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You are here: Home / Archives for Family Mediation Quarterly

Case Law Updates from Family Mediation Quarterly, April 2014

Case Law Updates by Attorney Jonathan Fields from Family Mediation Quarterly, April 2014, including:

  • Temporary Alimony Doesn’t Count.

Read more.

Filed Under: Alimony, Divorce, Family Law, Firm News, Massachusetts Divorce, Massachusetts Family Law Tagged With: Alimony, Case Law Updates, Divorce, Family Law, Family Mediation Quarterly, Holmes v Holmes, Marriage, MCFM

Case Law Updates from Family Mediation Quarterly, October 2013

Case Law Updates by Attorney Jonathan Fields from Family Mediation Quarterly, October 2013, including:

  • PC Agreement Held Enforceable.
  • Post-Retirement Alimony Obligations.

 

Read more.

Filed Under: Alimony, Divorce, Family Law, Firm News, Massachusetts Family Law, Massachusetts Mediation, Mediation, Probate Court, Quarterly Reviews Tagged With: Case Law Updates, child support, Family Law, Family Mediation Quarterly, Massachusetts Family Law, Mediation, Probate Court

Case Law Updates from Family Mediation Quarterly, July 2013

Case Law Updates by Attorney Jonathan Fields from Family Mediation Quarterly, July 2013, including:

  • “Agreed upon Educational Expenses” and the Price of Silence.
  • Probate Court has Authority to Allocate Federal Dependency Exemptions.
  • New Child Support Guidelines.

 

Read more.

Filed Under: Alimony, Divorce, Family Law, Firm News, General Posts, Massachusetts Divorce, Massachusetts Mediation, Mediation, Probate Court, Quarterly Reviews Tagged With: child support, Family Law, Family Mediation Quarterly, Massachusetts Family Law, Probate Court

MA Family Law: Court Must Consider Tax Consequences if Presented

 

Court Must Consider Tax Consequences if Presented.  Under the Internal Revenue Code, alimony cannot be contingent on a child-related event lest it be re-characterized as non-deductible support.  Here, the Probate and Family Court entered a judgment requiring the Father to pay alimony until the youngest child graduated from high school at which point it would be reduced.  The Father sought post-judgment relief from the Probate and Family Court to no avail and appealed the denial. The Appeals Court affirmed the trial court judgment, and the SJC reversed, holding that because the law requires a court to consider “income” when determining alimony and property division, that court must consider income tax consequences as well when such evidence is presented.  L.J.S. v. J.E.S., 464 Mass. 346 (February 8, 2013)

From the Family Mediation Quarterly

Filed Under: Family Law, Quarterly Reviews Tagged With: Family Law, Family Mediation Quarterly, Massachusetts Family Law

Family Mediation Quarterly: President’s Letter

 

Dear Mediators:

The most recent professional development meeting, “Collaborative Law and Mediation Tools and Techniques: A Common Ground” was a product of the joint committee of the MCFM and the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council chaired by our own Lynn Cooper.  The panelists, in addition to Lynn, were Dan Finn, Kate Fanger, Karen Levitt, and Lisa Smith.

The committee was created in order to foster close reciprocal relationships between the organizations – and we are succeeding.  As a result of the committee’s efforts, for example, we are now cross-promoting each other’s events.

Being trained in the two disciplines has informed the way I practice both.

What can Collaborative Law teach the mediator? Collaborative Law taught me to provide summary notes to the clients following each mediation.  Although some mediators have been doing this for years without any influence from Collaborative Law, it wasn’t until I was trained in Collaborative Law that I understood the effectiveness of this procedure. One of the panelists suggested discussing with mediation clients their goals for the process, a staple at the beginning of the first Collaborative meeting.  I haven’t done this yet but I’m considering it.

What can Mediation teach the Collaborative Practitioner? Mediation skills such as listening and reframing are critical for the Collaborative practitioner; in fact, I believe that every Collaborative Practitioner should be required to take a course in mediation.

In any event, I think all of us can agree that the communities have a lot to teach other.  I look forward to more of these joint ventures in the future.

 

From the Family Mediation Quarterly

 

Filed Under: Massachusetts Family Law, Massachusetts Mediation, Mediation, Quarterly Reviews Tagged With: collaborative law, Family Mediation, Family Mediation Quarterly, Mediation

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Recent Posts

A Diamond is Forever, But the Engagement Ring May Be Ne’er

January 27, 2021

The article below was written by Vicki L. Shemin, J.D., LICSW, ACSW  and published in Citybizlist on January 25, 2021 Lest you think that the proprieties and perplexities surrounding broken engagements are a modern phenomenon, we need only look back to the 15th century. It is said that in 1477, Archduke Maximillian of Austria commissioned […]

Attorney Jonathan E. Fields Quoted in Wall Street Journal

January 21, 2021

Attorney Jonathan E. Fields was quoted in today’s Wall Street Journal Millennials Embrace Prenups—but Through a Very Different Lens Than in the Past Millennials are using prenups to address new economic and social issues—including rising student debt, social-media use and embryo ownership By Cheryl Winokur Munk Jan. 21, 2021 1:00 pm ET Millennials are often […]

Vicki L. Shemin, J.D., LICSW, ACSW receives the Avvo Clients’ Choice Award Badge for 2021

January 14, 2021

Vicki L. Shemin, J.D., LICSW, ACSW was presented with Avvo Clients’ Choice Award Badge for 2021. This award is given to attorneys whose outstanding legal services have resulted in highly satisfied clients. There’s nothing that an attorney can do to ask for a Clients’ Choice Award. Instead, Avvo makes the award based only on quality […]

Attorney Jonathan Fields Quoted in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

January 5, 2021

Snap Judgments: Lawyers predict issue that will dominate legal landscape in 2021 By: Kris Olson December 31, 2020 (From Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly)  Q. Prediction time: What issue on the horizon will dominate the legal landscape in 2021?   “Five hours of time for a five-minute hearing has never seemed so wasteful. With the experience of remote hearings, will […]

Please Support Fields and Dennis LLP’s Fundraiser for K9s For Warriors

December 21, 2020

K9s For Warriors saves both warriors and rescue dogs. The program serves our warriors with service-connected Post-traumatic Stress Disability (PTSD) traumatic brain injury (TBI) and/or military sexual trauma, which can be deadly disorders. A trained rescue dog is paired with a warrior and the two meet for two weeks of training together at one of […]

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    Recent Blogs

    • Advice On Cooperative Co-Parenting During & After An Acrimonious Divorce: It will Improve your Mental Health
    • A Diamond is Forever, But the Engagement Ring May Be Ne’er
    • Attorney Jonathan E. Fields featured in Times of London on Prenuptial Agreements and Social Media
    • Attorney Jonathan E. Fields Quoted in Wall Street Journal
    • Vicki L. Shemin, J.D., LICSW, ACSW receives the Avvo Clients’ Choice Award Badge for 2021

    Recent Firm News & Coverage

    • A Diamond is Forever, But the Engagement Ring May Be Ne’er

    • Attorney Jonathan E. Fields Quoted in Wall Street Journal

    • Vicki L. Shemin, J.D., LICSW, ACSW receives the Avvo Clients’ Choice Award Badge for 2021

    • Attorney Jonathan Fields Quoted in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

    • Please Support Fields and Dennis LLP’s Fundraiser for K9s For Warriors

    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.

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