With the enactment and implementation of the Alimony Reform Act in 2012, a popular topic among divorcing spouses is whether one spouse will be required to pay the other spouse alimony. With the Alimony Reform Act, the guidelines and requirements for awarding alimony have changed. At the cornerstone of alimony is case law that has…
Amaral and Associates PC
Winning the Lottery and Then Getting Divorced
The odds of any person winning the lottery are very slim. However, if someone does win the lottery, and he/she is married at that time, under Massachusetts law, the lottery winnings are a marital asset. Under Massachusetts law, all property owned by one spouse individually, or both spouses jointly, is considered marital property. That means,…
Managing High Asset Divorces in Massachusetts
All divorces can be stressful and important to spouses facing a divorce. However, handling divorces with a high asset value has some additional inherent complexities that not all spouses, or even all attorneys, are aware of. When addressing high asset divorces, there are complicated issues that have to be addressed within alimony, property division, taxes,…
Establishing Paternity in Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, the custody of a child born to unwed parents is presumed to be solely with the mother of the child, unless and until paternity of the child is established, and there is a court order regarding custody. It is important for both a mother and father to have paternity established, because without establishing…
Dependency Tax Exemptions and Divorce
During the course of a divorce, there are many issues that spouses have to resolve: property division, alimony, child custody, child support, medical insurance, and taxes. One after thought of these many issues is the child dependency tax exemption. In a divorce, spouses can agree how to allocate the dependency tax exemption. For example, if…
Protecting Your Pet in a Divorce
Despite pets being a loving and integral member of families, the law has not caught up with this view, and still sees pets as property. But because pets are such an integral part of families, during a divorce, it can be a “custody” battle over your pet that causes a lot of disagreement and friction.…
Divorce for $1500.00
Online Divorce Mediation.Com™ (ODM) was created by an experienced family law attorney who was tired of seeing families torn apart, both emotionally and financially, by the contested and insanely expensive divorce process. His goal was to make getting a divorce more dignified, yet do so in a quick, simple, and inexpensive manner. At the same…
What is Divorce Mediation?
Divorce mediation is an alternative to fighting in court with your spouse through attorneys. Divorce mediators do not have to be certified, nor do they have to be attorneys. At Amaral & Associates, P.C., our mediators are not only certified, but are also experienced family law attorneys who will guide spouses towards reaching an agreement…
The Legal Status of Parent Coordinators in Massachusetts
Parent Coordinators are commonly used in child custody and parenting matters in Massachusetts to facilitate resolving disputes between parents on issues relating children of divorce and children born out of wedlock. The Parent Coordinator typically acts as a referee to rule on any disputes, or works more like a mediator to help the parents negotiate…
The Important Difference Between a Merging and Surviving Separation Agreement
It is not uncommon for a spouse to want to modify certain provisions of his or her Separation Agreement after a divorce. As time goes on, circumstances will most certainly change for the former spouses. However, not all Separation Agreements are modifiable. Before a spouse files a modification action, it is important to ascertain whether…
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