A divorce can be complicated and exhausting for everyone involved, but for those dealing with one or both of the spouses having a disability, it may heighten the complexity of alimony or child support issues. How Can a Disability Affect an Alimony Award? Alimony payments are court-ordered payments made from one spouse to another after a divorce to help the spouse being paid the alimony support him or herself after Read More
Factors That Decide Child Custody in Massachusetts
Going through a divorce can be a stressful and complicated time for everyone involved. One of the most important issues that parents may be concerned about is determining child custody. When making a contested custody decision in court, the judge will always rule with the best interests of the children in mind. Although there are not necessarily hard rules for determining the best interests of the children, here Read More
What Rights Do I Have to Visit with My Grandchildren?
Divorces can be complicated and tricky situations to navigate. While most people understand that the separating couple must make custody and visitation arrangements, grandparents are often forgotten in the process. Grandparents’ rights vary from state to state, and in Massachusetts, pursuing visitation rights with your grandkids can be a challenge. Fortunately, a skilled family lawyer might be able to Read More
The Time To Remember
There is no doubt that life can get crazy at times and we all end up getting dealt the unexpected, but with such craziness I think we sometimes forget about what is most important in life, or at least what I find most important: our loved ones. Yes, it may seem cheesy and obvious, but how often do you stop and take in the little moments that pass by all too quickly? How often do you look back and think about how fast Read More
The Examples We Lead
With Mother's Day coming up, I've read a number of discussions regarding when the exact point that a person graduates to parenthood. Is it when they first see those lines pop up on the pregnancy test? Is it when they hear their baby's heartbeat for the first time? Is it the first time they hold their child in their arms? I personally do not believe there is any one correct answer. I think it is different for Read More
Divorce Prep 101
Divorce, even just the prospect of a divorce, is intimidating and incurs so many changes; being prepared for everything is hard, but not impossible. So, when people ask me what they need to do if they are preparing for a divorce I tell them what I think is most important: Finances. Of course, there is a lot more to get into and prepare for, but making sure you have access to funds in a separate account that is not Read More
What To Expect When You Go To Court
“What's going to happen when we go to court?” The answer to that varies based on why you're going to court and where you're going to court. Are you going to court because it's a motion for temporary orders? Are you going on a contempt? Are you going on a pretrial? Are you going on a trial? They are different processes and when you go, the procedure for how it all comes about is going to be slightly different. It also Read More
Do I really need an Attorney to get divorced?
I get the question every so often: “Do I really need an attorney for my divorce?”. The short answer is no, no you don’t. You can do it yourself. However, it is a risk; and if you take that risk, what could potentially happen, is you could be one of the clients that come back to me later saying, “I really messed up,” or “I didn’t get the outcome that I was looking for, and now I need you to go back and refight it.” Read More
Christmas Just Isn’t The Same After Divorce
Breaking up a relationship undeniably brings about many changes. One change that almost everyone has to deal with and oftentimes spend a lot of time arguing about, but not a lot of people talk about how it actually works out, is your first Christmas where you don’t get to spend it with your kids. I remember it clearly, and it absolutely sucked. Christmas is a time of joy and excitement; of family and Read More
Getting Divorced 101
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
