DCF is formally known as “DSS”; and it is required under the law to provide an appropriate service to help strengthen families who are identified because a report was supported. This is accurate whether your children remain in your home or placed in temporary foster care. There are a lot of different services […]

As many people may know, Middleboro, Massachusetts voted overwhelmingly in favor to change a bi-law that makes public profanity a civil infraction.  It does not mean that people go to court for a crime, but to pay a small monetary fine.  The question is in terms of the constitutionality of it regarding First Amendment Rights […]

A CHINS or a Child in Need of Service is a court case where Juvenile Court accepted a petition from a parent, guardian, or school to deal with alleged troubled youth.  The petitioner or the person filing the CHINS must show a judge one of four types of CHINS.   One is if the child […]

In Massachusetts there is a General Law, Chapter 90, Section 10 saying that you need to have a license in Massachusetts and that is where you look up the standard, but what the court has to be able to prove, is that the person actually operated a motor vehicle, did so in a way and […]

Does a school official have reason to believe that a student suffers from a disability that can affect your school performance or access; or they have an obligation for the students to have an evaluation; or that student has already been determined to have a disability?  The school must consider the need to reconvene the […]

This entitles eligible children with disabilities to “free and appropriate public education that includes special education related services.”  Special education is defined especially designed instructions at no cost to the parent to meet the child(s) disability; and this includes not only instructors conducting the classrooms, in the home, hospitals and institutions and other settings with […]

The special education comes primarily from 3 statutes; including, the Individuals with Disability Act 20 USC Section 1400 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 USC Section 794 and under Massachusetts the General Laws Chapter 71B.  This law helps provide information about the overview of children with special education regarding eligibility, evaluation teams […]

The purpose behind a bankruptcy is to give the honest, but unfortunate debtor a “fresh start”.  There is an automatic stay in a Bankruptcy that once is it is filed, that generally that all collection activities or foreclosures, repossessions, court actions are put on hold.   There are two main types of bankruptcies.  One is […]

A Guardian ad Litem (“GAL”) is someone who is supposed to be neutral and has some expertise relating to child custody issues and generally they are a mental health clinicians or an attorney.  If you can try and provide as much factual detail without getting into blaming the other side or being defensive, admitting is […]

If you are representing yourself or filling out a Financial Statement for an attorney. A simple thing that the court requires is that all of the boxes be filled out. Therefore, if something is zero (-0-) rather than leaving it blank, you need to put down a zero or the court will likely return that […]