Western Massachusetts Alimony and Child Support Lawyers
There are two kinds of support that most divorcing couples must decide upon: child support and alimony (also called spousal support). Support issues often cause significant anxiety in both parties, one believing that their support obligation will result in bankruptcy, and the other believing that a lack of support will result in homelessness. In most instances, neither of these scary projections comes true, and the reality is somewhere in the middle. This does not prevent people from fighting over what other people might think of as small amounts of money.
Why Hire Our Law Firm? We Know You Have Many Choices
At The Massachusetts Family Law Group, our Springfield lawyers know the anxiety caused by monetary issues in divorce. Many of us have been divorced ourselves, and we know what you're going through. Equally important, we are experienced trial litigators with more than 40 years of combined experience. We build on that experience every day in the family and probate courts of Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin and Hampshire counties.
Spousal Support/Alimony
Alimony in Massachusetts is usually reserved for long-term marriages where there is a significant difference between the incomes of the spouses. The goal is to maintain the same standard of living that existed during the marriage. It is most often appropriate when one spouse stayed home to raise the children, delaying or abandoning his or her career. This makes the stay-at-home spouse less able to compete in the working world. However, it is possible to establish a monetary value on his or her contributions to the family. Our lawyers present such calculations almost every day to the probate and family court judges in Massachusetts.
Child Support
Child support in Massachusetts is established by applying state guidelines and taking into consideration the income of both parents. It sounds simple, but resolving child support issues is often more difficult than the merely filling out worksheets to determine a weekly support order. Issues that frequently arise in child support matters include:
- Determining the true income of self-employed parents
- Assessing whether either parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed
- Evaluating extraordinary expenses which may warrant a deviation from the guidelines
- Considering bonus income, commissions, expense accounts or other incentive pay
- Addressing the costs of extra-curricular activities, such as after school activities, summer camp, music lessons and un-reimbursed medical expenses
Our attorneys have the background to dig deep and present fine points from either case law or the Massachusetts child support guidelines themselves that may derive from self-employment, unreported income or other situations that may warrant judicial ruling.
We also are relentless in pursuit of parents who fail to pay ordered child support, filing complaints for contempt and seeking assistance from the Department of Revenue for their use of enforcement tools such as wage garnishment, liens, motor vehicle registration revocation, tax refund intercept and credit reporting.
Not Getting Results From Your Current Attorney?
If your case is not going the way that you want, consider hiring The Massachusetts Family Law Group. Our attorneys appear in the probate and family courts in Hampden, Hampshire, Berkshire and Franklin counties almost every day. We are able to anticipate how a particular court might respond to certain evidence, and how a particular judge may rule pertaining to a specific argument.
To learn more, read our articles or review our FAQ section .
Contact Our Holyoke, Pittsfield, Greenfield and Amherst Child Support Attorneys
For a free, no-obligation consultation about alimony or child support, call us at (800) 941-DIVORCE or contact us to set up your appointment at any of our local offices or our offices.
