Don’t Fall Victim to Hidden Assets During Divorce

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When it comes to divorce in Massachusetts, everything related to finances must be fully disclosed. This includes every single asset, purchased together or otherwise, as well as all accumulated debts. Each spouse is instructed to report known findings through a financial affidavit.

It is against the law to purposely hide, understate, or overstate assets, as well as any marital property, debt, income, or expense. In extreme cases, this can potentially lead to the withholding party being sentenced to serve time in jail.

If you suspect your spouse of attempting to hide assets, it’s imperative to retain a divorce lawyer who has significant experience discovering hidden or undervalued assets. A top-notch Massachusetts divorce lawyer will know the tricks used to hide assets and work with forensic accountants, investigators, and other experts to uncover these attempts to mislead the system. [Read more…]

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Protecting Assets in a Divorce

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Divorce is as much a financial blow as it is an emotional one. Alimony and child support may take a large, even unreasonable amount out of your monthly paycheck. Conversely, if your income is much smaller than your soon-to-be-ex-spouse’s, or if you stayed at home to look after the family, you might find yourself in dire financial straits if you are not awarded a just settlement.

You deserve a divorce settlement that takes into account your circumstances and your contributions to the marriage— and financial, logistical, or emotional. In this article, you will find three steps to follow to protect your assets in divorce and reach the settlement that is best for you. [Read more…]

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What factors do courts consider when determining child custody?

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Courts primarily base their decision on what is in the child’s best interest, using the Child’s Best Interest Standard. Factors vary from state to state, but the overall goal is to make a decision that promotes the health and wellbeing of the child.

Parents are encouraged to come to an agreement on matters of child custody and visitation to submit to the court. However, if the judge finds the settlement agreement is not in the child’s best interest, it can be rejected.

Courts will generally determine the stability of each parent’s home environment and their interest and commitment to caring for the child. Other factors include the health of each parent, both physical and mental; the special needs of the child, if any; the child’s own wishes if they are old enough to say so; whether there is evidence of illicit drug use, or drug/alcohol abuse; and adjustment to the community, such as where they go to school, proximity to other caretakers, etc. [Read more…]

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Altering Your Child Custody Agreement

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  • My ex-spouse has asked to pick up our children, of whom we share custody, at a different time from that stated in our custody agreement. I’m fine with the change. Do we need to alter the agreement, or is a verbal agreement enough?

The is almost always going to be “get it in writing.” While you may have the most amicable divorce in the world, you never know what the future may hold. Contracts fill the gaps left when human trust fails.

If this is a one-time, or two-time situation, a verbal agreement might suffice. Of course, without putting it in writing, if you agree to a “quick change,” you may find yourself agreeing to a years-long arrangement without intending to. [Read more…]

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My Kids Hate the Custody Arrangement – What Can I Do to Change It?

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Even in the best of circumstances, divorce can be difficult for children. Children are often resistant to change: adapting to new schedules and surroundings, learning to live with one parent at a time, and getting along with possible new stepsiblings or half-siblings are all big changes, ones which can challenge a child’s developing social skills and coping mechanisms. However, many, if not most, children with divorced parents eventually adapt and thrive, growing into healthy and well-adjusted adults.

There are cases, however, where a child’s discomfort with a custody arrangement goes beyond natural resistance to change, beyond the fairly standard complaints of “I don’t like it here” or “I like dad’s house better.”

Perhaps there is serious, ongoing, and frequent conflict between the child and one of the custodial parents, a conflict that makes living with that parent a deeply anxious situation for the child. Perhaps the conflict is with a stepparent or stepsibling and a child’s grades are dropping as a result of the distress. [Read more…]

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Accessing Spouse’s Social Media Accounts During Divorce

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While recognizing the hurt that comes with the breakdown of a marriage, and recognizing that marriages may break down due to the inappropriate behavior or abuse by a spouse, some behaviors and activities will not be viewed kindly by the family courts, and may even run afoul of the law. Spying or snooping on a spouse’s social media or digital presence for “dirt” is one such behavior.

With the rise of social media, people lead their lives as much online as offline. Digital lives can be accessed and assessed all in one place—a phone or a computer—and offer a rich source of information that could only be gleaned through extensive investigation in the real-world. Digital devices also contain sensitive, intimate information and communications that may never see the light of a real-time, physical day. This is information—evidence of infidelity, bank statements and the location of assets, backlogs of abusive text messages to a spouse—that could prove very damaging to the owner in a divorce case. [Read more…]

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Snooping on Your Spouse in a Massachusetts Divorce

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As thoughts turn towards divorce, tempers can flare and people may behave in ways they normally would not be proud of, even in a relatively amicable situation. Of course, the bad behavior of a spouse—ranging from neglect of household duties to infidelity to abusive actions—may well have begun long before the divorce, and may well be the reason for it.

In seeking a favorable divorce settlement, one that compensates you for violations of the marriage contract and shields you from your spouse’s ongoing bad behavior, you will want to have evidence to bolster your claims. In a world of smart phones, where everyone has both a video camera and a broadcasting station in their pockets, you may be tempted to record your spouse’s bad behavior. [Read more…]

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Child Custody And The Holidays

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The winter holidays may be the most wonderful time of the year, but they are also a top contender for the most stressful time of the year. Regardless of family structure, holiday gatherings and visits can be contentious. Under the stress of cleaning and cooking and visiting in-laws, even close-knit nuclear families, amicably divorced co-parents, or happily mixed step-families might experience some tension and conflict around this time of the year.

Given the stress of preparing for holidays, and the emotions invested in family celebrations, it is more important than ever for there to be good channels of communication about scheduling. When child custody agreements are involved, communication is even more important, especially if custody arrangements or their enforcement have been contentious issues in the past.

Many shared custody agreements drawn up as part of the divorce settlements will specify holiday visitation and custody rights for each parent. For example, one parent may have the children for Thanksgiving and New Year’s, with the other parent having Christmas and the surrounding days. In the next year, the parents might swap time periods, following an alternating schedule laid out in the custody agreement. [Read more…]

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An Amicable End to Marriage

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There are options available for couples who wish to bring an amicable end to their marriage.. Two of these processes, which aim to dissolve a marriage through teamwork and mutual respect, are collaborative divorce and mediation. For a couple looking for alternatives to litigation, each has its own pros and cons.

Collaborative divorce originated in the Midwest in the 1990s. In just thirty years, however, it has become a recognized method in the United States, the United Kingdom, and throughout the British Commonwealth. In a collaborative divorce, attorneys for each partner meet to discuss custody issues, alimony, and asset division. The “collaboration” between the attorneys, each working in the best interest of  their respective client, is intended to produce a divorce settlement that both parties can agree on and benefit from. [Read more…]

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What are the benefits of choosing mediation over litigation in a divorce?

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When most of us think of divorce, we think of custody battles, endless legal filings, and costly court proceedings. The whole process of divorce can seem more daunting, and perhaps even more painful, than the emotional aspects of a marriage’s dissolution.

But what if there was another way? Another, more humane, more gentle, less expensive way?

There is: mediation.

Not every divorce is contested. If both parties agree that the marriage should end, it is a much simpler process than when one seeks to prevent the divorce, or when it is necessary to assign fault to one partner or another. What remains for the spouses is to agree on the division of property, alimony allocation, and child custody arrangements. [Read more…]

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