When a couple decides to separate, the process is much more complicated than simply declaring to part ways. Instead, ending a marriage is a legal process that involves the courts, as well as numerous decisions along the way. The process of divorce is much simpler when the divorce is uncontested. If you are filing for…
Child support is very important, and is used to provide a custodial parent with income that can be used to pay for a child’s clothing, shelter, medical expenses, basic needs, extracurricular activities, and more. However, child support isn’t a perfect system, and when a parent is unable to make their child support obligations, the consequences…
As part of a divorce settlement in Massachusetts, the court may order one spouse to pay alimony, also referred to as spousal maintenance, to the other. Courts will make a determination about alimony based on a number of various factors, including the length of the marriage, the income of each party, the marital lifestyle, and…
When a couple is divorcing, navigating the process and coming to an agreement about how property should be divided, debts should be paid, and custody should be determined can be extremely complex, if not very contentious. In order to reach a settlement, parties to a divorce have a couple of options: they can mediate their…
Co-parenting can be a very effective model for raising a child when divorced, particularly for parents who get along well and have shared goals related to child-rearing. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, even the best co-parenting plans have been interrupted. If you are co-parenting right now and struggling to navigate the various obstacles that are…
When a divorced person with a child remarries, the child and the new spouse–now the child’s stepparent–may form a close bond. Especially when the child is of a young age at the time of marriage, the stepparent may play an integral role in raising the child, providing love and care, and offering parental guidance and…
Most people think that getting a divorce is bound to be a contentious, emotional, and hate-filled process. Indeed, this is certainly the picture that media and television like to paint. But while divorce is definitely challenging, it doesn’t have to be divisive. In fact, with a collaborative divorce and family law attorney on your side,…
A divorce is more than just the dissolution or termination of a relationship. It also concerns issues of child custody, support, and how assets and debts are divided. One important issue is that of health care. In many marital relationships, one spouse will have medical insurance coverage through an employer that includes the children and…
Children need the guidance, counsel, nurturing, and love of both parents to have the best opportunity to become secure, well-adjusted, and productive members of the community. But when parents divorce, the courts and the law strive to maintain that dynamic by promoting and encouraging co-parenting or shared parental time. But the Covid-19 crisis can and…
A divorce, like any other civil action, can take months to resolve or for a final judgment to issue. While it may certainly appear to be in the best interests of both parties in a divorce to conclude the proceedings as quickly as possible to save on legal fees and to get on with their…
