Legal Blog - Divorce - Custody

When issuing custody decisions, Massachusetts probate and family court judges are required to decide what is in the best interests of the child. This standard gives the judge broad discretion when issuing custody decisions. A common question parents ask is, will a judge listen to what my child has t…

Abuse Prevention orders (209A) have serious impacts on divorce proceedings. A 209A is a civil protective order requested by one party against another pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 209A. A violation of a 209A is a criminal offense. Once it is ordered, vacating this orders (209A) is no small feat. M…

You would not buy a house without giving it careful thought and consideration, the same applies when entering into a post judgment agreement. Post judgment agreements are agreements between the parties after a case has ended. These agreements can be verbal or written. Often these agreements are reac…

This post concludes the two-part series on the 2017 Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines (“2017 Guidelines”). This post focuses on the changes made relating to the relationship between a) child support and parenting time and b) child support and health care/childcare costs.…

On July 18, the 2017 Child Support Guidelines were released with an effective date of September 15, 2017. Many changes were made under these new guidelines. This post will focus on changes made relating to adult children between the ages of eighteen and twenty-three.…