August 15, 2010
STATE BAR ASSOCIATION COMMENDS GOVERNOR PATERSON FOR
SIGNING NO-FAULT DIVORCE LEGISLATION INTO LAW
New York State Bar Association President Stephen P. Younger of New
York (Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP) today commended Governor
Paterson for signing into law recently passed legislation allowing
no-fault divorce in New York.
“With a stroke of his pen, Governor Paterson has helped to ease
some of the financial and emotional burdens that marital separations
place on New York’s children and families,” said President
Younger. “By removing the requirement to prove fault, divorcing
couples and the courts will no longer have to waste resources litigating
on whether a marriage should end, but will be able to better focus on
issues such as the welfare of the children, fair division of marital
assets and other economic concerns. The court system will ultimately
realize substantial cost savings. The State Bar Association has long
supported efforts to reform New York’s divorce laws. I would like
to also commend the State Legislature, as well as the members of our
Family Law Section, for their tremendous efforts in ensuring that this
important and sensible measure finally became law.”
Since 2004, the State Bar has strongly supported enactment of
no-fault divorce in New York. In April 2003, the State Bar’s
Family Law Section surveyed its approximately 3,000 members to gather
data regarding contested and uncontested divorce cases. More than 75
percent of the respondents agreed that fault should be eliminated as a
ground for divorce in New York due to the adverse strain placed on
spouses and families during this difficult process.
To view a copy of President Younger’s letter to Governor
Paterson in support of no-fault divorce legislation, please visit http://www.nysba.org/NoFaultLetter.
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Founded in 1876, the 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is
the official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the
largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. The State
Bar’s programs and activities have continuously served the public
and improved the justice system for more than 130 years. For more
information, visit us at our Web site at www.nysba.org.
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