Family law along the Connecticut shoreline.
Divorce, custody, support, and mediation — handled with the care a family deserves and the rigor a court requires.
What family law looks like, in practice.
Family law is rarely abstract. It's the conversation about who gets the house, who picks up the kids on Wednesday, what fairness looks like when two careers and twenty years are tangled together. Clifford Merin's practice covers the full arc of these matters — from the first private consultation through a final judgment, and through the modifications that often follow.
Divorce & dissolution
Both contested and uncontested divorces. Asset division, business interests, retirement accounts, real property, and the practical work of separating two intertwined lives. Connecticut is an equitable-distribution state — equitable does not mean equal.
Custody & parenting plans
Legal and physical custody, parenting schedules, school decisions, relocation, and the negotiation of plans that hold up under real-world pressure. The court's standard is the best interests of the child; the work is making the plan work.
Child support
Child support set under Connecticut's Child Support and Arrearage Guidelines, including high-income deviations, shared-custody adjustments, and the specific deductions that matter when calculating net income.
Alimony
Alimony — temporary, time-limited, or permanent — negotiated as part of a settlement or argued at trial. Tax treatment, modification provisions, and the interaction with property division are all part of the same conversation.
Mediation
Mediation as an alternative to traditional litigation, where both spouses want a more direct path forward. Clifford serves both as mediator and as consulting counsel for parties going through mediation with a neutral.
Post-judgment work
Modifications when circumstances change — a job loss, a relocation, a child's evolving needs. Enforcement of orders that are being ignored. Contempt motions where appropriate.
Steady, prepared, and honest about what you're up against.
Family law cases reward preparation. They punish surprise. Clifford's practice is built around getting in front of the issues early — a clear-eyed read on what's likely to happen, what isn't, and what your options actually are at each stage.
That includes saying when settlement is the right call, and when it isn't. It includes returning your calls the same day. It includes spending the first conversation listening before talking strategy.
Many family law cases never see a courtroom. The ones that do are better off when the lawyer has prepared as if every case might.
What clients ask early on.
A few of the questions that come up most often. None of these answers replace a real consultation about your specific situation.
Do I need to live in Connecticut to file for divorce here?
Connecticut requires that one spouse has lived in the state for at least 12 months before a judgment of divorce can be entered, with limited exceptions. You can file before the 12 months is up, but the case will not finalize until that residency requirement is met.
How long does a Connecticut divorce take?
There is a 90-day waiting period from the case return date before a divorce can be finalized. An uncontested divorce with no significant disputes can sometimes finish near the 90-day mark. Contested cases involving custody, business valuation, or significant assets routinely take 9 to 18 months.
Which courthouse will my case be heard in?
It depends on the town you live in. Branford, Guilford, and Madison file at New Haven Superior Court. Clinton, Westbrook, and Old Saybrook go through Middlesex Superior Court in Middletown. Old Lyme, East Lyme, Waterford, and New London are heard at New London Superior Court.
How is child support calculated in Connecticut?
Connecticut uses the Child Support and Arrearage Guidelines — a formula based on both parents' net weekly income, the number of children, and certain allowable deductions. Courts can deviate from the guideline amount in specific circumstances: high incomes above the guideline range, shared physical custody, special needs, or extraordinary expenses.
Is mediation a good fit for my case?
Mediation works best when both spouses can communicate civilly and want a less adversarial path. It is typically a poor fit where there is a significant power imbalance, a history of domestic violence, hidden assets, or one party who isn't negotiating in good faith. A short consultation usually clarifies whether mediation makes sense.
What is a parenting plan?
A written schedule and decision-making framework that becomes part of a court order. It covers physical custody (school year, summer, holidays), legal custody (schools, healthcare, religion), exchanges, communication, and how future disagreements will be handled. Connecticut courts strongly prefer plans that the parties craft together rather than ones the court imposes.
Family law by shoreline town.
Detail on the courts, common case dynamics, and what to expect when filing from your town.
Branford
A mixed shoreline community where divorce cases run from middle-class to high-asset, with school district considerations close to the top of most parenting plans.
Family law in Branford
Old Saybrook
A retirement-skewed shoreline town where pension division, QDROs, and the dynamics of later-life divorce show up regularly in cases.
Family law in Old Saybrook
New London
A working-class harbor city with a deep Coast Guard and submarine base presence, where military divorce and USFSPA pension division come up often.
Family law in New LondonAll shoreline towns
Detailed pages for the rest of the towns we serve across the three judicial districts.