Divorce and Family Law Blog
Divorce & Family Law Information, Answers, and Analysis from Experienced Massachusetts and New Hampshire Divorce & Family Law Attorneys
Health Insurance Issues in Divorce and Custody
What Massachusetts laws govern health insurance during divorce and custody cases? Divorce: When seeking a divorce and/or dealing with custody of children, a question that often concerns individuals is the issue of health insurance coverage. This is a great question to...
Special Considerations When Entrepreneurs Divorce
As many studies have shown, couples in which one spouse is an entrepreneur have a high rate of divorce. Whether it’s because the business encompasses much of entrepreneurs' time or because the non-entrepreneur spouse feels neglected, divorce is common. While divorce...
Special Considerations When Lawyers Divorce
Consider the following scenarios, each involving lawyers and divorce: Rebecca and Zev lived together as a married couple for twenty years. Rebecca is an attorney. Zev is not. They want to divorce. Nancy and John spent three years married. John is an attorney. He wants...
Social Security and Retirement in Divorce
Robert and Mary, a Massachusetts couple, have been married for ten years. They now seek a divorce. During the marriage, Robert worked and Mary took care of the home. They had no children. Since Robert has a pension plan, the question arises: How does a court address...
Best Practices for Working with a Guardian ad Litem
In some cases, the services of a Guardian ad Litem play a key component. Imagine the following scenario: A doctor diagnoses a 10-year-old child named Jacob with a “curable” form of cancer. Jacob has a chance to beat the disease with regular chemotherapy treatments,...
Is Marital Fraud Grounds for a Civil Suit? New Massachusetts Case
In a recent case, the Massachusetts Appeals Court decided whether marital fraud--that is, fraudulently inducing another person to marry--constitutes a valid civil cause of action. Background: In the case Shea v. Cameron, the parties married in 2007, after a two-year...
Merger Versus Survival of Separation Agreements
Experienced family lawyers guide spouses in emotionally fraught divorce proceedings toward a resolution that terminates the marriage. A separation agreement is a crucial part of that process. A separation agreement memorializes the terms of the resolution and also...
Durational Limits on Alimony: New Case Law
As we explained previously, the Massachusetts Alimony Reform Act of 2011 prescribed durational limits for alimony payments. These limits cap alimony based on the length of the parties’ marriage. They impose the limits when the marriage ends—but what exactly does that...
Impact of Part-Time Job on Support
In what ways might a part-time job or second job affect alimony or child support payments? Change in circumstances: Under Massachusetts divorce law, a spousal support award is not set in stone. Rather, one may alter it by a petition for modification to the court...
Parental Kidnapping
Approximately 800,000 children annually are reported missing, according to U.S. Department of Justice statistics. That's a staggering 2,000 minors daily on average. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children ("NCMEC") claims that family members account for...