Tinton Falls Family Lawyer

Whether you are sitting in a kitchen in Tinton Falls trying to figure out who keeps the house, or wondering how a new work schedule changes a parenting plan, the questions come faster than the answers. Sanvenero & Cittadino, LLC is a law firm that concentrates on divorce and family law, and it serves individuals, families, and business owners in Tinton Falls and throughout Monmouth, Ocean, and Middlesex Counties. As a Tinton Falls family lawyer team, we handle divorce, custody, support, prenuptial agreements, post-judgment disputes, and domestic violence cases.

The ground has shifted recently for parents. New Jersey’s custody statute was amended in January 2026 by what is commonly called Kayden’s Law. It removed the old presumption favoring frequent and continuing contact with both parents, made a child’s safety the threshold question in every custody and parenting-time decision, and expanded the best-interest factors to fifteen. If you separated before that change and your case is still open, or you are thinking of asking a court to revisit an order, the rules a judge applies today are not the ones your neighbor faced a few years ago.

Where Tinton Falls Family Cases Are Actually Decided

Tinton Falls sits in Monmouth County, so contested divorce, custody, and support cases are heard by the Family Division of the Superior Court at the Monmouth County Courthouse in Freehold. Most cases never reach a trial. They settle through negotiation, mediation, or collaborative divorce, and the judge’s role is often to approve a written agreement. But the possibility of a ruling shapes every negotiation, so we prepare each case as though it may be tried.

Tinton Falls also has its own municipal court, which has absorbed Eatontown’s court under a consolidation. That matters for family clients because domestic violence allegations often arrive alongside criminal or disorderly persons complaints, and a restraining order matter in the Family Division can run in parallel with a municipal court case. Coordinating the two is something a firm with both family and criminal defense lawyers can do under one roof.

Why Choose Sanvenero & Cittadino for a Tinton Falls Divorce or Custody Case

Sanvenero & Cittadino, LLC is a full-service firm built around divorce and family law, serving Tinton Falls and the surrounding Monmouth County communities, as well as clients in Ocean and Middlesex Counties and across New Jersey. Managing Partner Richard Sanvenero is a New Jersey Supreme Court Certified Matrimonial Attorney, a designation that requires meeting experience standards and passing a written examination. He previously served as a law clerk in the Family Part of the Superior Court of New Jersey, so he has seen how family judges read a case from the bench side. He is also trained in mediation, arbitration, and collaborative divorce, which gives clients real alternatives to a courtroom fight.

Founding Partner Joshua Cittadino brings experience in real estate, construction litigation, personal injury, employment matters, and business transactions. That breadth is useful in family cases, because divorces in this part of Monmouth County so often involve a business, rental property, or a house with a mortgage that needs to be untangled. Mike Canarick, Of Counsel, is a tax and estate planning attorney who helps when a settlement has tax consequences or when a client needs to update a will, trust, or beneficiary designations after a divorce. In high net worth cases, we work with forensic accountants and business valuation professionals. The firm’s attorneys are admitted in New Jersey, New York, Florida, and the District of Columbia, and several have been recognized by Super Lawyers.

Clients tell us what they need most is plain answers. Our team returns calls and explains each step in everyday language, and because family, business, real estate, estate planning, and litigation lawyers work as one coordinated team, you do not have to hire and brief several separate firms.

The Family Law Issues We Handle for Tinton Falls Residents

• Divorce and Property Division: Dividing the marital home, retirement accounts, and investments, along with alimony, child support, custody, and the terms of the final judgment. We guide the case through settlement or trial.
• High Net Worth Divorce: Closely held businesses, professional practices, stock options, executive compensation, trusts, inherited wealth, and royalty or licensing income all require valuation and careful tracing.
• Child Custody and Parenting Time: Judges now begin with child safety, weigh a child’s preferences more heavily, and cannot order reunification therapy without scientifically supported evidence that it is safe and effective. They also may not assume a child’s reluctance to see a parent is alienation without investigating why.
• Alimony: New Jersey replaced permanent alimony in 2014 with open durational alimony. We represent payors and recipients, including cases involving self-employment income, bonuses, and claims that a spouse is earning less than they could.
• Child Support and Child-Related Expenses: Disputes over income figures, unpaid medical bills, childcare, extracurriculars, and college costs. Support generally ends by operation of law when a child marries, enters military service, dies, or reaches 19, unless an order or agreement says otherwise.
• Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements: Drafted under the Uniform Premarital and Pre-Civil Union Agreement Act, which requires a written agreement, full financial disclosure, and a chance for each side to consult independent counsel.
• Post-Judgment Modifications and Enforcement: Job loss, retirement, cohabitation, a child’s emancipation, or a former spouse who stops paying all bring people back to court.
• Domestic Violence and Restraining Orders: Representation for people seeking protection and for those defending against allegations at temporary and final restraining order hearings.

What to Do in the First Weeks After You Decide to Separate

Start by gathering documents before anyone gets defensive about them. Tax returns, pay stubs, bank and brokerage statements, retirement account statements, mortgage and loan records, business financials if either of you owns a company, and recent credit card statements will all be requested eventually. Having copies early saves months of back-and-forth. If you run a business or have irregular income, pull together several years of records, since support and property disputes often hinge on what that income really looks like.

Be careful with the daily logistics of separation. Avoid moving large sums out of joint accounts, taking on new debt, or posting about the divorce online; judges notice. If you have children, keep the household routine as steady as possible and keep your communications with your spouse civil and in writing where you can. Under the new custody framework, a calm record of who does what for the children carries weight, and so do any safety concerns, which you should raise with your lawyer right away.

