Legal Blog - Children

Bill O’Reilly is known for bringing controversial stories to viewers’ living rooms across America through his primetime television show The O’Reilly Factor on Fox News. However, his most controversial story to date may just be the custody battle ensuing between O’Reilly and his ex-wife over …

The State of Illinois made headlines in January when it completely revamped its custody laws. Gone are the words “custody” and “visitation” and in their place are the terms “parenting plans” and “parental responsibilities”. Lawmakers cited the evolution of the family structure as the…

Court Agreement – In March 2015, Heather Hironimus went into hiding with her four and a half year old son. She was running from the child’s Father’s attempt to enforce a custody agreement that  stated the child would be circumcised.  When Heather split from the father of her child, Denni…

In order to file for custody and visitation in Massachusetts, the Commonwealth must have jurisdiction over your case.  Similarly, to file for child support in Massachusetts, the Commonwealth must have jurisdiction over your support issues.  If you are a non-custodial parent in Massachusetts and yo…

To date, Massachusetts has not enacted a version of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (“UCCJEA”). In MA, the predecessor to the UCCJEA, Massachusetts’s variant of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act (“MCCJA”) still governs. If you are a p…

Do you suddenly find yourself separated from your child’s parent and need to determine how you are going to share physical custody of the child? You are not alone. There are thousands of Massachusetts’ parents who are separated and need to create a custody agreement a/k/a parenting plan.…

According to United States Department of Justice’s statistics, over sixty-nine thousand children are abducted each year. Many of these children end up living in countries outside the United States’ control. The following article explains both the civil and criminal options a Massachusett…

The upcoming movie “Daddy’s Home” starring Will Ferrell, Linda Cardellini, and Mark Wahlberg,  directed by Sean Anders presents an over-the-top depiction of a very real family issue. In the movie, Will Ferrell plays a mild-mannered stepfather who is forced to compete with the chil…

The Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines effective January 1, 2009, have supporters and opponents. Payor’s argue that after payment of child support there is not enough money left for his or her own needs and the payees argue that they need additional money to support the child(ren). For bot…

Parental Alienation is defined as one parent turning a child against the other parent. The issue comes up frequently in divorces and can destroy a parent’s relationship with the children. Mental health professionals have begun to thoroughly examine the concept of parental alienation.  Some believ…