Introduction
Twenty years of practicing family law: with no other practice area, ever: and the additional credential of a licensed mediator make Andrew R. Fischer a specialist whose depth in New Jersey family law proceedings is not diluted by adjacent practice areas. Based in Wall, New Jersey, the Law Office of Andrew R. Fischer handles divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, property division, modifications, domestic violence, pre-nuptial agreements, adoption, mediation, and both litigation and negotiated resolution, serving clients across Monmouth, Middlesex, and Ocean Counties.
The dual role Fischer occupies, as both a divorce attorney who represents clients and a mediator who facilitates settlement, gives him a perspective that few family law attorneys have. He has seen family disputes resolved through agreement and through courtroom adjudication, which informs his judgment about when negotiation is realistically achievable and when litigation is the only path to a fair outcome.
The firm’s emphasis on resolving issues outside of court is not a reflexive preference for settlement. It reflects Fischer’s assessment that contested litigation, while sometimes necessary, is expensive, time-consuming, and emotionally difficult for all involved, particularly when children are at the center of the dispute. The goal is the best outcome for the client’s specific situation, using whatever method: negotiation, mediation, collaborative process, or full litigation: produces that outcome.
The office is at 1516 Highway 138, Unit 1B, Wall, NJ 07719. Phone: 732-865-6653. More information is at andrewfischerlaw.com.
Practice Areas
Divorce
New Jersey divorce law allows both no-fault and fault-based grounds. The most common no-fault ground is irreconcilable differences. Fault grounds: adultery, desertion, extreme cruelty, and others: can affect certain aspects of the case, including alimony, though New Jersey courts generally emphasize economic factors over marital misconduct in most property and support determinations.
The divorce process involves identifying and valuing all marital assets and debts, determining what the equitable distribution of those assets should be, resolving alimony questions, and, where children are involved, addressing custody and support. For cases with relatively straightforward finances and minimal disputes, Fischer’s emphasis on resolution outside of court can produce outcomes faster and at lower cost than full litigation. For high-conflict or high-net-worth cases, thorough litigation preparation is necessary.
High net worth divorce at this firm involves cases where the marital estate includes complex assets: business interests, investment portfolios, professional practices, stock options, deferred compensation, and real estate. Properly valuing these assets requires both legal knowledge and, in many cases, forensic accounting experts. Fischer coordinates the expert work necessary to ensure the marital estate is accurately identified and valued.
Child Custody
Child custody determinations in New Jersey are governed by the best interests of the child standard. The factors courts consider include the parents’ ability to cooperate, the stability of each parent’s home environment, the child’s relationships with siblings and other family members, the child’s preference (considered at an age-appropriate level), and each parent’s fitness as a parent.
Custody encompasses both legal custody, which is the right to make major decisions about the child’s education, health care, and religious upbringing, and physical custody, which determines where the child lives. Joint legal custody is the most common arrangement when both parents are capable of cooperating on decision-making. Physical custody arrangements range from primary physical custody with one parent and parenting time for the other, to true shared parenting with roughly equal time.
Fischer’s stated priority for children’s needs in custody cases reflects the reality that how the custody issues are resolved will affect the child’s life for years. Custody litigation that turns into a prolonged battle between parents imposes costs on the children that go beyond the financial cost of litigation.
Child Support
Child support in New Jersey is calculated using the income shares model. Both parents’ incomes are considered, along with the parenting time arrangement, the costs of health insurance, and the costs of childcare attributable to work or education. The resulting calculation produces a presumptive support amount that the court can adjust based on the specific circumstances.
Support orders can be modified when there is a substantial change in circumstances: a significant change in either parent’s income, a change in the child’s needs, or a change in the parenting time arrangement.
Alimony
New Jersey recognizes several types of alimony: open durational alimony (formerly permanent alimony, now governed by a duration-related framework tied to the length of the marriage), limited duration alimony, rehabilitative alimony (designed to support a spouse while they acquire education or training to become self-supporting), and reimbursement alimony. The type and duration of alimony depends on the length of the marriage, each spouse’s income and earning capacity, the marital lifestyle, and other statutory factors.
Alimony modifications can be sought based on changed circumstances, including the payor’s retirement, significant changes in income, or the recipient’s remarriage or cohabitation.
Property Division
New Jersey follows the equitable distribution principle: marital property is divided in a manner that is fair, which does not necessarily mean equal. Separate property: assets owned before the marriage or received as individual gifts or inheritances: is generally not subject to equitable distribution, though it can become commingled with marital property over time.
Identifying which assets are marital, tracing the history of commingled assets, and valuing business interests and other complex holdings are the central tasks in property division disputes.
Modification of Orders
Child support, custody, and alimony orders are not permanent. A substantial change in circumstances can justify modification. The firm handles post-judgment modification applications and responses, including situations where one parent wants to relocate with the children, where income has changed significantly, or where the original order no longer reflects the parties’ actual situation.
Domestic Violence
New Jersey’s Prevention of Domestic Violence Act provides civil remedies for victims of domestic violence, including temporary and final restraining orders. The firm handles domestic violence proceedings, both representing victims seeking restraining orders and respondents defending against them.
