An Introduction to Greene County Domestic Relations Court Staff Attorney Justin C. Nidiffer
Justin C. Nidiffer
On February 9, 2015, I traveled to the Domestic Relations Court of Greene County, Ohio to interview Justin C. Nidiffer, the newly hired Staff Attorney for the named Court. Justin advised me that he had completed an internship with the Court during his last year in law school and that he was so very pleased with that experience. It was apparent to me that the Domestic Relations Court was very satisfied with Justin’s performance as the Court hired him as their very first Staff Attorney to commence his position on January 1, 2015.
What will Justin’s responsibilities be?
- He will be reviewing new cases filed with the Court and examining the pleadings and Financial Affidavits of the parties. He will then be preparing and filing the Court’s Temporary Orders of Custody and Support. He will be working closely with Judge Steven Hurley, Magistrate Cynthia Martin, and Magistrate Kimberly Combs.
- He will be conducting Case Management Conferences with the attorneys involved in each case. If a Guardian ad Litem or a Family Investigation is needed, he will prepare the Entry regarding same. He will
On May 28, 2014, I had the opportunity to spend time with Anne Bissacco in an interview for this Ohio Family Law Blog Article. Anne is the Ombudsman and Customer Relations Supervisor for the Child Support Enforcement Agency (“CSEA”) for Montgomery County, Ohio. What is an “ombudsman”? Webster’s New World Dictionary defines the word as follows: “A public official appointed to investigate citizens’ complaints”. This is exactly the role that Anne performs. She listens to complaints and works to find solutions for identified problems.
The process of changing your child’s last name (name change) can be quite involved. If there is a dispute between unmarried parents as to their child’s surname, there are some general name change factors that Courts in Ohio consider.
I have been practicing family law for 34 years. In my opinion the process by which the State of Ohio has gone about establishing child support orders in Juvenile Court without including any parenting or visitation provisions was patently unfair to fathers. I appreciate that taxpayers shouldn’t have to shoulder the burdens of paying welfare or other assistance for children when it is the joint legal responsibility for their mothers and fathers to do so. But is it fair to establish a child support obligation and not include any reciprocal provision for the fathers to have the right to visit their child(ren)? It is no wonder that there are so many uninvolved fathers out there. Psychologists will tell you that a child who has had both parents involved in his/her upbringing stands a much better chance to become a stable healthy adult. That is why I am very excited about this new, long overdue Ohio project!
I always like to talk about the connotations associated with the words we use every day. Whether they are positive or negative, the words we use can have a grave impact upon a person’s feelings. One such word that comes to mind is stepmom or stepdad. Generally, feelings associated with the word step anything can result in feelings of negativity. I am sure everyone remembers Cinderella’s EVIL stepmother! Being a stepchild, I understand why those feelings can sometimes arise. Blended families come with many obstacles. However, I also know why they can also be associated with very positive connotations and because of that I thank God every day for blessing me with my stepfather, my dad. In the spirit of Father’s Day, I would like to talk about laws in Ohio that have resulted in stepparent 
Do child support/spousal support payments have to be made through the Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) or through the Ohio Child Support Payment Central (OCSPC)? This question is generally answered with a resounding “Yes”! There are many reasons for the involvement of the CSEA and the OCSPC.