Safety orders and custody deadlines come first.
Domestic-violence, same-day custody, support-enforcement, and imminent-hearing issues should be flagged as urgent legal matters.
Family law counsel for decisions that shape home, money, and children.
Divorce, custody, child support, alimony, domestic violence, and DCPP concerns for families in Somerset County, Somerville, and across New Jersey.
Authored by Joel A. Friedman, Esq. ·
Reviewed by Joel A. Friedman, Esq., Family Law, Simon Law Group, LLC · June 2026 8 min read
Family law is not one problem. It is usually several problems arriving at once: a marriage ending, a parenting schedule that has to work on school mornings, support that has to be calculated from real numbers, property that has to be divided, and sometimes a safety or child-protection issue that cannot wait.
Simon Law Group represents clients in New Jersey family-law matters from Somerset County and Somerville to courts across the state. If you need the broader family-law overview, start with our New Jersey family law overview. If you already know the issue, the sections below point to the dedicated divorce, custody, child-support, alimony, domestic-violence, and DCPP resources.
Safety comes first
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For domestic violence support in New Jersey, call the NJ Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-572-SAFE (7233). NJ Courts states that restraining-order applications are handled through the Superior Court Family Division during court hours and through local police when court is closed. See NJ Courts domestic-violence guidance1.
What a New Jersey family law attorney can help with
A useful family-law consultation should identify the legal track, the immediate risks, the documents that matter, and the next step. The issue may be narrow, such as reviewing a settlement agreement, or broad, such as a contested divorce with custody, support, alimony, and DCPP concerns happening at the same time.
Divorce and separation
Our New Jersey divorce attorneys handle contested and uncontested divorce, separation planning, equitable distribution, settlement agreements, and post-judgment issues. New Jersey divorce grounds are listed in N.J.S.A. 2A:34-21; many cases are filed on irreconcilable differences, but the choice of pleading, timing, and venue should be reviewed before filing.
Custody and parenting time
Custody is about decision-making, residential schedules, school routines, medical care, holidays, transportation, and whether the order can actually be followed. Read more on our child custody page. New Jersey custody determinations are governed by the best-interests standard in N.J.S.A. 9:2-42.
Child support and alimony
Child support starts with the New Jersey Child Support Guidelines under R. 5:6A3, then turns on income, overnights, health insurance, child care, and any facts supporting a deviation. Visit our child support page for that calculation. Alimony is different: New Jersey alimony is evaluated under N.J.S.A. 2A:34-234 and depends on statutory factors rather than a fixed formula. See our alimony page.
Domestic violence and DCPP
Some family matters involve safety allegations, restraining orders, police reports, or child-protection investigations. Our domestic violence page explains Temporary and Final Restraining Orders. Our DCPP and DYFS defense page explains how to respond when the Division of Child Protection and Permanency contacts a parent or opens an investigation. NJ DCF identifies CP&P as New Jersey's child-protection agency for abuse and neglect investigations through the Division of Child Protection and Permanency5.
Somerset, Somerville, and statewide New Jersey family matters
The firm serves clients in Somerset County and Somerville, with family-law representation available across New Jersey. Local facts still matter: where the complaint is filed, whether there are existing orders, where children attend school, where exchanges happen, what county probation office is involved, and whether the case belongs on a divorce, non-dissolution, domestic-violence, or child-protection track.
Statewide practice matters too. A parenting plan can involve parents in different counties. A DCPP investigation may overlap with a divorce. A child-support order may need enforcement or modification after a parent moves. We focus on identifying the active legal track first, then building the record around the facts that track requires.
How to prepare for the consultation
You can request a consultation before every document is gathered. The goal of the first conversation is to identify the legal posture, urgency, likely next step, and fee structure. If you have time, gather the following:
- Any filed complaint, motion, order, notice, settlement agreement, or DCPP letter.
- Recent pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements, retirement statements, mortgage documents, and debts.
- Parenting schedules, school calendars, medical or therapy information, and communications about children.
- Police reports, restraining-order papers, screenshots, photos, or other safety-related records.
- A short timeline of what happened, what changed, and what deadline is coming next.
