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Recession Keeps Family Lawyers Busy

BY Tresa Baldas
August 26, 2009

The economy has family law attorneys working double-time as hard financial times are wreaking havoc on America's broken families.

Lawyers who specialize in divorce and custody disputes say they have witnessed a flood of activity in family courts in recent months:

  • A rising number of spouses are requesting that their child support and alimony obligations be modified, citing hard times.
  • More feuding couples are struggling to reach divorce settlements because all the assets are worth less.
  • Many couples are putting divorce off altogether because they cannot afford it, while some wealthier ones are actually seizing on the economy and getting divorced, knowing that they'll have less to hand over to the other spouse.

'Good for the Wealthy'

According to Lynne Gold-Bikin, who heads the family law practice at Philadelphia's Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby, and a who serves as a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, “This is a great time for wealthy people to get divorced because their assets are down. So if you want to keep the house, perfect time. If you want to keep the 401(k), perfect time.” Gold-Bikin said that her clients are not actually telling her these things, but that is what seems to be happening.

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