Families develop in unique ways. You and your spouse can be your own family unit, or you may add others, including animals and children, to the household. There are very clear and well-established Massachusetts state laws governing what happens with children when parents divorce. However, things ...
The average person waits a little too long to start creating an estate plan. They might tell themselves that they will create documents when they start getting ready to retire. Although the average lifespan in the United States is over the age of retirement, not everyone makes it to their sixties...
After you have spent years with the same person, it can be hard to imagine your life after ending your marriage. Especially given how you have blended your financial resources and combined your households, you may struggle to predict what will happen financially in the aftermath of your divorce. ...
As you look forward at how soon retirement is approaching, one of the things you may realize is that you don't see yourself retiring with your spouse. You may both have different preferences for how you live out your golden years, so it's reasonable to have concerns and, in some cases, to look i...
There are a lot of cases in which couples decide to get divorced after their children move out of the house. These couples are often referred to as empty nesters. The reasons for these divorce cases vary. In many situations, it's that the couple has drifted apart over the years, but even they mig...
A significant number of divorces end in divorce rather than death. Either spouse in Massachusetts can request a no-fault divorce when their marital relationship declines. You might want to file because you are unhappy, or you may have felt blind-sided when your spouse served with divorce paperwor...
Complicated issues surface in high-asset divorce as many assets are at stake and many questions need answering. Such issues may include untangling complicated assets, uncovering hidden assets, determining what to do about expensive collections along with spousal support. It can be a nerve-wrackin...
Estate planning is our way of ensuring our loved ones inherit the assets we want them to receive and are looked after when we are gone. There is a lot to know about estate planning, including when to update your plan. Many people are surprised to learn that they also need to update their plans af...
Getting a divorce is rarely a simple process. The uncertainty of how your estate will divide, who the kids will live with, and what kind of financial status you will have after the dust settles extremely stressful for hundreds of thousands of spouses every year. Some spouses make a choice to try ...
You may have the idea that judges give preference to mothers when determining custody of children in divorce proceedings. This was true in the past, but things have changed. Now, the courts in Massachusetts don't favor mothers over fathers. Instead, they base their decision solely on the child's ...
In many ways, social media has become the way you reach out to family and friends. Rather than making phone calls and having chats over coffee, you may tell your loved ones that you have gone through a significant life change by making a post on social media. For many life changes, social media c...
Most of us enjoy a complex web of relationships with relatives, friends, neighbors, work colleagues and so on. They affect our lives in various ways, just as we influence theirs. It appears one way that people in Marblehead influence their friends and loved ones is through getting divorced. A uni...
The first divorce in the territory that would become the United States occurred in Massachusetts in 1639. Since then, each state has drawn up its own laws regulating divorce, child custody, spousal support, etc. While most family laws are similar from state to state, the fact that each state's po...
While the COVID-19 pandemic likely led many people to review their lives and gain new perspectives, it has only slightly influenced people who have estate planning needs. According to a recent survey, the pandemic boosted people's desire to create a will (35% understood there was a greater need.)...
You have decided to file for divorce, and now you are worried about taking care of your child on your own. You don't need to have concerns about this, as that is what child support is for. Your ex-partner must help you out with any expenses related to your child. But how much exactly will you rec...
Unfortunately, it's a familiar theme in some North Shore divorces: One spouse tries to hide wealth from the other. Common ways to try to conceal assets in divorce Stashing cash: It requires no sophisticated locks or technology, but this simple method can be effective. Pricey posses...
Those going through a divorce likely have many questions about how the process will work. Family law is governed by state law, so the exact process will vary depending on the state. In Massachusetts, state law requires divorcing couples divide marital property equitably. It is important to note t...
Deciding on whether you and your spouse need to divorce is rarely an easy decision. While coming to this decision, you may have learned how to initiate a divorce, but you might not have known about what ways you can settle a divorce. Mediation is a method of resolving a divorce that many spouses ...
When you face legal challenges, you need a dedicated advocate on your side. Commitment to fight relentlessly to protect clients' rights and interests is a priority. A track record of successful cases acts as testimony to this commitment.