Fields and Dennis LLP

  • Our Firm
    • Our Approach and Philosophy
    • News and Media Coverage
  • Attorneys
    • Sheryl J. Dennis
    • Jonathan E. Fields
    • Vicki L. Shemin, J.D., LICSW, ACSW
    • Hugh F. Ferguson, Ph.D.
    • Andrea E. DeLaney
    • Wendie E. Murstein
    • Jonathan Crafts
    • S. Robert Fish, Jr.
    • James E. O’Connell, Jr.
    • Support Staff
      • RIKKI B. SAKSIK
  • Practices
    • Online Divorce Mediations
    • Fledgling Estate Plan for Millennials
    • Family Law
    • Divorce
    • Dispute Resolution
    • Estate Planning
    • Elder Law
    • Guardianship
    • Probate
    • Real Estate Law
    • Civil Litigation
    • Business Litigation
    • White-Collar Criminal & Regulatory Defense and Investigations
    • Mediation
    • Collaborative Law
    • Parent Coordinator
    • Arbitration
  • Resources
    • Covid 19 / Coronavirus Resource Page
    • Fledgling Estate Plan
    • Legal Information
    • Significant Cases
    • Psychology of Divorce
    • Cyber Issues and Divorce
    • Books + Videos
  • Blogs
    • Fields and Dennis LLP Blog
    • Divorce And Mediation Blog
    • Massachusetts Estate Planning Blog
  • Contact
    • Online Consultations & Mediations
    • Map & Directions
    • Pay Invoices Online
    • Contact Us
  • What Others are Saying
  • (781) 489-6776
You are here: Home / Archives for Relationship

Cohabitation After Divorce: Reasons You Need a Co-Tenancy Agreement

Vicki Shemin wrote a new article about cohabitation and why partners should consider a co-tenancy agreement.

Cohabitation after divorce seems like a great alternative to remarriage, but it’s still important to take steps to protect yourself.

By Vicki Shemin, JD, LICSW, ACSW Updated: June 21, 2018

Categories: Legal Issues, Relationships and Dating

Cohabitation After Divorce: Reasons You Need a Co-Tenancy Agreement

At the final court hearing in a divorce case, the judge generally pronounces that the divorce agreement is fair and reasonable and then s/he blesses it with an official imprimatur.

In the next sentence, more times than not, I have heard judges then say, “You can remarry in 90 days.” Invariably, the divorcing couple responds with an eye roll as if to say, “That’s the last thing on our minds!”

But, fast forward two years down the road. Time heals a lot of wounds and you may find that you are in a meaningful relationship that lies somewhere between not being ready for remarriage but ready to commit to the relationship.

Read more here.

Filed Under: Divorce, Relationship Tagged With: co-tenancy, cohabitation agreement

Helicopter Parenting Causes Behavioral Problems in Children

Children whose parents are over-controlling “helicopter parents” when they are toddlers, are less able to control their emotions and impulses as they get older apparently leading to more problems with school, new research suggests.

The study looked at to what degree mothers of toddlers dominated playtime and showed their child what to do, and then studied how their children behaved over the following eight years, revealing that controlling parenting is linked to a number of problems as a child grows up.

Read more here.

NOTE FROM FIELDS AND DENNIS — FOR SOME RECOMMENDATIONS OF BOOKS AND VIDEOS ABOUT THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF DIVORCE AND ABOUT PARENTING PLANS, VISIT HERE.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF DIVORCE, VISIT HERE.

Contact us if you need a parenting coordinator — Vicki Shemin, Jon Fields, and Sheryl Dennis are certified by the courts to accept cases.

Filed Under: Parenting, Relationship Tagged With: Helicopter Parenting

Relationship Contract: To Stay in Love, Sign on the Dotted Line

A few months ago my boyfriend and I poured ourselves two beers and opened our laptops. It was time to review the terms of our relationship contract.

Did we want to make changes? As Mark and I went through each category, we agreed to two minor swaps: my Tuesday dog walk for his Saturday one, and having me clean the kitchen counters and him take over the bathtub.

Read article here.

Filed Under: Divorce and Family Law, mediation to stay married, Relationship, Relationship Advice, Relationships Tagged With: Mediation to Stay Married, relationship contract

What Are the 5 Love Languages?

