Custody Articles

Written by an experienced Divorce and Family Law Attorney with offices in Boston | Andover | Newburyport | Newton

Stages of Development and the Custody Order

How do the stages of child development impact the custody order? Whether a child is an infant, an eight-year-old, or a teenager, the court will establish custody orders with the “best interest of the [dependent] child” as the priority and focus. [1]This standard,...

Grandparents Seeking Custody or Visitation

Forget the sappy Hallmark ads depicting grandparental bliss. Forget the press about the important relationship forged between grandparents and grandchildren. When it comes to visitation, grandparents using the courts to assert their rights to see their grandkids face...

Child Custody and Religious Upbringing

As the divorce rate of interfaith couples increases, judges are forced to address the issue of “spiritual custody”. This means determining custody disagreements regarding religious upbringing. Often, religion is something a person holds near and dear, especially...

What is the Role of a Parenting Coordinator?

When divorced parents in Massachusetts have issues related to decisions involving their children, the parents can employ the use of a parenting coordinator.[1] A parenting coordinator is a neutral court-appointed party who helps divorced parents to resolve...

Open Adoption Agreements

In a recent case, the Massachusetts Appeals Court discussed open adoption agreements. Specifically, it looked at the enforcement of clauses in agreements at the sole discretion of the adoptive parents. Background: In the case at hand, the adoptive parents adopted two...