During intake, staff and the legal team review practice area, urgency, county, conflicts, and fit. If the matter is accepted for a consultation, the attorney will discuss the issue, the likely next step, the documents needed, and the fee structure before engagement.
Where to go next
The pages below go deeper on the issues most clients raise in a family-law consultation:
Frequently asked questions
What does a New Jersey family law attorney handle?
A family law attorney helps with divorce, custody, parenting time, child support, alimony, domestic violence, DCPP investigations, agreements, and post-judgment issues.
The right scope depends on the problem in front of you. A divorce matter may require financial disclosure and settlement drafting. A custody matter may require a parenting plan, school and medical records, or emergency safety analysis. DCPP and domestic violence matters move on different schedules and should be evaluated quickly.
Do I need a local Somerset or Somerville family law attorney?
Local context helps, but the lawyer still needs statewide New Jersey family-law experience because the same family statutes and court rules apply across the state.
For Somerset County and Somerville families, local court familiarity can help with expectations, scheduling, document preparation, and practical courthouse logistics. The legal analysis remains statewide: divorce, custody, support, alimony, domestic violence, and DCPP issues are governed by New Jersey statutes, court rules, and Family Part practice.
What should I bring to a family law consultation?
Bring court papers, existing orders, financial records, pay information, parenting schedules, school or medical materials, and any safety or DCPP documents.
You do not need a perfect file before asking for help. Start with the papers you already have: complaints, orders, notices, letters from DCPP, police reports, pay stubs, tax returns, bank or retirement statements, school calendars, communications about parenting time, and a timeline of the events that led you to call.
Can a New Jersey custody, support, or alimony order be changed later?
Often, yes. Post-judgment applications ask the court to change an existing order based on later facts, but the standard depends on the issue and the record.
NJ Courts describes post-judgment requests as applications filed after a final judgment or order when someone asks the court to enforce, change, or address later events. See NJ Courts post-judgment motion guidance1. In practice, modification issues are fact-specific: a change in income, a child's needs, a parenting schedule, relocation, health, retirement, or cohabitation may matter, but the proof must be organized before the motion is filed.
What if domestic violence or DCPP is part of the family matter?
Treat it as urgent. Safety, court deadlines, interviews, evidence preservation, and parenting restrictions can move quickly.
If there is immediate danger, call 911. NJ Courts explains that domestic-violence applications are handled through the Family Division during court hours and through local police when court is closed. See NJ Courts domestic-violence guidance2. DCPP matters are different: New Jersey's child-protection agency investigates allegations of child abuse and neglect through the Division of Child Protection and Permanency. See NJ DCF CP&P guidance3.
Related Practice Areas
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If a court date or deadline changes before we respond, call us at (800) 709-1131.
Geographic scope
Serving 21 New Jersey counties.
Questions people often ask next
Discuss Family Law
For Family Law, share the current order or court papers, the next date, and the decision that cannot wait. The responsible attorney reviews those facts directly with you before recommending a path.
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Consultation request. There is no charge to send this form or to talk through your situation.
Request received.
We received your request. A member of our team will read it and follow up using the contact method you chose.
- Personal review. A member of our team reads your message and pays close attention to any court date or deadline.
- Choose a consultation time. For a phone consultation, call (800) 709-1131 at the scheduled time.
- Free consultation. If we can take your matter, we schedule time with the attorney who would actually handle it.
If a court date or deadline changes before we respond, call us at (800) 709-1131.
What Happens Next
What happens after you reach out.
- We start with the basics.
Tell us what happened and how to reach you. That is enough for the first message.
- A person reviews your request.
We check the legal issue, county, and any court date or deadline, then make sure the appropriate attorney sees it.
- You choose how we follow up.
Call, text, or email, whichever you prefer. Text consent is optional.
- Your responsible attorney stays involved.
The attorney responsible for your matter remains directly involved in strategy, decisions, and legal work. Staff and other lawyers may assist, but they do not take over the representation.
Contacting us does not make Simon Law Group your lawyer. Representation begins only after you and the firm sign a written engagement agreement.