Here’s what you need to know about those ‘love languages’ everyone talks about

If you spend any time around couples, you might have heard the phrase “love language” come up. “Their love language is acts of service,” they might say of their partner when they talk about their partner’s help around the house. It might sound like general couples talk, but it’s actually from a popular relationship book, The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman.

Read More: What Are the 5 Love Languages?

Filed Under: Book Recommendations, Conflict, couples counselling, Divorce and Family Law, Relationship, Relationship Advice, Relationships Tagged With: Acts of Service, Dr. Chapman, Five Love Languages, gary chapman, Physical Touch, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Words of Affirmation

Can you be Friends with your Ex?

 

The Friend Zone

Some people believe that establishing a friendship with your ex is the true sign you’ve moved on from the relationship. It’s not always that simple, though. In the final episode of Season One, Meredith Goldstein explores friendship with exes — including her own — and she talks to Esther Perel about what makes that possible.

Listen here to the Podcast.

 

Filed Under: Relationship

Why “Needing Space” in a Relationship Doesn’t Mean Your Partner wants to Separate

Founder of Fierce Grace: Practices of Embodied Wholeness for Women, Kendra Cunov has been studying, facilitating, and (most importantly) practicing Authentic Relating, Embodiment Practices & Deep Intimacy Work for the last fifteen years.

In this video, Kendra Cunov discusses the practicality of taking space in relationship. She asks us to consider how we can bring this into our relationship with others and with ourselves. How can we practice taking space as something you can honor in your partner as well as gift them space. Furthermore, she delves into how people have pathologized giving space to men. Men are sometimes labeled as avoidant, told they fear commitment, and generally demonized for their needs around space. Listen carefully as she untangles the beliefs around space and how we can understand it better within ourselves and our partners.

 Watch video here.

Filed Under: Relationship Tagged With: Avoidance, Male/Female Relationships, Space

Turns Out That Compromise Isn’t the Key to a Happy Relationship After All

“Good relationships are all about compromise.” “If you want a great relationship, learn to compromise.” “A healthy relationship means compromise.”

Some variation of “compromise more” is probably the most common, universally accepted piece of relationship advice—the idea being that if you learn to meet your partner halfway, you’ll both be happy. But as a relationship and intimacy expert who has been guiding couples for 20 years, I don’t think that advice is actually true. Here’s why:

1. Compromise can make you lose touch with what matters to you.

The result of frequent compromise is that you become accustomed to accommodating your partner’s desires, and in the process, lose track of what you really want. I once worked with a couple, Joanne and Mike.

Read more here.

Filed Under: Relationship Tagged With: psychology, relationship

Successful Relationships Don’t Necessarily Last Forever

As a society, we tend to look at breakups and divorce as a failure. But a relationship ending doesn’t mean it wasn’t successful in some way. Sometimes a fling is ideal for both parties, sometimes a long marriage ending is the only chance for a new beginning, and every relationship teaches you something you didn’t know before.

Read more here.

Filed Under: Relationship

Long-term and short-term relationships initially indistinguishable

Long-term and short-term relationships are obviously different from each other. Some people are the type you’d want to marry; others are good primarily for the sex.

At least, that’s how conventional wisdom goes. But new research out of the University of California, Davis, suggests that — at first — long-term and short-term relationships may look more or less identical.

Read more here.

Filed Under: Relationship

4 Essential Steps to Take Before Your Next Relationship

Jill P. Weber, Ph.D., is the author of Having Sex, Wanting Intimacy—Why Women Settle for One-Sided relationships.

People frequently self-sabotage their romantic relationships, without any intention or awareness of doing so. Here are four ways to be fully prepared when love strikes.

1. Grieve: People frequently self-sabotage new relationships by not fully grieving and letting go of past ones. Keep at the top of your mind that a new relationship will not be healthy if you are using it to escape the emotional misery of a divorce or breakup. Allow yourself to fully mourn not only a recent disappointment but also one that may be far in the past, yet still stings.

Read more here.

