In an effort to fight the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus) Governor Baker has issued emergency declarations and Health care advisories to enforce social distancing. He has declared a public health emergency. He has closed all non-essential businesses. He is trying to...
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Child Custody
Has your spouse run away?
An entertainment company is creating a documentary TV series for a cable network about individuals with a significant other (a spouse OR a long-term boyfriend/ girlfriend) who has run away and is no longer in touch (ie: "disappeared" or "gone missing"). The company is...
The court didn’t give me custody of my children. Am I a bad parent?
In most custody cases, both parents are good parents who can take care of the children. A judge has to decide custody between two good choices. In most Massachusetts custody battles, custody is not decided on the basis that one parent is bad. The standard applied by...
What can a parent do when they are the victim of parental alienation?
There is no perfect answer to this question. As long as one parent keeps fueling the alienation flames, the alienation will continue. Every case of parental alienation is different but the cause is the same. One parent uses the children as weapons to hurt the other...
What is the legal residence of a child of divorced parents?
Many people who get divorced live in different towns from their ex-spouse. They will sometimes choose between the two school systems and send their children to the better school. This means that the better school system will have more students and incur more costs. If...
Don’t fall for this child support trap!
It is not unusual for custody arrangements to need adjustments to change as the children get older. Visitation schedules often change. Children's friends and activities need to be taken into account. Sometimes children move from one parent's home to the other and...
Parent coordinators help parents avoid court
When parents separate or get divorced, they frequently have difficulty cooperating with the other parent. The hostility between the parents can make every decision concerning children a battle. Frequently, this inability to cooperate results in litigation as the only...
Divorce and children’s religion in Massachusetts
When parents with different religions divorce the choice of religious upbringing of the children can be a major issue. A recent case from the Massachusetts Appeals Court makes agreement on this issue much more difficult. In the case of Lapat v. Lapat (decided on April...
What will the court do in a divorce when I prove that my spouse cheated?
Discovering that your spouse has been unfaithful can be an emotional disaster. To many people, this is a wrong that can never be corrected. It can destroy a marriage. People expect that infidelity will be punished by a Judge in a divorce and the innocent spouse will...
How to prepare for a divorce
Some people make the decision to divorce in an instant. Others find the decision to divorce is a long process that percolates over time. If you are a person who is thinking about divorce and moving towards ending your marriage, then the following actions can help you...
