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Easier than Ever to be Collaboratively Trained!
The Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council's Introduction to Collaborative Law Training won't be stopped by COVID-19. The training is September 23-25 from 8AM - 2PM via Zoom. Flyer: Collaborative Law...
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2020 U.S. Presidential Platforms - What do they say about Families?
In 2016 we shared what each presidential platform stated about families and given the upcoming election we want to update our post with the latest information. There are significant differences...
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Collaborative in a time of COVID
by Beth AaronsWhen a former family law colleague of mine told me about Collaborative Law Process sometime around 2008, conceptually it sounded much like a series of traditional four-way meetings, but...
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Justice App - a Resource worth Downloading
Skylark's online Massachsuetts Child Support Calculator was recently added as a resource on JusticeApp - a free downloadable resource from co-founders Damian Turco and Melina Munoz Turco. This is the...
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Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines News
Every four years, per federal requirements, the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines must be reviewed. To that end, the Trial Court Chief Justice Paula M. Carey has announced the formation of the...
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Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines News - Part 2
Since we first posted about the upcoming update to the 2020-2021 Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines Task force there have been a few additional updates:On December 15, 2020, the Massachusetts...
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Are divorce lawyers doing harm?
While the Hippocratic Oath is no longer required for doctors, we often hear the principle attributed to that ancient Greek oath for healers to "first, do no harm." The translation is actually closer...
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Should I Tell my Spouse in a Divorce that I'm Working with a Lawyer?
Photo by Sam Moqadam on UnsplashDivorce is complicated and one of the challenges is the push and pull between transparency and protecting oneself. Individuals in a divorce often want to hide...
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The Most Important Thing when Dividing Retirement in Divorce (& 4 Traps if...
In many divorce cases retirement accounts are the biggest, or at least one of the biggest, assets. Because of that, it is imperative to understand the options for transferring and dividing retirement...
View ArticleImagine there's no Court, It isn't Hard to do
In the last year there have been times due to the COVID-19 pandemic when the court was closed or significantly delayed. Even now, more than a year after the lockdowns started, we are experiencing long...
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New Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines (2021): Big Changes, Little...
UPDATE: The court has released a web calculating version of the 2021 MA Child Support Guidelines Worksheet. It resolves some of the typos referred to below, but the unexpected calculations still...
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Probate and Family Court Standing Order 1-2022: Virtual Proceedings Highly...
Photo by Sigmund on UnsplashThe Massachusetts Probate and Family Court has released Standing Order 1-2022, temporarily overriding Standing Order 1-2021, regarding Court Operations Under the Exigent...
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Test Negative & Stay Positive! Checking in on the Influence a Global Pandemic...
Photo by Maxime on UnsplashAlmost two years has passed since we wrote our first blog post about the havoc COVID-19 was causing in parenting plans (Co-Parenting in a Crisis: COVID-19 and Beyond)....
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An Abundantly Awesome Announcement about Jennifer Hawthorne
Alliteration aside, we have a lot of exciting news to share about Jennifer Hawthorne's role at Skylark Law & Mediation, PC and her contributions to the field of dispute resolution. Since August...
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Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines News - Minor Update in July 2023
On July 20, 2023, the Massachusetts Trial Court announced a change to the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines, that became effective on July 31, 2023. Typically the guidelines are only revisited...
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Cavanagh v. Cavanagh - The Case, the Conundrum, & the Consequences
Cavanagh v. Cavanagh - The Case, the Conundrum, & the ConsequencesIntroduction by Nathaniel ButzkeMore than a year after its release, the Massachusetts SJC decision in Cavanagh v. Cavanagh (2002)...
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April Showers Brought May Flowers: How the Openshaws Prepared for Rainy Days...
April Showers Brought May Flowers: How the Openshaws Prepared for Rainy Days Ahead by Nathaniel Butzke Just in time for the rainy season, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court shed new light on...
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The Case of Teddy Bear: A Legal Tug of War Over a Pomeranian
The Case of Teddy Bear: A Legal Tug of War Over a Pomeranianby Nathaniel Butzke Photo by Fred Moon on Unsplash The Massachusetts Appeals Court recently made a notable decision in an intriguing legal...
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Updating your Divorce Agreement Template - More Lessons from Cavanagh v....
We recently posted a lengthy review of the the Massachusetts SJC decision in Cavanagh v. Cavanagh (2002) which included some recommendations for drafting divorce agreements, also typically called...
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Co-Parenting Coordinator Agreements - What They Can Do and How to Draft Them
Photo by Marcelo Silva on UnsplashConflict between parents negatively affects children but for some parents it's hard to avoid conflict when separating or divorcing. Loss, grief, and anger all make it...
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Massachusetts Family Court Financial Statement - Instructions & Best Practices
During a divorce, or other case in the Massachusetts Probate & Family Court that involves your finances, such as a child support case, you will likely be required to file a court form Financial...
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Financial Statement Drafting Lessons from recent Massachusetts Appellate...
We recently posted a lengthy review of the the Massachusetts SJC decision in Cavanagh v. Cavanagh (2002) and a similar overview of the subsequent SJC decision Openshaw v. Openshaw (2024). Both of...
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The Most Common Complaints about Family Court and How Collaborative Law...
It's common knowledge that family court is a place you want to avoid if you can. While the court is a resource that can help people in need of a resolution to various family conflicts, no one hopes to...
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Can you Deviate from the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines?
When completing the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines Worksheet, many people are surprised by the resulting amount. The court treats the worksheet amount as presumptive, which means that the...
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2024 U.S. Presidential Party Platforms - What are the policy positions that...
While the laws that affect family formation, marriage and divorce are often made at the state level, there are also many policies and laws at the federal level that affect families and children. Just...
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