Massachusetts Divorce Law Monitor : Boston, MA Divorce & Family Law Lawyer & Attorney : Nancy Van Tine : Burns & Levinson Law Firm

Hi there,

I have been on a cleaning frenzy (driven no doubt by the mess in my attic, which I discovered when looking for Christmas decorations) and so I have been also cleaning out my email - I save miscellaneous bits and pieces (both here and in my attic) and would like to share some of these in the hopes they may be useful.

First, and most seriously, one of my favorite bloggers, Donna Ferber, had an excellent post on the Ohio Family Law Blog with good advice for anyone seeking to separate from an abuser.  All divorce lawyers see these situations, and they are truly the saddest and scariest of all the cases we work on.

We are coming to the year's end and tax season will soon be upon us.  Although we do not know what the tax rates will be next year (thank you Washington!), we do know for certain that alimony will continue to be deductible by the person who pays, and must be declared as income by the recipient.  TaxGirl, another favorite blogger of mine, had an excellent post a while back on this issue.

And finally, from one of the preeminent divorce bloggers, Daniel Clement, an interesting piece on marriage rates being down due to the economy.  That may be so, but there does not appear to be much, if any, of a decline in divorce rates as yet. 

Best,

Nancy

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Hi there,

I was just complaining with my coworkers about this time of year as a divorce lawyer.  I usually LOVE my job but the past two weeks, and probably next week as well, are the nadir as they are the time when high conflict couples discuss and (maybe) try to resolve the issues of children and holidays.  This is not easy for anyone, and it is always especially hard if you are facing the first holiday without either your spouse or your children.

Donna Ferber has one of my favorite blogs and she has a great post on this topic in time for Thanksgiving this year.

May you and your family have a great Thanksgiving.

Best,

Nancy

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Hi there,

The joyous holiday season is almost upon us!  For divorce attorneys, this is always viewed with some trepidation, as we tend to find ourselves in courtrooms arguing over who goes to dinner or Christmas or Hanukkah with whom - not necessarily an uplifting process.

I have been gleaning a series of articles and points of view that relate loosely to children and divorce and may be of use to some of you out there trying to negotiate the morass of this season.

The first is from one of my favorite bloggers Jason  --- of the Minnesota Family Law Blog.  The eight points should be every divorcing parent's mantra, no matter how horrible your soon to be ex or ex is, it is NEVER the kids fault and important to remember that the kids can, and do, get lost and damaged in the process.

The concept of a safe caregiver is discussed in the construct of an intact family, but it becomes even more potent and poignant when parents can't agree, or even discuss, what constitutes a safe person to leave a child with.  The other parent usually is the guardian or the custodial parent should one of you die.   Often the problem of safety arises with caregivers, girlfriends, boyfriends over whom you have NO control. The best advice (and sometimes as we all know this is impossible) is to have agreement with your ex over what the parameters for a safe person will be and the ability for both of you to raise concerns and have them heard and respected. If that is impossible then often the courts are your recourse.

And finally some good advise from Donna Ferber about how to handle this Thanksgiving if it is your first alone. The firsts are always hardest.

Best,

Nancy 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link