Skylark Law
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Skylark Law & Mediation, PC provides this blog about divorce and other family dispute issues in Massachusetts. The authors are all attorney/mediators at Skylark Law & Mediation, PC and our goal is to provide legal information about these issues to help educate the public and other professionals about family law in Massachusetts.
Skylark Law
6M ago
On July 20, 2023, the Massachusetts Trial Court announced a change to the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines, that became effective on July 31, 2023. Typically the guidelines are only revisited every four years (with the next update due in 2025), but in some instances interim updates are necessary.
In this case, the change was necessary to bring the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines in conformity with federal standards. Specifically, the child support guidelines have been updated to “[p]rovide that incarceration may not be treated as voluntary unemployment in ..read more
Skylark Law
1y ago
Alliteration aside, we have a lot of exciting news to share about Jennifer Hawthorne's role at Skylark Law & Mediation, PC and her contributions to the field of dispute resolution.
Since August 2016, Jen has been working with Skylark as a mediator and collaborative divorce professional. Her role grew from an of counsel position to full time associate, and in 2022 Jen became a partner at Skylark. Jen's skills as a mediator and her ability to lighten even the toughest conversations have elevated the work at Skylark. Her laugh and the laughter of her clients sti ..read more
Skylark Law
2y ago
Every four years, per federal mandate, the Massachusetts Probate & Family Court revisits the Child Support Guidelines through the work of a Task Force appointed by the Chief Justice. The 2021 Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines were recently posted. They take effect on October 4, 2021.
For a full comparison of all the tracked changes between the 2018 and 2021 Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines you can download a pdf showing the changes here.
The 2021 Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines Worksheet
While the court has not yet provided a worksheet that ..read more
Skylark Law
3y ago
In the last year there have been times due to the COVID-19 pandemic when the court was closed or significantly delayed. Even now, more than a year after the lockdowns started, we are experiencing long delays in obtaining court dates.
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Imagine there’s no weapons, how would we find peace? ##mediation ##mediatorsoftiktok
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Fortunately, we have an answer for what to do if there is no court. You're not simply on your own, and in fact there are lots of ways to resolve conflict outside of ..read more
Skylark Law
3y ago
In many divorce cases retirement accounts are the biggest, or at least one of the biggest, assets. Because of that, it is imperative to understand the options for transferring and dividing retirement assets in a way that maximizes the benefits and minimizes taxes.
Informed Consent is the Most Important Thing when Dividing Retirement in Divorce
You don't want to make significant financial decisions about your future without understanding the financial consequences. Retirement accounts are complicated, vary greatly in their requirements & plan details, and can result in s ..read more
Skylark Law
3y ago
Photo by Sam Moqadam on Unsplash
Divorce is complicated and one of the challenges is the push and pull between transparency and protecting oneself. Individuals in a divorce often want to hide information that they are worried will concern their soon-to-be ex-spouse or in some way potentially disadvantage them in court or in a settlement process. The choice of whether to be transparent about any choice, including the choice to hire a lawyer, has to be weighed against the pros and cons of that decision.
As a mediator, I favor erring on the side of transparency. If ..read more
Skylark Law
3y ago
While the Hippocratic Oath is no longer required for doctors, we often hear the principle attributed to that ancient Greek oath for healers to "first, do no harm." The translation is actually closer to "I will do no harm or injustice to them," but the sentiment is clear. When trying to help someone, your first obligation is to not make things worse.
Today, I attended the third in a series of public forums held by the Child Support Guidelines Task Force giving people the opportunity to comment on what should change in the 2018 Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines.&nbs ..read more
Skylark Law
3y ago
Since we first posted about the upcoming update to the 2020-2021 Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines Task force there have been a few additional updates:
On December 15, 2020, the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation submitted comments from members on potential child support guidelines updates.
While the comment period for submitting written comments closed on December 15, 2020, there are upcoming public forums and we're sharing the full notice with you below:
NOTICE OF PUBLIC FORUMS
CHILD SUPPORT GUIDELINES TASK FORCE SEEKS PUBLIC COMMENT
Overview:
Federal law and regulations re ..read more
Skylark Law
3y ago
Every four years, per federal requirements, the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines must be reviewed. To that end, the Trial Court Chief Justice Paula M. Carey has announced the formation of the 2020-2021 Massachusetts Trial Court Child Support Guidelines Task Force. The Task Force is seeking public comment regarding the current Child Support Guidelines. Written comments may be submitted to the Task Force at: childsupport@jud.state.ma.us by December 15, 2020.
While we're awaiting the new guidelines, the court has finally updated their existing interactive worksheet to be more a ..read more
Skylark Law
3y ago
Skylark's online Massachsuetts Child Support Calculator was recently added as a resource on JusticeApp - a free downloadable resource from co-founders Damian Turco and Melina Munoz Turco. This is the future of how clients will find reliable information, professionals and resources and we're pleased to be included.
A Message from the Co-Founders:
JusticeApp is a free mobile app designed to help people with legal problems manage their cases through the court system. The app doesn’t aim to create solutions for every legal problem. Rather, it aggregates credible resources ..read more