What the New Child Custody Bill Means for Your Practice
Date: Mar 5, 2026 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Location: Online
Member Price: $143.00
Non-Member Price: $179.00
Section Price: $134.00
Areas of Law: Family
Earn up to 2.4 credits! (More Information)
Keynote
Moderator
- Cheryl E. Connors, Esq.
- Tonneman & Connors, LLC, Little Silveris a Partner in Tonneman & Connors, LLC with offices in Eatontown and East Brunswick, New Jersey. She concentrates her practice in family law, with an emphasis in issues of divorce, child custody, visitation, child support, equitable distribution, palimony, adoption, paternity, domestic violence, prenuptial agreements and collaborative divorce. In 2016 she appeared before the New Jersey Supreme Court on behalf of the New Jersey State Bar Association in the matter of In re Adoption of a Child by J.E.V.
Admitted to practice in New Jersey and before the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, Ms. Connors is Vice Chair of the Executive Committee of the Family Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association, a member of the NJSBA’s Solo and Small-Firm Section, has served on the New Jersey Supreme Court Family Practice Committee for the 2017-2019 and 2019-2021 terms, and is serving on the Committee for the 2021-2023 term. She is also a member of the Middlesex County and Monmouth Bar Associations, and the Collaborative Divorce Professionals of New Jersey. She serves as a Matrimonial Early Settlement panelist in Middlesex County and as an Intensive Settlement Panelist in Monmouth County.
An Associate Managing Editor of the New Jersey Family Lawyer, Ms. Connors has authored and co-authored numerous articles which have appeared in the New Jersey Family Lawyer and has been published in Divorce Magazine’s Frequently Asked Questions feature. She was the 2013 recipient of the Martin S. Goldin Family Law Award from the Middlesex County Bar Association and frequently lectures on family law topics.
Ms. Connors received her B.A., with distinction, from Cornell University and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Seton Hall University School of Law, where she was a senior member of the Seton Hall Law Review and received the Raymond del Tufo, Jr. Award. She served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Barry T. Albin, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
(8/23)
Presenters
- Hon. Gary Potters, J.S.C.
- Hudson County Superior Court
- Hon. Marcella Matos Wilson, J.S.C., Essex
- Superior Court of New Jerseywas appointed to the Superior Court in 2014, is assigned to the Family Division, Essex County, and sits in Newark, New Jersey. She serves as the Lead Judge for the FM Unit in Essex County. Prior to being appointed to the bench, she was a solo practitioner for 20 years and concentrated her practice in family law.
Co-Chair of the Supreme Court Child Support Subcommittee, Judge Wilson serves on the Supreme Court Family Practice Committee and Presiding Judge FD-FM Committee. Prior to being appointed to the bench, she was a member of the Essex County Family Law Executive Committee, a volunteer for the Early Settlement Panel and was a court approved Mediator. She was the recipient of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Award for her outstanding contributions to crime victims and their families.
Judge Wilson received her B.S. from Caldwell University and her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law. She clerked for the Honorable John J. Dois and the Honorable Joseph A. Falcone. - Rita M. Aquilio, Esq.
- Lawrence Law, Watchung
- Robert A. Epstein, Esq.
- Manzi Epstein Lomurro & Decataldo, West Orange
- Jeffrey Fiorello, Esq.
- Cohn Lifland Pearlman Herrmann Knopf LLP, Saddle Brook
- Dr. Danielle Forshee, PsyD., LCSW
- Dr. Danielle Forshee, LLC, Red Bank
- Cassie Murphy, Esq.
- Paone Zaleski & Murphy, Red Bank
- Jenna Shapiro, Esq.
- Szaferman, Lakind, Blumstein & Blader, P.C., Lawrenceville
On January 20, Governor Phil Murphy signed S4510, which became immediately effective. The bill redefines the public policy of the State of New Jersey with regard to child custody disputes and will have a tremendous impact on your practice and your clients. The most notable change is that the bill imposes certain restrictions on the court’s authority to order reunification therapy for the child, requires the court to give more weight to the child’s preferences in determining custody, and requires the court to weigh the findings and recommendations of the child’s mental health professional.
Join experienced judges, attorneys and a respected psychologist and social worker for
- An analysis of our new custody statute
- Public policy changes to custody determinations
- New standards for court-ordered therapy and specifically reunification therapy
- Arguments to raise in custody litigations and post-judgment matters
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