In Massachusetts if DCF is doing an interview with you, you want to treat it like a deposition, if you have ever done one of those; or consider it in that you want to answer the question assuming you are agreeing to answer it.  You don’t necessarily expand a great deal in terms of DCF’s […]

The answer is yes.  If there is one child between 18 and 23. So this is not applicable, but let’s say there are 3 children and 2 of them are under 18, it would be about a 25% reduction under the Child Support Guidelines assuming that the child has graduated high school.  The 25% reduction […]

That is called “Split Custody” which refers to a child custody arrangement in which one parent has sole custody of one or more children while the other parent has sole custody of the remaining siblings. Split custody is rare, as it is thought that it is in the best to keep siblings together for mutual […]

As a family law attorney, I have seen all sorts of parental disagreements about their children in divorce or custody cases. Many times, there have been legal fights about their kid’s diets, video games and dating -never mind therapy, medication, and school. The Corona virus has created a lot of stress for everyone but particularly […]

In Massachusetts there used to be a lesser amount for child support if you had the children or child with you for more than a 1/3rd but less than 50% of the time, that is no longer an existence.  If you have shared physical custody, it does not have to be exactly 50/50, they would […]

Again, you are looking to see if you can impute income if you’re the person that is receiving child support.  So, again if they have a business like a cash business.   On the other hand, there are financial statements that have something called a “Schedule A” or a “Self-Employment” that talks about expenses.  You want […]

The courts do recognize that child support may be a heavy burden for some parents trying to maintain and manage two households. But parents still cannot avoid their financial obligation to pay child support just because of financial difficulties. There must be a showing for the case that any reduction in their income was completely […]

“Attributed income” means income not actually earned by a parent but which may be attributed to the parent because he or she is unemployed, is not working full time or is working below full earning capacity or has nonperforming or underperforming assets. Income may be attributed to a parent if the court evaluates the parent’s […]

You have to show that there a valid order that the Defendant had knowledge and knowledge of the conditions.  You should also check to see if there has been a modification of the restraining order in Probate and Family Court; which occurs frequently and/or if there are any other agreements or attachments. It is important […]

Masters are appointed by the court occasionally in divorce cases and other family law cases. Masters, also sometimes referred to as special masters, are attorneys that hear facts for a case outside of court and then issue a report to the court.