SJC THROWS AN ALIMONY AND CHILD SUPPORT CURVE BALL WITH RECENT CAVANAGH RULING By Jessica Peterson In a rather upending decision, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in Cavanagh v. Cavanagh issued rulings on several issues regarding alimony and child support orders in divorce cases, which changes the way we look at those issues. To understand...Read More

Massachusetts is once again at the forefront of employee protections, as Governor Baker signed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act into law on July 27, 2017.  The law will go into effect on April 1, 2018, but employees and employers should begin to familiarize themselves with this important change in the law. Prior to the PWFA,...Read More

The long-anticipated updates to the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines were issued recently and, of course, are the source of much discussion among family law attorneys. A link to the 2017 Guidelines, which become effective September 15, 2017, can be found here. The most significant language is summarized below. The minimum amount of child support to...Read More

General Information Regarding Child Support Generally speaking the non-custodial parent pays child support to the custodial parent. Child support is calculated by taking into account both parties gross weekly income, the number of children, and giving credits to the parent who pays health insurance and/or child care costs. You can calculate child support by using...Read More

In the family law courts there is a tendency of parties, attorneys, and even judges to award physical custody of multiple children as an all or nothing situation. That is, if there are two kids in a family the award of physical custody will likely be the same for both. Often times this is in...Read More

On August 1, 2013 revisions to the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines will go into effect. Below you will find the highlights of those revisions according to a press release from the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. If you have questions or concerns regarding your current or potential child support obligations, consult with an experienced Family...Read More

Fresh from the desk of the Supreme Judicial Court comes the case of Morales v. Morales, the standard for modifying a child support order is now simply an “inconsistency” between the current child support order and the child support guidelines. This is huge as it lowers the standard considerably from a “material change in circumstances”...Read More