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RoseAnn Branda talks modern divorce on TV show ‘Brooklyn Savvy’

October 29, 2018 By Rob Abruzzese, Legal Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle
RoseAnn Branda is a past president of the Brooklyn Bar Association and Columbian Lawyers Association of Brooklyn and is executive partner and co-director of the Family and Matrimonial Law department at Abrams Fensterman. Photo courtesy of Abrams Fensterman
RoseAnn Branda is a past president of the Brooklyn Bar Association and Columbian Lawyers Association of Brooklyn and is executive partner and co-director of the Family and Matrimonial Law department at Abrams Fensterman. Photo courtesy of Abrams Fensterman
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Brooklyn attorney RoseAnn Branda, past president of the Brooklyn Bar Association and the Columbian Lawyers Association, appeared on the TV show “Brooklyn Savvy,” part of the NYC Life Network, to discuss the modern state of divorce in New York.

Branda, an executive partner at Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Formato, Ferrara, Wolf & Carone, LLP, was a hit with host Toni Williams. The two had great chemistry throughout their discussion and at the end Williams declared that Branda is her kind of person.

The panel included Denise Arbesu, Nomiki Makrillos, Phyllis White-Thorne and Elise Pettus from UNtied.net, as the four women plus Branda and Williams discussed the modern state of divorce.

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“Allegedly, New York actually has the fourth lowest divorce rate within the U.S., followed in third place by New Jersey,” Branda said. “I find that statistic staggering.”

Branda added that the divorce rate in New York City is actually much higher than Upstate New York and called the industry “booming.”

“It’s a tough city,” Branda explained. “It’s tough to make a relationship work here.”

Branda and the panel discussed the types of different divorces, contested and uncontested, and why some divorces take as little as six months and others can take years.

Williams asked about no-fault divorces, which became law in New York state in 2010, where one side can simply claim that there was an irretrievable breakdown in the marriage for a period of six months and can file for a divorce whereas, in the past, someone had to prove fault.

Branda explained that no-fault divorces have made divorce cases go much more smoothly.

“If one party sues on that ground, then that’s it,” she said. “Since 2010 until now, we all use that ground. There is no need to go into adultery. It’s gone away, and here in New York fault does not impact the financial distribution of the case.”

“Because fault didn’t affect finances, what’s the point of proving adultery, spending the money on private investigators?” Branda asked rhetorically later on.

Branda also discussed with the host and panelists steps people preparing for divorce need to take and explained what people should look for when hiring divorce attorneys.

“If it’s a case that involves a lot of finances, you want to have enough of a support staff where the attorney in charge can delegate responsibility keeping in mind what’s best for the client,” Branda said. “Picking an attorney is similar to choosing a physician, it’s a chemistry thing.”


Brooklyn Savvy is on the NYC Life Network on Sundays at 10 a.m. and Thursdays at 3 p.m. To watch past episodes, including the two that featured RoseAnn Branda, visit https://www1.nyc.gov/site/media/shows/brooklyn-savvy.page


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