Pre-Nuptial Agreements
Pre-nuptial agreements define the property rights of each spouse in the event of divorce or death, protecting assets brought into the marriage and clarifying each party’s financial expectations. A valid pre-nuptial agreement requires full financial disclosure, independent legal advice for each party, and execution without coercion.
Adoption
The firm handles adoption proceedings in New Jersey, including the legal steps required to formalize an adoption through the court system.
Mediation
Fischer’s role as a mediator: separate from his role as a representing attorney: allows him to offer mediation services to couples seeking a neutral facilitator to help them reach agreement on divorce and custody issues without full litigation. Mediation can address all the issues in a divorce: property division, support, custody, and parenting time.
Attorney Profiles
Andrew R. Fischer
Andrew R. Fischer has practiced family law for more than 20 years, handling only family law matters. He is based in Wall, New Jersey, and serves clients across Monmouth, Middlesex, and Ocean Counties.
In addition to his role as a family law attorney, Fischer is a licensed mediator. Clients describe his demeanor as calm, a quality that matters in family law cases where emotions are often running high. His emphasis on resolving matters outside of court reflects both his experience with the costs and emotional toll of contested litigation and his observation that agreements reached between parties tend to be better tailored to their specific circumstances than orders imposed by a court.
Fischer’s stated priority for children’s needs in custody and support matters reflects a practitioner who has thought carefully about the purpose of family law proceedings: protecting the interests of the people: particularly children: who will live with the outcomes.
Location & Service Area
Office: 1516 Highway 138, Unit 1B, Wall, NJ 07719
Phone: 732-865-6653
Service area covers Monmouth County, Middlesex County, and Ocean County. Wall Township is centrally positioned within Monmouth County, providing accessible coverage to clients throughout the three-county region.
Client Focus
Family law clients arrive at different stages of awareness. Some have just received divorce papers and need to understand their rights and obligations quickly. Others have been planning a separation for months and come in with questions already organized. Still others are dealing with post-judgment modifications, violations of existing orders, or custody disputes that have reignited long after the initial divorce was resolved.
Fischer’s 20-year focus on family law means he has encountered the full range of situations within this narrow practice area. The calm demeanor clients describe is not a personality trait that emerged by accident; it reflects a practitioner who has navigated difficult family disputes repeatedly and understands the value of keeping the process from becoming more adversarial than necessary.
High net worth divorce cases require both legal analysis and financial sophistication. Business valuations, stock option analysis, and tracing the origins of complex assets require expert coordination that the firm provides for clients whose financial circumstances go beyond the standard income and bank account analysis.
FAQ
Does the firm handle both negotiated divorce settlements and contested litigation?
Yes. The firm handles both. Fischer’s preference for resolving matters outside of court is based on the practical benefits: lower cost, faster resolution, and greater party control over the outcome: rather than a categorical refusal to litigate. When the other party is not negotiating in good faith, when the financial stakes require full litigation, or when safety requires it, the firm litigates the case.
What is the difference between Andrew Fischer’s role as a mediator and his role as a divorce attorney?
As a divorce attorney, Fischer represents one party in a dispute, advocating for that party’s interests. As a mediator, he acts as a neutral facilitator for both parties, helping them reach their own agreement without advocating for either side. A person who uses Fischer as their divorce attorney cannot simultaneously use him as the mediator in the same case; the roles are distinct and Fischer performs them in separate matters.
How are child support amounts determined in New Jersey?
New Jersey uses the income shares model, which considers both parents’ gross incomes, the parenting time arrangement, and the costs of health insurance and work-related childcare. The calculation produces a presumptive support amount. The court can deviate from that amount in cases where the circumstances justify it, such as a child with exceptional needs or a high-income case where the formula produces an amount disproportionate to the child’s actual needs.
Can custody orders be modified after they are entered?
Yes. In New Jersey, a custody order can be modified when there is a substantial change in circumstances. What qualifies as a substantial change depends on the facts. A parent’s relocation, a significant change in a child’s needs, or a change in either parent’s work schedule or living situation may support a modification application. The standard remains the best interests of the child.
Does the firm handle high net worth divorce cases?
Yes. High net worth divorce cases involve complex asset identification, valuation, and distribution. Business interests, professional practices, investment portfolios, stock options, and deferred compensation all require careful analysis. Fischer coordinates the financial experts necessary to ensure the full marital estate is identified and properly valued, and he applies 20 years of New Jersey family law experience to the legal strategy for distributing those assets equitably.
Closing
Two decades of family law practice and a mediator’s license give Andrew R. Fischer a dual competency that few New Jersey family law attorneys can claim. Working within Monmouth, Middlesex, and Ocean Counties from the Wall Township office, Fischer handles the full spectrum of family law matters: from straightforward uncontested divorces to high net worth contested litigation: with a consistent emphasis on what serves the client’s actual interests rather than reflexively pushing toward either settlement or litigation. For family law matters in the three-county region, contact the office at 732-865-6653 or visit andrewfischerlaw.com. The office is at 1516 Highway 138, Unit 1B, Wall, NJ 07719.