Welcome to our first Q&A! This week’s blog is going to answer some very basic questions about the different avenues a person can take in the state of Massachusetts when moving through the divorce process. Let’s dive right in! Q: What is mediation and what does it mean for me? A: Mediation is a process by which two parties hire a neutral third party to help facilitate a productive discussion with the end Read More
What do you mean I have to give up custody of my friends?!
By its very nature, divorce means going through every part of the life that you built with your spouse and figuring out the best way to separate your life from theirs. What happens with the house? Will I be able to find an apartment that will accept our dog? What will our parenting schedule look like for the kids? Who gets the vacation home? Sometimes you’ll find out that you’re willing to give up one part of tha Read More
I’ve Found My Divorce Attorney…Now What?
Congratulations! You’ve done it! You spent hours reading reviews, asking friends, searching your area, explaining the personal details of your situation over and over again to a handful of strangers, thought about it, and maybe even gone in for a face to face consult or two but you did it – you’ve hired an attorney to represent you in your divorce. If you’ve read our last post about how hiring an attorney is kind o Read More
Why Does Finding a Divorce and Custody Attorney Feel Like I’m Dating?
Dating is a process. You have to find someone you might be interested in, meet with them to determine whether you remain interested, and then move forward in life toward a relationship or a break up. Finding an attorney is a very similar process, as most people do not just hire the first attorney they speak to when they are heading into a divorce or custody case, at least they shouldn’t most of the time. Because, j Read More
How to Create an Awesome Parenting Plan!
The best way to ensure you have a parenting plan that will work for both you and the other parent is to be able to agree upon a parenting schedule between the two of you rather than having a judge (who doesn’t know you and will only hear about your case for a very brief amount of time) throw something together that may or may not work out for either of you. It can be difficult trying to come up with a plan both you a Read More
Understanding Protective Orders in Massachusetts
Protective orders obtained from the Court that does not allow your abuser to contact you or abuse you can be instrumental in getting you out of an unsafe situation and protecting you and your kids from future harm. Unfortunately, and all too often, the seriousness of what protective orders are meant to do are minimized by people who go out and get them, sometimes by lying outright and sometimes by blowing a Read More
Why Would You Need a Modification of a Divorce Agreement?
If you and your ex were able to agree upon the terms of your Separation Agreement (or Divorce Agreement) without having to spend a great deal of time or effort fighting each other, that’s wonderful! If it took a bit of negotiation and give and take (sometimes feeling like you give more than you take in order to reach a settlement), that still means that, when push came to shove, you and your ex were able to work th Read More
What Is the Difference Between Contested and Uncontested Divorce?
There are two ways you can file a divorce in Massachusetts: Uncontested or Contested. Let me explain the difference: UNCONTESTED: Filing for an uncontested divorce means that both you and your spouse are in agreement with the divorce and have been able to work out ALL of the issues that need to be determined within a divorce judgment (custody, parenting time, child support, property division, alimony, etc.) Read More
2017 Changes to the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines
The anticipated revision to the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines was recently released, which brings about some big changes but also leaves some of the same questions hanging around that the prior guidelines did not clearly address. The initiation of new guidelines always brings about an advanced level of confusion as the written word gets put into action within court orders, so here’s our attempt to help cl Read More
5 Myths About Prenups You Shouldn’t Believe
Prenuptial agreements may seem like preparation for the worst case scenario, but you should think of them more like a premarital insurance policy. A prenuptial agreement is meant to give you peace of mind before marriage and make sure both parties are on the same page financially before making those ‘for better or worse’ vows. These legal documents, also called “prenups” for short, can define how you and your spouse w Read More
