The Latest News

In honor of Veterans Day...

What a special and welcoming event!  The US Navy has decided to christen a ship in honor of gay right activist Harvey Milk who served in the Navy as a lieutenant at a time when being gay forced so many out of the military and many of whom were unjustly dishonorably discharge merely for their sexual orientation.

This is a bright and uplifting action by the Navy to show its support of the LGBTQ community now and in the future!

Selected excerpt(s) and linked article courtesy of 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Bay City News
Royalty-free photo courtesy of UnSplash

Concetta Spirio.  A Compassionate Collaborative Divorce Attorney, Mediator & Peacemaker Providing The Highest Level of Legal Representation For Over 34 Years.

#Concetta #ConcettaSpirio #ConcettaLaw #SpirioLaw #Marriage #Divorce #RealEstate #Litigation #Wills #Trusts #Estates #Mediation #CollaborativeDivorce #LongIsland #Suffolk #Nassau #Islip #Sayville #LGBT #Navy #USNavy #HarveyMilk

This article and study has revealed that people seeking a partner in life are now often looking for companionship, but it is shifting back to what was the primary criteria, and that is the economic stability/wealth of a partner.

What I found most interesting about this article was that one of the ways that they did this study was from France’s best-selling monthly magazine, which has more than 300,000 “marriage ads”; people looking for a new partner.  I guess here we would equate that to the dating apps that are available for people.

Selected excerpt(s) and linked article courtesy of Torsten Bell, The Guardian (dot) com
Royalty-free photo courtesy of UnSplash

Concetta Spirio.  A Compassionate Collaborative Divorce Attorney, Mediator & Peacemaker Providing The Highest Level of Legal Representation For Over 34 Years.

#Concetta #ConcettaSpirio #ConcettaLaw #SpirioLaw #Marriage #Divorce #RealEstate #Litigation #Wills #Trusts #Estates #Mediation #CollaborativeDivorce #LongIsland #Suffolk #Nassau #Islip #Sayville #LGBT

Some long over due help for parents and families with adult children with disabilities...

State lawmakers are cheering the final approval of a new law that will allow the parents of adults with developmental disabilities to continue to receive child support payments. 

The measure approved this month by Gov. Kathy Hochul allows parents of children with developmental disabilities to petition courts to receive support payments until their child is 26 -- providing expanded years of support for families. 

“This critical, common-sense piece of bi-partisan legislation will help the custodial parents of dependent adult-age children with disabilities support and provide for their families,” said Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, who sponsored the bill alongside Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh. “The needs of children with disabilities extend beyond the age of majority, and child support payments can be a lifeline for custodial parents to care for and meet the needs of their children.

Selected excerpt(s) and linked article courtesy of Nick Reisman, Spectrum Local News
Royalty-free photo courtesy of UnSplash

Concetta Spirio.  A Compassionate Collaborative Divorce Attorney, Mediator & Peacemaker Providing The Highest Level of Legal Representation For Over 34 Years.

#Concetta #ConcettaSpirio #ConcettaLaw #SpirioLaw #Marriage #Divorce #RealEstate #Litigation #Wills #Trusts #Estates #Mediation #CollaborativeDivorce #LongIsland #Suffolk #Nassau #Islip #Sayville #LGBT

For some this may be a new idea, but this is something I have spoken about before.  The way a couple communicates, and more importantly, the way a couple handles conflict and/or “arguments” reveals a tremendous amount about their relationship.  If you take the time to look or self-examine, you can improve resolution to conflict or argument. 

This article discusses and examines 5 different “styles” of fighting between couples.  It's a good read and I'm sure you will be able to identify yourself in these styles.

Remember, if you find that you are not happy with the communication level or the health of your relationship, you can always seek out a family specialist, like our professionals from the Collaborative Divorce Professionals.  We are trained to help couples figure out the problems of their communication and to learn tools for better communication and healthier relationships.

Selected excerpt(s) and linked article courtesy of Nicole Yi, YourTango
Royalty-free photo courtesy of UnSplash

Concetta Spirio.  A Compassionate Collaborative Divorce Attorney, Mediator & Peacemaker Providing The Highest Level of Legal Representation For Over 34 Years.

