Monthly Archives: March 2009

Massachusetts Parent Education Program – Sign up Now!

If you are getting divorced and have not yet attended the mandatory parent education class, you might want to hurry up and register!  As of April 7, 2009, the cost of attendance in the class will increase from $65.00 to

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Laid Off? New COBRA Regs May Save You Money On Health Insurance

A new subsidy related to COBRA health benefits may provide  financial assistance to individuals and families that have experienced a job loss.  President Obama signed into law H.R. 1, the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act on February 17, 2009.  Section 3001 (keep reading, there’s a quiz at the end…!) provides a 65% federal subsidy of COBRA premiums for employees who were “involuntary terminated” between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009, subject to certain income limitations and other restrictions, of course.  The subsidies are available for up to

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New Kid on the Block – Collaborative Divorce

Despite steady increases in popularity in both the U.S. and internationally, many people have yet to hear the term “collaborative divorce.”  Collaborative divorce is considered a relatively new alternative for couples to resolve their dispute respectfully without going to court.   Also, let me disclose right up front that I am a fan of the collaborative process (although you probably determined that already from the title of this blog) and I am on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council. In a collaborative divorce, each party has their own lawyer that has received specialized training in the collaborative [...]

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Protecting Children During a Divorce

I read a good article today by Joan B. Kelly, Ph.D.  Dr. Kelly is an experienced family therapist and parenting coordinator from California who frequently works with high-conflict parents.  The article,  titled Top Ten Ways to Protect Your Kids from the Fallout of a High Conflict Break-Up is posted on the website Mediate.com.   Although the title alludes to a high-conflict divorce, the items would certainly apply to any divorce where children are in the mix.   The third item on the list is to “Act like grown ups.  Keep your conflict away from the kids.”  Dr. Kelly correctly points out that [...]

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Upcoming Child Support Seminar

Attorneys from Wagner McDonough LLP will present an informative seminar on the sweeping changes to the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines. The next session is  Saturday, April 25 from 2-4 pm at the Norfolk, MA public library. For more information and to register,  call 508-528-4007 or send an email to lrm@wagnermcdonough.com. Pre-registering is certainly appreciated so we can plan our refreshments, but not required.  Hope to see you there.

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New Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines – Whoa!

New child support guidelines went into effect in Massachusetts on January 1, 2009. They are certainly causing a lot of conversation among both practitioners and clients. The increases with the new guidelines can be quite significant when compared

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Best Divorce-related Tunes

A friend suggested that I make a list of some good divorce tunes.  The following 23 songs are in no particular order. Please send any suggestions or additions! D-I-V-O-R-C-E – Tammy Wynette Goin’ Through the Big D – Mark Chestnut She Got the Goldmine, I got the Shaft – Jerry Reed He Stopped Loving Her Today – George Jones

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