BorgerMatez, P.A. is pleased to announce it has combined with Weir Greenblatt Pierce LLP (WGP) effective January 1, 2024. All five attorneys, Gary Borger, Bruce Matez, Deena Betze, Mary Cay Trace, and Giovanna Lombardo, and staff from BorgerMatez will join WGP in its Haddonfield, New Jersey office. The combined firm will continue to operate as Weir Greenblatt Pierce LLP. WGP is known for providing superior representation to individuals, businesses, and financial institutions in business, commercial, criminal, employment, family, personal injury, and civil rights matters. Adding the BorgerMatez ..read more

Partners Gary Borger and Bruce Matez continue to participate in professional panels and webinars. Here’s a recent snapshot:   August 2023 Bruce Matez began teaching Divorce and Family Law Mediation at Rutgers Law School in Camden.   September 14, 2023 Bruce Matez was a featured presenter in a webinar, “Employing ADR Techniques in Every Practice” for the Camden County Bar Association. The webinar was moderated by Lynda Hinckle, Esq. and Bruce presented with Michael D. Fioretti, Esq.   November 17, 2023 Gary Borger will be featured on two panels at this year’s NJ Association ..read more

by Deena L. Betze, Esq. So, you settled your divorce issues. Now what? Whether you settled in court, through mediation or the collaborative process, or at your kitchen table, you need to put all the terms of that settlement in a comprehensive, written agreement. It’s called a marital settlement agreement (or “MSA[1],” for short) which is signed by both parties and ultimately incorporated into and made a part of your final judgment of divorce that the judge signs and which is then filed with the court. A well drafted MSA should keep you out of court in the future, and a well-written one makes a ..read more

Bruce Matez, Esq. with Chang Soo Choe From NJAPM: Bruce Matez, Margarita Echevarria, Richard Herman, Kate Monagle, Meghan Bradley, and Glenn Milgraum On November 17th Bruce Matez and other leaders of the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators (NJAPM) met with a delegation from South Korea to discuss how we utilize mediation in conflict and dispute resolution in the United States both formally through court programs and privately. The 20-person delegation led by Chang Soo Choe, Ph.D, Professor & Chair Of the Department of Local Government Studies at Cyber Hankuk University of ..read more

In the Personal Finance section of The Wall Street Journal on November 9th, Veronica Dagher opines that amicable divorces are not likely in the current financial market in the United States. The author of this article makes valid points about how the economy is impacting couples contemplating separation and/or divorce or are in the midst of a separation and divorce.  Rising mortgage rates, inflation overall, inflated home valuations, the cost of residential rentals, and the recent decline in the market all contribute to the stress of divorce, an already incredibly stressful process.  ..read more

On Thursday, September 8, 2022, Bruce Matez, Esq., APM, a partner at BorgerMatez, P.A. received the 2022 Jeydel Award. Given annually by the Justice Marie L. Garibaldi American Inn of Court for Alternate Dispute Resolution in memory of Richard K. Jeydel, a founding master of the Garibaldi Inn, the Jeydel Award was bestowed upon Bruce Matez during an evening event. A current member of one of the American Inns of Court located in New Jersey, Bruce was recognized for his demonstrated civility, professionalism, ethics, and excellence in and service to alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Congratu ..read more

by Gary L. Borger, Esq. Pre-marital agreements (formerly known as ante (before)-nuptial agreements) were originally used for a widow or widower to protect their grown children financially upon the parent’s passing, i.e., protecting their estate upon death from passing to a second spouse. That was at a time when divorce was considered shameful. Then came the 1960s when the divorce rate increased, and the stigma attached to it subsided. It was then that pre-marital agreements came to be viewed as a manner of protecting oneself in the event of a divorce, not just protection of one’s estate upon d ..read more

by Bruce P. Matez, Esq. APM It is a fact: more than 98% of all divorces filed in the state of New Jersey are settled before trial.  98+%!!!  If you’re divorcing, there is less than a 2% chance that your divorce will be tried to conclusion before a judge. That means the overwhelming likelihood is that you will never have that oft talked about “day in court.”  The staggering odds are that if you’re divorcing, you and your spouse will ultimately settle the issues related to your divorce. What really matters most is the method you and your spouse choose to reach that settlement. Her ..read more

by Bruce P. Matez, Esq. APM There are generally four different types of mediation. Facilitative Mediation Evaluative or Directive Mediation Transformational Mediation Transactional Mediation   FACILITATIVE MEDIATION:  In facilitative mediation (generally considered the traditional type of mediation), the mediator facilitates discussions between the parties in conflict. Rather than making recommendations or imposing a decision on them, the mediator encourages disputants to reach their own voluntary solution by exploring each other’s goals and interests. In facilitative mediation, me ..read more

The law in New Jersey is clear; an engagement ring given to a spouse PRIOR to the wedding is a gift in contemplation of marriage and is, therefore, NOT a marital asset subject to equitable distribution. In plain English, the engagement ring belongs to the recipient and the “giver” has no legal right to get it back nor to receive any value for it. So, what happens when someone gives his/her spouse an engagement ring that is a family heirloom, was his/her mother’s or grandmother’s ring, or has a diamond(s) in it that came from his/her mother or grandmother or another family member?  The leg ..read more