Filed Under: Book Recommendations, Relationship Tagged With: intimacy, relationship

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Contact Us

Phone: 781.489.6776
Fax: 781.489.6233
80 William Street — Suite 210
Wellesley, MA 02481 USA

Recent Posts

Sheryl J. Dennis Quoted in Second Most Read Article in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

January 3, 2023

Attorney Sheryl Dennis was quoted in Massachusetts Lawyer Weekly’s second most read article of the year. The article discusses the feasibility of remote work from the viewpoint of a number of major law firms in the Boston area. If you are in the office, you are much more invested in the firm and the people […]

Fields and Dennis LLP Fundraiser for K9s for Warriors

December 1, 2022

Over the years Fields and Dennis have been proud to sponsor an annual holiday fundraiser for K9s for Warriors. We will be holding another holiday fundraiser through the end of the year. K9s For Warriors is a program to reduce veteran suicide and help our warriors return to a life of dignity and independence. The […]

Here are 4 Ways Divorced Parents Can Make the Holidays Joyful for Their Children – Attorney Vicki L. Shemin’s Article Featured on Divorcemag.com

November 29, 2022

Just because you and your ex-spouse are no longer together doesn’t mean you can’t co-parent peacefully during the holiday season. There are many ways divorced parents can make the holidays memorable for their children. Read the full article on Divorcemag.com https://www.divorcemag.com/blog/here-are-4-ways-divorced-parents-can-make-the-holidays-joyful-for-their-children

Congratulations to Fields and Dennis LLP Firm members who were selected as Top Lawyers for 2022 by Boston Magazine

November 22, 2022

  Fields and Dennis LLP is proud to congratulate Sheryl Dennis, Vicki L. Shemin and Jonathan Fields on being selected as Top Lawyers for 2022 by Boston Magazine. The Boston Magazine Top Lawyers list is extensively peer-reviewed and curated to bring together the top quality attorneys in Boston, making it easier for anyone seeking an […]

Sheryl J. Dennis Quoted in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

November 16, 2022

Attorney Sheryl Dennis was quoted in Massachusetts Lawyer Weekly this week. The article discusses the feasibility of remote work from the viewpoint of a number of major law firms in the Boston area. If you are in the office, you are much more invested in the firm and the people around you. It really is […]

Contact Us

Please use the contact form below to email Fields and Dennis LLP.

    Your Name (required)

    Daytime phone (required)

    Your Email (required)

    Brief description of your legal issue:

    Sending a message to Fields and Dennis LLP does not constitute an Attorney Client relationship. Please review our Communication Policy before sending any messages.

    Location

    FIELDS AND DENNIS LLP
    80 William Street — Suite 210
    Wellesley, MA 02481 USA
    (T) 781.489.6776
    (F) 781.489.6233

    You can also find us on…

    Recent Blogs

    • Attorney Jon Fields receives the 2022 John Adams Fiske Award
    • Attorneys Sheryl Dennis and Hugh Ferguson quoted in Newsweek
    • Sheryl J. Dennis Quoted in Second Most Read Article in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
    • Fields and Dennis LLP Fundraiser for K9s for Warriors
    • Here are 4 Ways Divorced Parents Can Make the Holidays Joyful for Their Children – Attorney Vicki L. Shemin’s Article Featured on Divorcemag.com

    Recent Firm News & Coverage

    • Sheryl J. Dennis Quoted in Second Most Read Article in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

    • Fields and Dennis LLP Fundraiser for K9s for Warriors

    • Here are 4 Ways Divorced Parents Can Make the Holidays Joyful for Their Children – Attorney Vicki L. Shemin’s Article Featured on Divorcemag.com

    • Congratulations to Fields and Dennis LLP Firm members who were selected as Top Lawyers for 2022 by Boston Magazine

    • Sheryl J. Dennis Quoted in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

    The Boston metro family law, divorce and estate planning attorneys at the law firm of Fields and Dennis LLP are based in the Newton Wellesley area and serve the city of Newton: Auburndale, Chestnut Hill, Newton Centre, Newton Corner, Newton Upper Falls, Newton Lower Falls, Nonantum, Oak Hill, Waban and West Newton and town of Wellesley: Babson Park, Wellesley Hills, Wellesley Square Fields and Dennis also serves many clients in the Greater Boston and Massachusetts region including Ashland, Dover, Holliston, Medfield, Needham, Sherborn, Westwood, and all of Massachusetts. Attorney Jonathan Fields is a recognized authority on bitcoin and divorce

    Copyright 2021 Fields and Dennis LLP

    Attorneys | Divorce Attorneys | Estate Planning Attorneys | Firm Overview |

    Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Contact | Pay Invoice