Today, divorcing couples have a variety of modern divorce options from which to choose. Modern divorce options have been impacted greatly by the introduction of no-fault divorce. No-fault divorce has gained popularity in the United States since the 1970s. ...
On October 14, 2025, the Appeals Court in Karim Suwwan De Felipe vs. Leila El-Youssef Suwwan, 106 Mass.App.Ct. 158, considered anew issues that have long confounded courts and family law practitioners, wrestling with complex equity compensation in private companies....
It has been said that, in relationships, financial secrets are emotional ticking time bombs — they never stay buried for long….. Anecdotally, the uptick of financial infidelity that we, as family law practitioners, have increasingly seen in our law practice is borne...
Probate & Family Court Standing Order 3-25: A New Building Block in the Court's Effort To Fortify a Sturdy Foundation for the Administration of Justice As August begins, pro se litigants and attorneys should note "Probate and Family Court Standing Order 3-25:...
When custody disputes arise, few scenarios provoke more anxiety than the prospect of one parent taking a child abroad and failing to return. While parental kidnapping may occur domestically, international parental kidnapping is a significantly more complex issue....
In the Massachusetts Appeals Court case, S.S. v. S.S., Turco Legal partner Maureen Booth successfully argued that the Probate and Family Court erred in deviating from the presumptive durational limits on alimony during a divorce proceeding. A deviation was deemed...
A new Massachusetts Appeals Court case, Michael A. Trethewey v. Rosalia F. Trethewey, highlights the risk of “double dipping” in divorce matters involving marital asset division and alimony (or other support) orders. In Trethewey, the probate and family judge treated...
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ("SJC") recently decided Openshaw v. Openshaw, a case that changes how we think about alimony specifically in regard to the need for support to accumulate savings. The issue in Openshaw was whether a probate and family judge...
The valuation date for marital property can be a significant issue in a divorce because asset value is rarely static. Oftentimes, property appreciates after the separation or divorce process has commenced and before the divorce is final. When there are larger assets,...
The Massachusetts Appeals Court recently decided Rabinowitz v. Schenkman, a case with shocking facts. The parties in Rabinowitz, former spouses, executed a separation agreement, which a probate and family court judge approved and incorporated into a 2014 amended...