Category Essex County
HOLIDAYS AND PARENTING PLANS
Being in the Essex and Middlesex Probate Courts last week and seeing the lines going out the door reminded me that sharing time with your children during the holidays is easier said than done. The probation departments are overflowing with distressed moms and dads, either armed with lawyers or not, waiting to meet with the […]
RESTRICTIONS ON RIGHTS OF GAYS TO MARRY IN PENNSYLVANIA SWEPT AWAY
Noted in this brief article in the New York Times, Pennsylvania’s being the last state in the Northeast and the 19th state in the U.S. to recognize the rights of Gays and Lesbians to marry. There was a time when Jim Crow laws in the South and segregation throughout our country was pervasive. During the […]
Alimony Trends
I am pleased to announce that I am now the Liaison Officer for National Alimony Trends for the National Committee of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
UPDATES REGARDING THE ALIMONY REFORM ACT
If you have read some of my earlier blogs describing the Alimony Reform Act of 2011, you are aware that Massachusetts, with the enactment of this legislation, limited the duration of alimony for short-term and mid-term marriages, and designated an age at which the payor would be released from the obligation of spousal support. The […]
New Year
Happy, healthy New Year to all of you from all of us.
Alimony Trends in Massachusetts
I had my first conference this week with the Amicus Curiae Committee for the National American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. I am very excited to report that I am now the Liaison Officer for National Alimony Trends. I am looking forward to this important challenge.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS
#TriggerWarning Scroll to bottom for Community Resources The month of October (http://www.ncadv.org/takeaction/DomesticViolenceAwarenessMonth.php) was set aside to reflect upon domestic abuse and to work towards its eradication. In every community, large and small, there appears in its local newspapers the report of incidents involving assaults between would be lovers, maiming and murders among families. Some may […]
American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
I am proud to announce that I have been selected to be a member of the Amicus Curiae committee for the National American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
Part 4: Preparing for a Divorce Trial in Massachusetts
QUESTION 4: What will it cost? Some people are resolute about what they believe they want as an outcome, rejecting alternative solutions [mediation v. litigation], and seem determined to have their day in court. Difficulties can sometimes arise, however, due to the cost of trial. The cost of litigation is something that you have to […]
Part 3: Preparing for a Divorce Trial in Massachusetts
QUESTION 3: Who prepares the trial? An attorney who represents you in a well prepared trial is like a conductor of a symphony or a director of a movie. The attorney’s role is to put the pieces of the puzzle together in a presentation through testimony and exhibits that will be comprehensible by the judge […]
PhilipJByers
Philip J. Byers, Attorney 