Divorce in Camden County, NJ

If you live in Camden County and you are getting divorced, your case will almost certainly be heard in the Camden Vicinage — Vicinage 4 of the New Jersey Superior Court, Chancery Division, Family Part. That single fact drives a lot of what your divorce will look like: which judge you draw, which settlement panel you sit in front of, which holiday parenting schedule the court will hand you, and how long the whole thing takes.

This page covers the parts of a Camden County divorce that are actually specific to Camden County. If your divorce is already settled and you just need it processed, see uncontested divorce. If you want the statewide overview, see The New Jersey Divorce Process.

Where a Camden County divorce is filed

Divorce complaints for Camden County residents are filed with the Family Division in Camden. Many routine family events — case management conferences, motions, some settlement conferences — have been conducted virtually in recent years, so being assigned to Camden does not necessarily mean repeated trips to the courthouse. Your notice from the court will tell you whether a given event is in person or on video.

Residency and grounds

Two separate requirements, often confused with each other:

• Residency. Under N.J.S.A. 2A:34-10, an action for absolute divorce on any ground other than adultery requires that one of the parties has been a bona fide resident of New Jersey for the one year preceding the filing.
• Grounds. The ground most divorces are filed on is irreconcilable differences — differences "which have caused the breakdown of the marriage for a period of six months and which make it appear that the marriage should be dissolved" (N.J.S.A. 2A:34-2(i)). The other common no-fault ground is separation: living "separate and apart in different habitations for a period of at least 18 or more consecutive months" (2A:34-2(d)).

Irreconcilable differences is the practical default. It requires no proof of wrongdoing, no separate household for a year and a half, and no airing of anyone's conduct in a public filing. Fault grounds still exist, and there are narrow situations where pleading one makes sense, but in the ordinary case they add cost and heat without changing the outcome.

What the court charges

These are court fees, paid to the court, and they are the same in every New Jersey county. They are separate from attorney fees. My rates — including flat fees for uncontested divorce, mediation review, and prenuptial agreements — are published on the pricing page, and I explain how retainers work in this article. A fee waiver is available to litigants who qualify financially.

How a Camden County case moves

A contested case in Vicinage 4 follows the same skeleton as anywhere else in New Jersey, with local scheduling built on top of it:

1. Complaint filed The filing spouse (the plaintiff) files a complaint for divorce with the Family Division in Camden and pays the filing fee.
2. Service The other spouse is served. In cooperative cases this is handled by an acknowledgment of service rather than a process server showing up at anyone's workplace.
3. Answer or appearance The defendant spouse has a limited window to file an answer, an appearance, or a counterclaim. Missing it can lead to a default, which is a much worse position than participating.
4. Case Information Statement Both sides file a CIS — income, expenses, assets, debts. This document does more work than any other in a divorce. Rushed, sloppy, or optimistic numbers here follow you through settlement negotiations and into the judgment.
5. Case Management Conference The court sets deadlines for discovery, custody evaluations, and expert reports, and puts the case on a track.
6. Custody and parenting time mediation If custody or parenting time is disputed, the court sends the parties to the Family Division's mediation program before anyone litigates it.
7. Discovery Often the most important part of the case. Each side answers interrogatories and produces documents — tax returns, pay records, account statements, business records — and where necessary takes depositions, subpoenas records directly, or retains experts to value a business, a pension, or real estate. Every settlement number and every judgment rests on what discovery turns up. A case where one spouse handled the money and the other never saw a statement is won or lost here, not at trial.
8. Early Settlement Panel Experienced local matrimonial attorneys hear the economic issues and give a non-binding recommendation. In Camden County a meaningful share of cases settle at or shortly after this stage.
9. Economic mediation and settlement conference If the panel does not resolve it, the case goes to economic mediation and then an intensive settlement conference.
10. Trial A small minority of cases reach a judge for decision. Getting here is expensive, slow, and hands the outcome to someone who has known your family for a matter of hours.

Settled cases: divorce without a court appearance

If everything is resolved, you may not have to appear at all. New Jersey Administrative Directive #01-25 governs entry of uncontested divorce and default judgments without personal appearances — "divorce on the papers" — using the required certification form (CN 12620). Where the case qualifies and the paperwork is complete, the judgment of divorce is entered on the submitted documents.

This is the route most of my settled cases take. It is faster, cheaper, and it spares both people a morning in a courthouse hallway.

If you have children: the Camden County holiday schedule

Each county publishes its own holiday parenting time schedule, and the court frequently orders parties to follow it. It supersedes your regular parenting schedule, so it is worth reading before you agree to anything:

• Camden County holiday parenting time schedule
• Burlington County holiday parenting time schedule
• Cumberland, Gloucester & Salem Counties holiday schedule
• Parenting time schedules NJ judges commonly approve

Camden County communities I serve

My office is on Haddon Avenue in Collingswood, which puts most of Camden County within a short drive. I represent clients throughout the county's 36 municipalities:

• Audubon
• Audubon Park
• Barrington
• Bellmawr
• Berlin Borough
• Berlin Township
• Brooklawn
• Camden
• Cherry Hill
• Chesilhurst
• Clementon
• Collingswood
• Gibbsboro
• Gloucester City
• Gloucester Township
• Haddonfield
• Haddon Heights
• Haddon Township
• Hi-Nella
• Laurel Springs
• Lawnside
• Lindenwold
• Magnolia
• Merchantville
• Mount Ephraim
• Oaklyn
• Pennsauken
• Pine Hill
• Runnemede
• Somerdale
• Stratford
• Tavistock
• Voorhees
• Waterford
• Winslow
• Woodlynne

I also handle matters in Burlington and Gloucester Counties. If your case belongs in a neighboring vicinage, that is not a problem — but it is worth a conversation before anything is filed.

• Sources:
• N.J.S.A. 2A:34-2 (causes for divorce) and 2A:34-10 (residency)
• New Jersey Judiciary court filing fee schedule
• NJ Courts Administrative Directive #01-25 (uncontested and default judgments without personal appearances)

This page is general information about New Jersey law and Camden County court practice, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship. Court fees, schedules, and procedures change; verify anything you intend to rely on. Every case is different — consult an attorney about your specific situation.