You should be able to argue to the judge that reason that you are asking for supervision including any specific concerns for either the safety of the parties or child(ren). The type of supervision that you are seeking whether that is at a supervised visitation center, hiring somebody to be out in the community, the […]

In Massachusetts with a Guardianship of a Minor if a Parent is willing to sign a Guardianship Petition Assenting to the Guardianship What would need to Occur? The parents would need to consent to the guardianship by signing an assent in front of a notary public. If the parents are unwilling or unavailable to sign […]

What is a Caregiver of a Minor in Massachusetts? A caregiver of a minor is many times less significant than being a guardian and you should consider being a caregiver of a minor child if the child is living with you rather than the parents. You want to be able to make medical and educational […]

In Massachusetts What Happens if My Spouse is Refusing a Divorce? If a spouse refuses to sign divorce papers or agree to the divorce, you would need to file what is considered a Contested Divorce. You will be serving the other party with divorce papers meaning that the other spouse is notified that you filed […]

Is Massachusetts What is Considered a No-Fault Divorce State? In Massachusetts there are 7 what would be called “fault grounds or reasons”. There are also no-fault grounds. No fault divorce is called “irretrievable breakdown” of the marriage. There can be faults or reasons for the divorce, but they are plead out as no-fault and both […]

The court looks at what is in the child’s best interest. Some factors that might be good for parents to think about is the level of tension between the parents. So, the height of the level of tension, if there is restraining orders or criminal cases that would be the highest level. There is always […]

If I am not sure How much either I am behind on the child support payments or the other parent owes me, how do I figure that out?  The Department of Revenue “DOR” is involved with something called “Wage Assignment”. They keep track of the payments and you can get a print out from the […]

Nowadays there are more and more times when there are disputes with the school.  Some of the time it does rise to the level of neglect or abuse on the parents or the caregivers but there also seems to be a variety of circumstances where if the parents and the school disagree regarding possible Individual […]

If a child is removed from the parents but there has not yet been a 72-hour hearing, where does the child live? Until the 72-hour hearing is held, concluded and the judge makes a decision, DCF is the one that usually decides where the child lives. DCF has the option of placing the child with […]

What happens if the alleged or punitive father cannot be located or does not participate in any DNA Testing?  The Judge can consider all relevant information including testimony and affidavits; particularly if one parent fails to appear or submit to the testing, you can determine paternity in that action.  What does Home State Refer To? […]