With the financial costs of getting a divorce skyrocketing, the legal field has adapted to try to give divorcing couples affordable options. Some of these options play with different ways of dispute resolution that do not require a court’s intervention.
One of these options is a collaborative divorce.
Tenn And Tenn, P.A. congratulates Mary Elizabeth Tenn for being named the 2018 Lawyer of the Year for Family Law in New Hampshire by Best Lawyers in America. Mary previously received the Lawyer of the Year honor for the State of New Hampshire in 2016 and has been recognized regularly in Best Lawyers in America© annual ratings.
The Firm’s partners, James J. Tenn, Jr. (Family Law, Family Law Mediation, Personal Injury – Plaintiffs) and John J. Tenn (Personal Injury – Plaintiffs) also have been recognized in their respective fields by Best Lawyers in America©.
Many Americans, especially those with children, go through a yearly cycle of events. There is summer vacation, where families take trips together and enjoy the warm weather, followed by fall and the return to normalcy. And there is the collection of holidays at the end of the calendar year, followed by the return to work and the tiring days of winter in New Hampshire.
One way that these yearly cycles impact our lives is by influencing when married couples decide to divorce: According to the data, the month of March sees the most divorces.
In a paper published back in 2016, two researchers from the University of Washington – Julie Brines and Brian Serafini – went through divorce records from 37 of Washington’s 39 counties, and covered 2001 through 2015. While the researchers were originally looking for the impact of the Great Recession on the rate of divorces, they stumbled on a monthly trend in the number of divorces that was “very robust from year to year, and very robust across counties” that they covered.
While March proved to be the most common time to file for divorce, August came in a close second place. The months of October through January, on the other hand, saw a steep decline in the number of divorce filings in Washington, which was chosen for the study because divorce records were easier to obtain and search than in other states.
Divorce is already a very emotionally taxing experience, the pain of which is only exacerbated when things don’t proceed amicably. Some people are saddened at the prospect of ending their marriage, some are relieved and grateful to put a perceived mistake behind them. Regardless of your perspective on the dissolution of your marriage, it is a universal truth that amicable divorces are easier and preferable. The last thing one needs to deal with during this potentially rough transitory period is a series of ugly divorce proceedings, accusations, asset-hiding, or general vitriol and backstabbing. Luckily, there are certain measures you can take to provide for an amicable divorce that moves smoothly and swiftly. Peaceful divorce is not a myth. It is well within reach if you are intentional in your pursuit of it and diligent about avoiding the pitfalls that could make things take a turn for the nasty.
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Your divorce is final; you’ve begun moving on with and rebuilding your life. To your chagrin, you come across some aspect of the newfound divorce settlement – financial, custodial, contractual, or what have you – that is not what you expected or is otherwise unsatisfactory. The conclusion of a divorce is not always the end of your legal entanglements with your ex-spouse. New issues can arise over time that was not immediately evident at the time you signed off on the divorce settlement. The divorce decree is not etched in stone. It can and often will be altered in some way after the divorce. Continue reading →
With the commotion of the holidays settling into a lull, a different kind of commotion grips the month of January. This month sees the highest rate of divorce filings all year. While it may not be as “merry” as the festivities of the month that preceded it, January and its tide of divorce paperwork may be tinged with another feeling – relief.
Often, those who are seriously weighing the possibility of divorce are those who already need one. The longer you stew in an unhappy marriage, the more of your own time you ultimately waste – time that could’ve been spent pursuing passions and people that make you feel refreshed and revitalized. It’s not written anywhere that you must consign yourself to the misery a dead-end marriage. If you are considering getting a divorce in a New Hampshire, immediately contact the attorneys at Tenn And Tenn, P.A. Not only will we protect your rightfully owned assets and guide you through the terrain of divorce, but we will do so with honesty and professionalism, treating all sensitive matters with the utmost discretion.
For many divorced parents entering the holiday season, it is important to create a holiday visitation schedule that feels natural and comfortable for their child – without tension or parental disputes detracting from the child’s enjoyment. Creating a consistent, reliable schedule with few surprises or last minute changes can help minimize stress for all parties involved. For parents who are still engaged in custody litigation when the season comes around, it may be necessary to begin talks about a tentative holiday visitation arrangement, even if this is not the final arrangement when custody proceedings conclude. As in all cases, the best interest of the child should be the chief priority, ensuring their enjoyment is not infringed upon by divorce proceedings or clumsily arranged visitation agreements.
Often when confronted with divorce, people fear the ugly divorces popularized by Hollywood films like the 1989 box-office hit The War of the Roses. In that film, Danny DeVito, Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas give us a front-row seat to the worst of the divorce process and show an epic battle where spouses battle to “win” their divorce at all costs. That film has become popular shorthand reference for today’s most bitter divorce battles. 
But now, many in Hollywood are showing a much better picture.
It has been said that the wheels of justice turn slowly. Never more true than for people who are anxiously waiting to be divorced. Many people going through a divorce just can’t get the process behind them fast-enough. They want to start dating again, and they don’t want to be celibate while they wait.
Recently, the New Hampshire Supreme Court addressed the issue of adultery during the marriage and that which later occurred in a new relationship after the petition for divorce had been filed. For many, that case provided no comfort. In Ross v. Ross, 169 N.H. 299 (2016), the Court was confronted with a situation (not all that uncommon) where almost 1l months after the petition for divorce was filed the husband began a sexual relationship with his new girlfriend.
Mary Elizabeth Tenn, a Manchester trial lawyer, takes office as president of the New Hampshire Bar Association on June 19, 2015 at the Bar Association’s Annual Meeting. As president of the Association, which represents all lawyers licensed to practice law in the state, Tenn said she intends to focus the culture of professionalism and civility that characterizes the practice of law in the state.
Mary Tenn takes office as President of the NH Bar Assoc.
Tenn, a New Hampshire native, practices with the law firm of Tenn And Tenn, PA along with her three siblings James J. Tenn, Jr., John J. Tenn and Annmarie A. Tenn. Notably, Tenn is the second person in her family and in her firm to serve as president of the NH Bar Association, and follows her brother James J. Tenn, Jr. a past president of the New Hampshire Bar Association in 2009-2010. This year, Tenn And Tenn, PA, marks its 20th year of existence.
Tenn received her J.D. degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where she served as an editor of the Harvard Civil Rights Civil Liberties Law Review. She received a B.A., summa cum laude, from Boston College, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and awarded membership in the National Jesuit Honor Society—The Order of the Cross and Crown.
New Hampshire Legal Blog