstances change along the way. But now it’s time and the last thing you want to do is go BACK to court to figure this all out.

Our goal, when advising you on college education planning for your children, is to help you come to a realistic agreement without going to court. We will help you understand the law, and work closely with you to customize a plan for your circumstances. Among the questions we will address are:

• Should your children also be required to contribute to the costs of their education?
• Will your contribution be determined after your child applies for financial aid?
• Will there be a cap on what you and the child’s other parent agree to pay – such as only in-state tuition or only public schools?
• Will you repay the loans your child takes out?

Though the court will almost always require both parents to contribute to your child’s college education, you have a great deal of flexibility in the arrangements you make. Let us help.

Contact Our Hackensack Office

To schedule a free, 30 minute telephone consultation to discuss your concerns, call or e-mail us today.

Emails are always returned by the next business day and typically before the day is over. Phone calls will always be returned by the next business day or sooner. We’ll be at your side every step of the way.

At the Law Offices of Kelly Berton Rocco, we have focused our practice exclusively on family law and divorce since 1988. We are located in Hackensack and serve Bergen County, Hudson County, Morris County, Passaic County & Essex County as well as the cities of Ridgewood, Paramus, Oradell, GlenRock, Wyckoff, Allendale, Ho-Ho-Kus, River Edge, Franklin Lakes, Saddle River & Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.