If you are in danger now
Call for help first. Do not email this office.
I do not take emergency TRO night court, and I do not take emergencies through this site or over email. If you need a temporary restraining order tonight, contact the police or the resources below.
- Emergency: 911. If you are in immediate danger.
- 180 Turning Lives Around (Monmouth County), 24/7 domestic-violence hotline: 1-888-843-9262. Free and confidential. Safety planning, shelter, and court advocacy.
- New Jersey statewide domestic-violence hotline, 24/7: 1-800-572-SAFE (7233). Confidential crisis help and referrals in every county.
- Legal Services of New Jersey, Domestic Violence Representation Project: 1-888-576-5529. Free legal help for people who qualify.
How it works in New Jersey
A temporary order first. A final hearing soon after.
Under New Jersey’s Prevention of Domestic Violence Act, a judge can enter a temporary restraining order (TRO), often the same day. The final hearing on whether to enter a final restraining order (FRO) is usually set within about ten days. A final order can last a long time and can affect where you live, your time with your children, firearms, and more. That hearing is worth preparing for.
Strategy session
Thirty minutes to get ready.
$50 30 minutes. No agreement to represent
Teaching and strategy so you can prepare to appear on your own: what the hearing is, what the judge will look at, how to organize your evidence and witnesses, and what to bring. This is not an agreement to represent you, and it is not an appearance.
See the strategy-session scope →
Representation
Limited representation for the final hearing.
After a TRO is in place, I may take on representation for the final restraining-order hearing. I decide case by case, based on my case load and the facts. If I take it, the scope is written down first: preparing the case, the final hearing, and anything else we agree to.
There is no published flat fee for hearing representation. It is quoted after a consult, with a written retainer and a separate engagement letter. Work that goes past what we agreed — a contested trial that runs long, appeals, or related family matters — is hourly at $275/hour through December 8, 2026 ($350/hour thereafter), only if we agree to it in writing first.
Under Rule 5:3-5, domestic-violence work must be expressly in or out of a family-law retainer. If I already help you with another family matter, a restraining order is not included unless the retainer says so.
Not included
What I do not take.
- Emergency TRO filings or night-court coverage
- Anything through this website or email that needs action today
- Criminal charges that come with a restraining order. This office does not handle criminal defense
- Representation without a signed retainer
I take all matters based on my case load and whether the case resonates with me. A meeting alone does not establish an attorney-client relationship. That relationship begins only after I have accepted the case and we have both signed a written retainer agreement.
Restraining-order fees →