Believe it or not there is an upside to divorce when it relates to matters of college financial aid. The FAFSA (free application for federal student aid) is the dreaded form that every parent with college aged children must fill out every year. In conventional families, the income of both parents is taken into consideration. In divorced families, the custodial parent fills out the FAFSA and it’s only their income that’s considered. In many cases,
Having done personal injury work for the last 23 years, people often tease me about being an ambulance chaser. When I was describing a case to a friend (without revealing any confidential information), she was blown away with what the attorney has to deal with in these types of situations. Far too many times in my career, I have gotten a call at some odd hour from a distraught family member or friend that their
As an attorney, you may think my answer to this question is a little biased. What most people don’t know is that essentially a joint divorce agreement which is what a mediator helps a couple draft, can just as easily be done by an attorney for about the same cost. There is one advantage to using an attorney however. An attorney will also take care of all of the court filing and the necessary paperwork
The recent criminal trial of famous Actor Bill Cosby ended in a hung jury. A hung jury occurs when the jury cannot unanimously agree on whether a defendant is innocent or guilty. That’s a requirement in most states in criminal cases. In civil cases however, only a majority is required. When a Judge determines that a jury will be unable to reach a verdict, he or she will declare the jury hung. The Prosecution then
I am involved with a terrific organization called Communities for Restorative Justice (C4RJ). C4RJ partners with local police departments in an effort to steer first time offenders away from a life of crime. In an effort to bring awareness to the perpetrator of the effects of his or her crimes and healing to the victim, both parties agree to go through the process and if completed successfully, the offender avoids a criminal record. In criminal
Fear is the biggest reason people hold off on beginning the process long after the marriage is over. Fear about what the effect the divorce will have on their children, fear about how you’re going to make ends meet, fear about what you are entitled to from the marriage. If the fear doesn’t do you in, the misery of your current situation will. I see people in all stages of the divorce process. Because I
Every week, I am approached by someone who wants to talk about the effects of their misguided youth. Having a charge on your criminal record can have long lasting effects even when the charges are dismissed. Imagine getting arrested for assault when you’re 18 and having those charges dismissed but it’s on every background check and CORI that’s run on you? So when you’re going for that dream job and they say they have to
Due to the recent decriminalization of marijuana in Massachusetts, it is no longer enough for the police to smell marijuana in the course of a stop to conduct a search of that vehicle. Because it is no longer an illegal substance in this State, the arresting officer must observe that the person appears to be under the influence of that substance in order to have probable cause to conduct a search. This means an increasing
Last year, I began working with a fantastic organization that works with survivors of domestic abuse and I have learned so much about domestic violence, domestic abuse and its impact on people especially those going through a divorce. I’d like to share with you a few of the things that I have learned along the way. I have learned that at least one in every three relationships has elements of abuse. I have learned that
I was volunteering as lawyer of the day in court last week and a very nice gentleman came in and asked for advice about adopting his niece. I asked him a bunch of questions and determined that pursuing a guardianship was probably the best option for him. The biggest difference between adoption and guardianship is that adoption is permanent. The implications of this are that the biological parents can never come back to regain their
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Please complete the form below and we will contact you.