What is Cruel and Abusive Treatment? Cruel and abusive treatment is considered a fault-based grounds for divorce. Usually, it can be proven with just the testimony of the abused spouse. There must be a certain degree of severity, however, if you intend to use this grounds for divorce. Arguments and disagreements may not be severe […]
Read MoreDetermining Child Custody When Mental Health Issues are Involved When determining child custody issues, it is always best to keep the child’s best interest at the core of your decision. If parents cannot make the decision on their own, they often seek judicial intervention. When a court decides the custody arrangements of children, they always […]
Read MoreWhat is court ordered mediation and private mediation? In Massachusetts, there are a couple of different types of court ordered mediation, if you will. One is that occurs in the courthouse after you’ve attended court or you’re going to the court to litigate a disputed issue. Sometimes, before you see him, the judge will send […]
Read MoreA contested divorce is different from an uncontested divorce. A contested divorce is more complex and usually involves issues that the spouses cannot come to an agreement about. These issues may include, but are not limited to, spousal support, child support, child custody, and/or division of assets or debts. The divorce proceedings in a contested […]
Read MoreWhat is Divorce Arbitration? Divorce arbitration is a dispute resolution process to help parties in a divorce. When divorcing couples reach an impasse in their divorce, they may decide to pursue arbitration to try and get out of the stalemate. Arbitration is a beneficial alternative resolution process for couples who do not want to court. […]
Read MoreMy husband wants to share the cost of a lawyer. I’ve been told it’s just as easy and quick to file w/o a lawyer. Not sure what to do. We have no joint assets or children. Do we need a lawyer? You may represent yourselves. However, if you do not understand your agreement or later […]
Read MoreAlimony is the payment of financial support from one spouse to the former spouse, for a specific period of time. A judge may consider a number of factors when deciding if a spouse is entitled to spousal support. Although this is not an exhaustive list, some factors that a judge may consider are: Length of […]
Read MoreIn the state of Massachusetts, both parents have a duty to support any child or children born from their relationship. In many cases, it may be the non-custodial parent who makes child support payments to the custodial parent. By definition, the non-custodial parent is the parent who lives outside the child’s primary residence, while the […]
Read MoreUninsured Medical Expenses Uninsured medical bills are a matter of discretion with the judge in terms of the allocation of the payment, although in the vast majority of cases, it’s split 50-50. If one parent is paying full child support according to the child support guidelines, then that was taken into consideration when the child […]
Read MoreI filed an uncontested divorce. It is amicable so all documents from both sides were filed together. Do I need to wait to be assigned a judge first, then contact the judge’s assistant? Is there some general calendar that I need to sign up for? Through researching I found that you must allow 5 days […]
Read MoreLaw Offices of Cynthia L. Hanley, P.C.
76 South Main Street
Mansfield, MA 02048-2528
Telephone: (508) 339-1400
Fax: (508) 339-0191
