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Key Takeaways Substance abuse can significantly affect custody and parenting time. Massachusetts courts consider alcohol and drug abuse when determining what custody arrangement serves a child's best interests. A substance use disorder does not automatically make...
Key Takeaways The Child's Best Interests Guide Every Decision. Massachusetts courts focus on what best protects the child's health, safety, emotional well-being, and development. Judges tailor parenting orders to meet each child's specific needs. Supervised Visitation...
Key Takeaways Protecting a child with disabilities requires planning that extends far beyond determining custody or child support. Depending on the child's diagnosis, functional limitations, and long-term prognosis, parents may need to address ongoing medical care,...
Key Takeaways Living outside Massachusetts does not automatically prevent you from seeking custody here. The critical question is usually not where you live, but whether a Massachusetts court has legal authority to decide the custody dispute under the Uniform Child...
Key Takeaways Parental alienation can affect custody. Rhode Island courts consider each parent's willingness and ability to foster a close and continuing relationship between the child and the other parent when determining what serves the child's best interests. The...
Key Takeaways Grandparents do not have an automatic right to visitation. Although grandparents often play an important role in a child's life, New Hampshire law does not guarantee visitation simply because a grandparent requests it. Instead, the court must determine...
Key Takeaways Guardianship, custody, and adoption serve different legal purposes. Although all three involve caring for a child, they create very different legal relationships. Understanding those differences is essential before deciding which legal option is...
Key Takeaways Supervised Visitation Prioritizes Child Safety. In New Hampshire, supervised visitation allows a child to maintain a relationship with a parent. A responsible adult or professional is present during parenting time to help protect the child's safety and...
Key Takeaways Parental alienation is about conduct, not labels. New Hampshire courts are generally less focused on whether a parent uses the phrase “parental alienation” and more focused on whether one parent’s conduct is harming the child’s relationship with the...
When parents are going through a divorce or a custody dispute, the court is asked to answer one of the hardest questions it ever faces: what arrangement is truly in the best interests of the children? That question sounds simple. In reality, it almost never is. Each...