Our clients don't want custody, they need it. We are hired by people who demand the best. Custody comes in many variations. As divorce practitioners, we have handled several custody cases. The following custody arrangements might be right for you:...
Continue reading "Custody Labels" »
Finalizing a divorce involves many decisions, including "Who gets the house?" There are generally two options regarding the house. First, it can be sold and the proceeds divided, or the other alternative is that one party can "buy out" the...
Continue reading "Who Gets the House in a Divorce?" »
Thousands of divorce litigants have been tricked into agreeing to alimony that is contingent upon three clauses most commonly used to terminate a payor spouse's obligation to pay. Those three contingencies are normally that alimony terminates in the event of...
Continue reading "Avoid Common Pitfalls of Alimony Clauses" »
In many courts, the fact that one spouse is having or has had an affair will not be a major consideration in a typical custody case. While adultery remains a ground for divorce under G.L. c.208, Section 1, it is...
Continue reading "Affairs, Children and Divorce" »
Because of your job or other events in your life, you will want to change visitation dates from time to time. For the most part, however, you will want to follow the schedule as much as possible, not cancel at...
Continue reading "Changing Visitation in Your Divorce Agreement" »
Even if you and your partner's sex life hit a slump toward the end of your marriage, it's a little distressing to realize that suddenly even the option of regular sex is not there anymore. For many people, this is...
Continue reading "Sex and Intimacy After Divorce" »
It's quite common that, following divorce, weekends and holidays are particularly hard on emotions - many newly divorced people do. This is probably the time you used to spend together, having fun or working on the house or running errands....
Continue reading "Finding New Routines After Divorce" »
More than any other term of your divorce agreement, the amount of child support over time, requires modification. This is especially true in the case of very young children. As children grow older, the amount of support will generally increase....
Continue reading "Modifying Child Support Payments" »
If you are a victim of domestic violence, you are not alone. Each year, as many as 4 million women in the United States are victims of domestic violence. While women clearly make up the vast majority of domestic violence...
Continue reading "Domestic Violence and Divorce" »
Every divorce lawyer gets the same question when retained by a new client in the domestic relations field - "How long will this take?" And every divorce lawyer gives (or at least should give) the same answer - "It depends."...
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Domestic relations cases are, by nature, never an easy process. Beyond the emotional issues, many times litigants fuel attempts to "strike back" or "get back" at the other by hiding money and claiming an inability to provide financial support. Here...
Continue reading "Searching for Hidden Assets" »
On a daily basis, the attorneys at our firm get are bombarded with questions from clients about how to use - or not use - the telephone to communicate with their spouse - or former spouse. My best advice: use...
Continue reading "How To Deal With Telephone Calls From Your (Former) Spouse" »
Divorce is not easy for anyone, especially young children. It is important that both parents let their children know that the divorce is not their fault. Be sure to tell your children that nothing they did or said made...
Continue reading "Let Your Children Know It's Not Their Fault" »
Custody refers to a legal arrangement, while shared parenting responsibilities describe the actual activity between the adults. Often shared parenting, also called co-parenting, is interpreted to mean that parents are able to raise their children together, even if the parents...
Continue reading "Custody Labels or Parenting Plan?" »
Recently a client complained that she thought her husband was turning their children against her. Over the course of several months since the couple separated, whenever the children returned from a visit with their father, she said they seemed angry...
Continue reading "The Harm of Parental Alienation" »
Twice in the past four months I have had to defend false accusations of abuse in child custody proceedings. While it is understood how both judges and the Courts choose to "err on the side of caution," refusing to grant...
Continue reading "False Accusations of Abuse" »
Once a Guardian Ad Litem has been assigned to your case, find out in advance what the evaluator's procedures will be so that you can prepare yourself emotionally as well as with any collateral information you wish to introduce into...
Continue reading "How to Cooperate With A Guardian Ad Litem Investigation" »
When a client comes into our offices asking me about whether he or she should file for sole custody, it always makes me skeptical right from the start. Is this parent truly acting in the best interest of the child...
