At the time of separation and divorce, a court may order you or your spouse to make spousal support payments—also known as alimony payments—to the other. Alimony is ordered in the event that one spouse is financially dependent on the other. There are different types of spousal support, and spousal support may be ordered for…
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When parents divorce, most can expect to continue supporting their children financially until they’re at least 18 years of age, regardless of custody. However, most parents expect to have child support payments and obligations end by the time their child reaches the age of adulthood. In Massachusetts, parents may be ordered to pay a portion…
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If you’ve received an inheritance from your family, you may be under the impression that the inheritance will be yours to keep, regardless of a divorce. However, while it’s true that most judges award separate property in a marriage to the party who originally owned or inherited it, this is not always the case. Here’s…
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For fathers in Massachusetts, understanding one’s rights in a divorce can be complicated. While mothers have inherent parental rights that are awarded at the time of a child’s birth, the same is not necessarily true for fathers. What’s more, non-biological fathers will have an even more difficult time establishing parental rights and seeking custody or…
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If you are a business owner in Massachusetts who is seeking a divorce, it’s important to know that your business will be up for equitable division during the property division stage of things. In fact, before your divorce can be finalized, a property division settlement that addresses how all property—including your business—will be divided must…
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Many couples choose to take a period of separation where they are living apart before officially filing for a divorce. If this is the case for you and your spouse, you may be curious as to whether or not living apart qualifies as grounds for a divorce in Massachusetts. Here’s what you should know about…
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Getting married is perhaps the biggest life decision that you’ll ever make. Not only is it a decision about how you want to spend your life, but it’s also a large financial decision, too. For individuals who want to protect their assets and reduce the risk of litigation in the event of a divorce, a…
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If you are getting a divorce, it’s important to know that retirement accounts and pension funds will likely be subject to equitable division before the divorce can be finalized. At the Law Office of Heather M. Ward, our experienced divorce attorney can help you to understand the law and your options for dividing retirement accounts…
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The rights of parents are strongly protected in Massachusetts. Even in the event of a divorce, the court is very unlikely to revoke the rights of one party—the court usually finds that it is in the child’s best interests to maintain a relationship with both parents.
For many couples living throughout Massachusetts, marriage is not the right answer; instead, a domestic partnership allows a couple to have legal recognition of their relationship without all the bells and whistles of a wedding ceremony. However, a domestic partnership that’s registered is still a legal relationship in the eyes of the law, which means…
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