If you are afraid of your spouse or partner, a temporary restraining order can be sought quickly, and it comes with a hearing date within ten days. A final restraining order, if granted, does not expire, and the judge decides by a preponderance of the evidence. Restraining orders can affect custody, your home, and firearms, since weapons must be surrendered and a firearms purchaser ID card is revoked. Contempt charges can follow any violation. Survivors may also be eligible for help through the Victims of Crime Compensation Office, which can assist with medical costs, counseling, lost wages, and relocation. The crime must be reported to police within nine months, or a restraining order filed in that window, and the claim must be filed within five years, though good cause can extend that. Eligibility does not depend on a conviction. We help clients assemble these claims.

Finally, consider how you want the case to resolve. Mediation and collaborative divorce are often faster and more private than litigation, and they tend to work well for parents who will be co-parenting for years. If the other side is hiding assets, refusing to negotiate, or raising safety issues, litigation in Freehold may be the better route, and we will say so plainly.

When a Divorce Judgment Needs to Change

Many of the calls we get from Tinton Falls residents are from people whose divorce is already final. Modification requests generally require a substantial change in circumstances, and the evidence you bring decides the outcome. If an alimony payor lost a job, the court looks at why the income was lost and, for a job loss, the documented efforts made to find replacement work. A self-employed payor whose business income dropped must show an analysis of the economic and non-economic benefits received from the business compared to when the order was entered.

Retirement is a common trigger. Under the 2014 alimony reform, there is a rebuttable presumption that alimony ends when the paying spouse reaches full retirement age, which is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. Older agreements and orders entered before September 10, 2014 follow a separate standard. Alimony may also be reduced or ended when the recipient cohabits with a partner. Limited duration alimony can have its amount adjusted, but the court will not change its length except in unusual circumstances. If your former spouse stops paying, an enforcement motion can compel compliance.

Tinton Falls Family Lawyer FAQs

Do I have to go to court to get divorced in Tinton Falls?

Not necessarily. Many divorces settle through negotiation, mediation, or collaborative divorce, and the court’s role is to review and enter the final judgment. If you and your spouse cannot agree, the case is litigated in the Family Division in Freehold.

How does New Jersey decide custody now?

Judges apply the best interests of the child, with child safety as the threshold issue. Since the January 2026 amendments, the old presumption favoring frequent and continuing contact with both parents is gone, the best-interest factors have expanded to fifteen, and judges in contested cases must make detailed findings on the record.

Can a parent with a domestic violence history get more parenting time to repair the relationship?

No. Under the amended statute, where there is a history of domestic violence or child abuse, a court may not award increased custody to the offending parent as a way of improving the parent-child relationship.

What happens if my child does not want to see the other parent?

The court is directed to investigate the reasons rather than assuming parental alienation, and a child’s preferences carry more weight than before. Reunification therapy can be ordered only if there is generally accepted, scientifically valid evidence that it is safe and effective.

Is permanent alimony still available in New Jersey?

No. A 2014 reform eliminated permanent alimony. The statute now uses open durational alimony, and the available forms also include limited duration, rehabilitative, and reimbursement alimony.

When does alimony end if I retire?

There is a rebuttable presumption that alimony terminates when the payor reaches full retirement age, which is 67 for people born in 1960 or later. Earlier retirement can be raised too, but the court examines the circumstances. Orders and written agreements predating September 10, 2014 are governed by a different standard.

Does my ex’s new relationship affect alimony?

It can. Alimony may be suspended or terminated if the recipient cohabits with another person, but cohabitation has to be proven, and courts look at the nature of the relationship and whether it involves mutual financial support.

My spouse owns a business. How is it valued?

We work with business valuation professionals and forensic accountants to determine what the business is worth and what income the owner really draws, including perks run through the company. This also matters for support calculations.

Is a prenup valid if I signed it right before the wedding?

Not automatically. New Jersey requires a written agreement, full financial disclosure, and an opportunity to consult independent counsel. Agreements that fall short of these requirements can be challenged later.

Can I add a postnup after we are already married?

Yes. Couples often sign postnuptial agreements after starting a business, receiving an inheritance, or when one spouse’s career changes. We draft and negotiate these agreements.

How long does a restraining order case take?

A temporary restraining order sets a hearing date within ten days. The final hearing then decides whether a permanent order is issued. Because the outcome can affect custody and firearms, preparation has to begin immediately.

Will I need a lawyer for a simple support modification?

You can file on your own, but the court requires proof of a substantial change in circumstances, and the financial documentation is where many motions fail. Having counsel prepare the record is usually worth it.

Serving Family Law Clients Across Tinton Falls and Monmouth County

We represent families in Tinton Falls and the neighboring Monmouth County communities of Red Bank, Shrewsbury, Rumson, Middletown, Holmdel, Colts Neck, Freehold, Long Branch, and Asbury Park. Our reach extends into Ocean County, including Toms River, and Middlesex County, as well as clients elsewhere in New Jersey. Whether your case is heard in the Monmouth Family Division in Freehold, or you live closer to the shore, our team handles divorce, custody, support, and post-judgment matters for families throughout the area, along with the business, real estate, and estate planning questions that so often travel with them.

Talk With a Tinton Falls Family Attorney Today

If you are ready to talk through a divorce, a custody dispute, a support change, or a restraining order, a Tinton Falls family attorney from Sanvenero & Cittadino, LLC can walk you through your options and the likely path of your case. Call to schedule a consultation, and bring whatever financial records and court papers you have. We will tell you plainly where you stand.