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3 Tips for a Peaceful Divorce
I was recently invited to collaborate on an expert panel and share some insights on how to prepare for divorce and keep it peaceful. Here is what I added:The experience of a peaceful divorce does not...
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Who is a Legal Parent? Redux Edition - Partanen v. Gallagher
About a year ago we posted a series entitled Who is a Legal Parent? and addressed the many ways in which a parent (someone who takes care of a child) can also be considered a legal parent (someone who...
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Do you want an Attorney who FIGHTS for their Clients?
I am Attorney [INSERT NAME HERE] and I FIGHT for my clients!This is a common description on an attorney's website. They want you to know that they would be your champion! If you hire them you won't...
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Are you Forgetting an Important Benefit when Dividing Retirements in Divorce?
Retirement Benefits are often one of the largest assets in a marriage. That makes them particularly important to consider in a divorce. We've previously covered the 5 Things you Should Include in a...
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A Country Divided but with Hope - A Collaborative Professional's Perspective
Donald Trump and I have something in common. We both currently hold the title President-Elect. Last night, Donald Trump was elected as the next President of the United States and will take office in...
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New Massachusetts Probate & Family Court Forms - Answers & Counterclaims
Post by Valerie Qian.We’ve all been feeling a lot of anxiety and uncertainty during this election season. Amidst this uncertainty, the Probate and Family Court has issued two new forms to make the...
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How Private is a Meeting with an Attorney or Mediator?
There are two different levels of protection you might have when meeting with a professional and they are both important: Confidentiality and Privilege.Confidentiality is a duty for the professional to...
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Who Needs to Know? - 5 Best Practices to Protect Privacy in Divorce
Divorcing spouses that choose outside-of-court dispute resolution, like mediation or collaborative law, often list privacy as one of their primary reasons for choosing to avoid court. This may seem...
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Post-Divorce Lessons from the Massachusetts Appeals Court: Fehrm-Cappucino v....
Even after a divorce the conflict between couples sometimes continues due to an ongoing support order or co-parenting relationship. If spouses don't settle on an agreed upon process for addressing...
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Can Child Support be Modified Retroactively? The Appeals Court Answers in...
The Massachusetts statute on the enforcement of child support judgments is very clear that child support judgments are not "subject to retroactive modification except with respect to any period during...
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Why do People go to Court to get Divorced? Because that's where the money is...
There is a story that Willie Sutton, a famous bank robber, once responded to a reporter who asked "Why do you rob banks?" with the simple answer "Because that's where the money is!" While that story...
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The Absurdity of Death & Divorce and the Importance of Professional Optimism
I recently discovered Reply All, which is a podcast that explores interesting and amazing stories about the internet. I've been listening to past episodes and today I discovered Episode #2: The...
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Online Tool for Creating Parenting Plans
It is our hope that all families find a way to resolve conflict peacefully. This is especially true when children are involved. Divorced or separated parenting has many complications and the first is...
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Unvested Stock Options may be Income for Alimony Purposes - Ludwig v....
In Hoegen v. Hoegen, the Massachusetts Appeals Court addressed whether it was a double dip to include restricted stock unit income in a child support order when those stocks had already been considered...
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The New Massachusetts Standing Order on Parent Coordination: An Overview
Guest Post by Tony Pelusi*Well it has finally come to be; earlier this month the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court issued Standing Order 1-17 setting forth the qualifications, standards of...
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7 Reasons to Consider a Prenup
Guest Post from Julie Tolek*That magical moment that you have been waiting for has finally happened. Your significant other proposed and YOU SAID YES! Or you proposed and YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER SAID...
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How does a Divorce end? 😡, ☹️, or 🙂
There are three typical ways a divorce process can end: Reconciliation, Judgment, or Settlement. Very few cases reconcile once a divorce process is started, and very few cases go all the way to...
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The Collaborative Outpost
Skylark Law & Mediation, PC will soon be moving to Southborough, Massachusetts and it's an opportunity for us and other like-minded professionals. Our new home will be a building in downtown...
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Will Quitting Your Job Reduce Child Support or Alimony?
It is a common refrain that support payments are usually more than the payor wants to pay and less than the recipient wants to receive. This discrepancy can be extreme when the parties have been used...
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5 Tips for Adding Video to your Mediation Practice
Video meetings are starting toreplace in-person and phone meetings.Guest Post from Julie Tolek*As more services go digital, it is necessary for legal and mediation professional to follow the trend....
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