Continue reading "Don't Ask the Court for Sole Custody Just to Get a Better Financial Package" »
As a family lawyer, I'm pretty open about the fact that I've been divorced for almost 15 years. I never suggest it's easy co-parenting with a former spouse, but with some hard work between the two of you toward putting...
Continue reading "Common Sense Rules for Co-Parenting" »
Some years ago, the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers assembled a committee which focused on the Special Concerns of Children. That committee published a "Children's Bill of Rights" which reads as follow: Every child should know he or she has...
Continue reading "Children's Bill of Rights" »
Helping children heal begins before any legal papers are filed, with how and when parents tell their children about their decision to break-up. The first words children hear about divorce should be from their parents, as soon after the decision...
Continue reading "Helping Children Get Through Divorce" »
Divorce is never easy on children, but there are many ways parents can help lessen the impact of their break-up on their children: Never disparage your former spouse in front of the children. Because children need to know they are...
Continue reading "10 Tips for Divorcing Parents" »
If you are divorced and you want to move out of state I have one piece of advice for you -- not so fast! Massachusetts has laws about moving out of state with your children. These laws are referred to...
Continue reading "When One Parent Wants to Move Out-of-State" »
It takes close to a year, if not longer, before a Complaint for Divorce or a Complaint for Modification to make it to trial. Accordingly, that's why the Court will often entertain a motion (request) for temporary orders. Here, you're...
Continue reading "Establishing the Status Quo" »
When things change over time - and they do - it is not uncommon for one spouse to file a Complaint for Modification. Here, you are asking the court to modify a prior order because things have changed since the...
Continue reading "Is it Time to Go Back to Court?" »
Whenever a child is involved in a family law court case, it is common for everybody to be represented by an attorney except for the child. The Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) is a person appointed by the court to represent...
Continue reading "What Guardian Ad Litems Look for in Investigations" »
Earlier this week, I was preparing my client for what is bound to be a rough custody dispute. The first exercise I suggested that she consider was to create a chart to rate herself and her spouse in the areas...
Continue reading "Child Custody Checklist" »
There are six things you must do before you act on any thoughts you have about filing for custody. It's important to be certain that you have done the things you need to do to feel good about your decisions....
Continue reading "6 Things to Do Before You Even Think About Initiating a Custody Case" »
Most people - going through a divorce or not - would agree that there are usually two sides to every story. In the case of divorce and child conflict, you may want to consider that there are at least...
Continue reading "View Things From "The Little Chair" " »
Unfortunately, infidelity crops up among couples of every age group, financial demographic and ethnic group, says private investigator Julia Hareley Moore in her book Infidelity Sleuth. While betrayed women often remain committed, the accompanying stress can take years off your...
Continue reading "Do You Have a Cheating Spouse?" »
When parents live together, they raise their children together. When one parent is busy, working or sick, the other is usually there for the children. When one parent is angry or depressed, the other can step-in to protect their children...
Continue reading "Parenting Apart" »
When I advise divorcing clients, I encourage cordial and reasonable negotiations - otherwise, the uncontested matter can go south very quickly! What I have noticed, however, is that older clients are often more vindictive toward on another than the younger...
Continue reading "When it Comes to Divorce Anger .... Cool It!" »
Earlier this week, a client had been referred to my office seeking representation for an imminent divorce matter. As I asked a few preliminary questions, he stopped me. "I'm the sole proprietor of a hardware chain and I've done a...
Continue reading "Divorce & Taxes" »
Every state has laws (statutes) relating to child custody. In Massachusetts, child support "guidelines" have been formulated to be used by Probate and Family Court judges, whether the parents of the child are married or unmarried, in setting any temporary...
Continue reading "The Principle Behind Child Support" »
This past weekend, a client asked me what I thought his chances were in winning custody of the couple's two children. This common question brings up two important points worth addressing: First off, there is a rebuttable presumption that some...
Continue reading "Who Gets the Children?" »
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