Ruiz Doolan Law Firm Blog

Equality in marriage, but what about Divorce?                 Same sex marriage was legalized in the state of New Jersey in October of 2013. When it comes to divorce, same sex-marriage couples will follow the same procedure as opposite-sex married couples. What that means is that one party will need to file a complaint for divorce stating at least one of New Jersey’s grounds for divorce, including but not limited to irreconcilable differences. Following that filing the court will process the case in the same manner as it has been processing opposite sex divorces for years. What that means is that there are no additional grounds, paperwork or proofs that are required in a same-sex divorce. There are no additional court appearances required. That does not however mean that the process will be easy. All that means is that everyone is being treated the same way when it comes to divorce.                  When it comes to couples that were married in a civil union, the process

Abuse and the Internet, a whole new look at Domestic Violence in New Jersey              Each year thousands and thousands of people filed domestic violence complaints in the New Jersey courts.  It is easy to see domestic violence when you have a victim that has physical injuries clearly before you. It is not as easy to see violence when the injuries are emotional and the abuse came in the form of words, emails or texts. More and more abusers are using multimedia to attack their victims. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter as well as multiple chat applications are being used as perfect avenues to torment victims. Abusers can stalk without even leaving their homes, they can post messages on their victim’s message boards, send texts to their friends and family and even contact their employers. Not all of these actions are easily traceable as there are now applications that permanently delete your messages within a short period of time, making it harder for victims to prove what has happened

Getting into Business with a Friend? You may need a Joint Venture Agreement. I) What is a Joint Venture Agreement? A joint venture agreement is a contract made between two or more individuals or companies to be in a joint venture.  People who create a joint venture agreement want to collaborate on a project while remaining independent. For example: Company A and Company B want to enter in a joint venture agreement for the specific purpose of building houses. II) Consideration and Planning for A Joint Venture Agreement: When planning to enter a joint venture agreement there are a few factors to consider: 1) The Form of the Joint Venture: Will the joint venture be in the form of a partnership, LLC. or a contract between companies. 2) Scope of Business 3) Ownership and Control 4) Dissolution 5) Assets 6) Governance 7) Management 8) Budgets 9) Disputes 10) Taxes 11) Financing 12) Breaches 13) Debt 14) Transfers Without a properly drafted joint venture agreement the