Prenuptial agreements are not only for individuals with a high net worth or who expect an inheritance. In fact, prenuptial agreements can protect both spouses by documenting intentions for assets that the parties accumulate during the marriage. If you are in an upwardly mobile stage in your career, building a business, plan to leave the workforce to raise children, or if your future spouse has debts that you do not want to risk creditors seeking to collect from you, a prenuptial agreement may offer the protection you need.

The court evaluates child custody in the best interest of the child. This is true for initial orders, as well as to modify prior orders and judgments. When we meet with you, we will review the factors the court is most likely to consider, and how the facts of your case support your desired outcome.

We will coach you in real time on co-parenting and communication with the other parent. This ensures that your communication is civil, stays on-topic, and avoids unnecessary court intervention. If you do need to present documentation of your parenting correspondence to the court, you will have a clear record of your efforts to reach agreement with your co-parent.

Custody matters often involve additional professionals, including Guardians Ad Litem, Attorneys Representing Children, social workers, child therapists, family therapists, parenting coordinators, and educational and medical professionals. We will advise you on how various professionals can provide supports for your family. Attorney Lance is often appointed by the family courts as a Guardian Ad Litem and as an Attorney Representing Children, which provides her with additional perspective for advising her clients.

Child support is calculated through guidelines established by the legislature. The parent’s “combined available income” and each parent’s respective income within the total are the primary factors in the formula. The court can issue orders higher or lower than the child support guidelines in individual cases.

Most people think of the Child Support Guidelines as the formula that calculates a child support amount. The dollar amount alone is just the beginning. The legislature has published detailed information (website link below) to provide context, explaining what income should be included in the calculation, what each party is expected to pay for in addition to child support, and guidelines for claiming children as dependents on tax returns, sharing expenses, etc.

When a party is self-employed, determining child support begins with seeking agreement on (finish sentence).

The right legal advice can help you avoid needless conflict and ensure that your child has appropriate financial support in both homes.

https://www.mass.gov/law-library/2023-child-support-guidelines

Mediation offers the opportunity to resolve your family law issues through confidential, voluntary, guided negotiation by a neutral mediator. Not all mediators are certified. Because I am a certified mediator, your negotiations in mediation are “privileged” (inadmissible in court). Not all mediators are lawyers, which can result in unenforceable agreements.

As a family law lawyer, I have thorough knowledge of the laws governing child custody, child support, alimony, and property division; the expertise necessary to draft an effective agreement for entry in the probate court; and sensitivity to the conflicts your family may be working through.

By mediating your case, you avoid public hearings in court, which preserves your family’s privacy and amicable relations. You can also avoid the “circular echoing chamber” of each party telling their respective attorney their own version of the truth, which leaves contested litigation as the only option to decide the outcome of the matters before the court.

As a neutral mediator, I will hold space for both parties to share their goals and concerns. I am committed to remaining neutral and helping families find solutions that work for them – solutions a judge might be unlikely or even entirely unable to order after a contested hearing.

The most important elements of a successful mediation are a competent, informed mediator and parties committed to the mediation process.

If you are interested in pursuing mediation, I can provide you with materials and an approach to discussion with your family member, and I will do everything I can to ensure each participant is comfortable with the process and with my role as mediator. I look forward to hearing from you.

Dividing your marital assets and liabilities can be overwhelming. In Massachusetts, the court applies an “equitable” or “fair” division standard when dividing a marital estate between spouses, based on factors describing just about any circumstance that could exist in a family. We will present your strongest evidence regarding each factor in a clear format for the Court’s consideration.

We have conducted financially complex divorce trials, including cases where our investigation exposed that the other spouse hid assets and failed to disclose accounts.

Divorce is financial litigation to divide everything you own and owe. The right counsel is critical to protecting your rights and ensure you can support yourself. We will confirm that a property division that looks fair does not have disastrous consequences for the future.

The Massachusetts alimony statute was only enacted in 2013, with innumerable unsettled issues and emerging case law interpreting the statute. Attorney Lance is a member of various bar associations and the, the American Academy of Certified Financial Litigators, and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, which are dedicated to discussing cutting edge developments in the law. Attorney Lance makes a practice of reading emerging decisions and attending seminars to ensure that her advice is based on the most recent developments to the interpretation of the statute.

As life goes on after the entry of a final judgment of divorce or custody and support, a family’s circumstances often outgrow the judgment.

In many cases, we can negotiate an agreement to modify the initial order to reflect an income change or change of parenting plan as children’s needs change. The party seeking to modify an existing court order usually has the burden of proving a “substantial change of circumstance” if parties cannot agree to modification, or that current application of the child support guidelines results in a different amount of child support than the current order.

We will strategize with you how to present your request to the other party. In cases where the other party is likely to oppose your request, it is critical that we present strong grounds for modification from the beginning.

It is a common adage in family law that the more reasonable party always wins. Filing a Complaint for Contempt should not be undertaken lightly, particularly if the alleged violation is outside the other party’s control.

If one party is willfully violating the court’s orders, such as by unreasonably denying parenting time or failing to pay child support, filing a Complaint for Contempt may be necessary. If a defendant is found in contempt of a court order, the plaintiff may be entitled to reimbursement of attorney’s fees and costs.

If you have been accused of violating a court order, we will present your best defense, which may include filing a motion to dismiss a frivolous or false allegation. We will gather and present evidence to defend you.

Whether you are considering filing a Complaint for Contempt or believe you may need to defend against allegations, we can advise you on the most prudent next steps.