#Concetta #ConcettaSpirio #ConcettaLaw #SpirioLaw #Marriage #Divorce #RealEstate #Litigation #Wills #Trusts #Estates #Mediation #CollaborativeDivorce #LongIsland #Suffolk #Nassau #Islip #Sayville #LGBT

Most people don’t look at it this way, but in fact, practically everything we do with our partner or spouse is a type of negotiation.  How and the manner in which we negotiate can truly determine how successful and healthy our relationship is. 

This article examines those tools and especially how Collaborative negotiations can be a type of problem solving that is very affective for couples.  As you will see, Collaborative negotiations allow a couple to effectively deal with every issue, from major decisions like child rearing to the simplistic decisions we make every day. 

This highlights the same tools used in Collaborative Divorce, which is also what makes a Collaborative Divorce so successful and beneficial to our clients.  This is why every family facing a divorce deserves a Collaborative Divorce.

Selected excerpt(s) and linked article courtesy of Jeremy Brown, yourtango.com
Royalty-free photo courtesy of UnSplash

Concetta Spirio.  A Compassionate Collaborative Divorce Attorney, Mediator & Peacemaker Providing The Highest Level of Legal Representation For Over 34 Years.

#Concetta #ConcettaSpirio #ConcettaLaw #SpirioLaw #Marriage #Divorce #RealEstate #Litigation #Wills #Trusts #Estates #Mediation #CollaborativeDivorce #LongIsland #Suffolk #Nassau #Islip #Sayville #LGBT

Although divorce rates did go up and many more cases were predicted for divorce rates to increase dramatically during Covid, Long Island divorce rates actually fell 31.6% during the first year of the pandemic.

Much of this is attributed by experts to limited court operations since the courts were essentially closed completely and then only became available through electronic filings for divorce and very limited conference or accessibility, unless you had an actual “dire emergency” that qualified for the court.  

The fact that the courts were unavailable to people and still have limited availability to everyone, has not changed the need for people to have intervention or help in their marital circumstances.

This is why the Collaborative Process is so vital.  It helps spouses and families navigate all the issues that are required to be addressed in a divorce proceeding without the necessity of the court system.  In essence, “court intervention” would only be required for the actual filing of divorce papers.  The parties could negotiate all other issues of their conflict and/or dispute, and resolve their divorce outside of court and only their paperwork would need to go to Court.

Based upon an article by Rachelle Blidner, newsday.com
Royalty-free photo courtesy of UnSplash

Concetta Spirio.  A Compassionate Collaborative Divorce Attorney, Mediator & Peacemaker Providing The Highest Level of Legal Representation For Over 34 Years.

#Concetta #ConcettaSpirio #ConcettaLaw #SpirioLaw #Marriage #Divorce #RealEstate #Litigation #Wills #Trusts #Estates #Mediation #CollaborativeDivorce #LongIsland #Suffolk #Nassau #Islip #Sayville #LGBT

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love looking at old photos of people and places in past time periods.  I sometimes contemplate what it was like to live in that time period.  When I am at a location or historic place that has been around for centuries, I often think about what that building or geographic place may have seen over time and if these places could speak to us, what they would tell us about those who came before and how things have changed.  You can stand at a place or in a building that has seen multitudes of generations pass by.

This article has some amazing photos from the 1920s, especially some great shots of New York.  It's amazing how the world has changed and how technology has changed and sped things up - truly how life has changed.  Just look at the difference in your own lifetime and if you have children or nieces and nephews, how different their lives are from yours at their age.

Selected excerpt(s) and linked article courtesy of Lisa Sammons, OnlyInYourState.com
Royalty-free photo courtesy of UnSplash

Concetta Spirio.  A Compassionate Collaborative Divorce Attorney, Mediator & Peacemaker Providing The Highest Level of Legal Representation For Over 34 Years.

#Concetta #ConcettaSpirio #ConcettaLaw #SpirioLaw #Marriage #Divorce #RealEstate #Litigation #Wills #Trusts #Estates #Mediation #CollaborativeDivorce #LongIsland #Suffolk #Nassau #Islip #Sayville #LGBT