South Jersey Military Divorce Lawyer Who Understands The Law, The Military And Divorce – Serving Clients In Burlington, Camden, Gloucester And Cumberland Counties In New Jersey
Being in the military is a unique experience that is unlike most civilian jobs. The legal issues involved in military divorce and child custody are also unique. Many law firms say that they understand the military and military divorce. But, do they, really?
A Divorce Attorney With Military Experience
I am Stephen R. Piper, an experienced family law attorney with 23 years of military experience. I spent seven years of active duty in the U.S. Navy prior to transitioning to the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 2001. I deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa and South America. I flew more than 170 combat missions as a pilot in the H60 and the C130. I retired in 2013 as a lieutenant colonel.
A Lawyer Experienced In Military Divorce
I have more than 25 years of experience as a trial attorney. After my second deployment to Iraq ended in 2006, I began representing fellow Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in their divorces. Since then, I have represented hundreds of military members or their spouses from every military branch – both active duty and the Reserve/National Guard.
A Military Man Who Went Through A Divorce
I have experienced what military families experience. I know what military pay, allowances, retirement and benefits are supposed to look like. You won’t need to explain the military to me. More importantly, when I was on active duty, I went through a divorce. I know how the stress from military divorce can affect you, your relationship with your command and your children.
Reasonable Fees And Payment Plans For Military Families
I understand that military families do not have a lot of extra money. For these families, I try to keep fees reasonable and offer different kinds of payment plans. My law firm offers a military discount to all members of the military and veterans.
Child Custody In Military Divorce
Child custody issues can be fairly complex in a military divorce. One of the first steps is to determine parental rights, and both parents typically need to attend all court dates and hearings. This may be impossible for military members who are deployed or stationed overseas, but they can use the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) to delay the process until they are stateside and can attend the hearings.
The SCRA generally gives service members 30 to 90 days to address civil suits after they return from a deployment. In other words, if the service member can’t attend the divorce hearing, a stay is applied to the case to wait for their return so that they can be part of the process. It’s important for them to understand their rights, how this can affect the timeline and what to do if their spouse decides to file for divorce while they are overseas. But the SCRA does guarantee that there shouldn’t be a situation where a military member loses custody of their child because the case plays out at home while they can’t attend. It gives them a chance to be involved in the process and protect those rights.
During this time, it’s important to have a family care plan. This can address short-term childcare, alternative caregivers, financial support, transportation needs and more. The non-service member may have temporary custody simply because it’s logistically possible, but this does not strip the service member of their parental rights.
Furthermore, child custody can get complex when one parent wants to relocate. It’s important that they file the proper relocation request, which details the move and the reasons for the relocation. The court will then issue an order that is in line with the child’s best interests.
Parents need to remember that they should not relocate without taking the proper steps, especially if it would impact the other parent’s rights and ability to be involved with the child. The custody order must always be followed, and any major changes, such as a relocation, may require a modification to that plan.
The Experience You Need
When choosing your divorce lawyer, compare their military divorce experience, military experience and price. No divorce lawyer can match my combined experience in all three areas.
Divorce Is Not A Do-It-Yourself Project
Military divorce is complicated. Please do not be tempted to save money by choosing a do-it-yourself-divorce option. Far too often, clients have hired me to fix problems created by the use of a DIY divorce. In the end, these clients paid more than they would have if they had hired an attorney to handle the divorce in the beginning. Please don’t do it yourself without first speaking to an experienced military divorce lawyer.
If you have questions about military divorce or child custody, please contact The Law Offices of Stephen R. Piper, LLC, online today or call me at 856-333-3586.
From my offices in Moorestown, New Jersey, I represent clients in Camden, Burlington, Gloucester and Cumberland counties and throughout South Jersey as well as in the Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania.