Alimony Reform and the Business of Divorce

The Boston Business Journal continues to cover the controversy over the competing Massachusetts alimony bills, and in Friday's article by Lisa van der Pool, Dueling alimony bills raise hackles in legal circles, the focus was on the question of whether Senator Cynthia Creem, chair of the Senate's Judiciary Committee, has a "conflict of interest" on account of her sponsorship of the alimony reform

Of Two Alimony Reform Bills, House Bill is Far Better

There are two competing alimony reform bills currently pending in the Massachusetts legislature: Senate Bill 1616 and House Bill 1785. The Senate bill, backed by influential members of the Boston Bar Association, essentially would preserve the status quo. It would merely add language to the statute so as to give judges the explicit ability to set a duration for alimony - i.e. to set a term of

"Till Death Do Us Pay" - More on the Need for Alimony Reform

Finally, a little slice of la vida real in our Massachusetts family court system: Till Death Do Us Pay - Boston Magazine. I'm encouraged to see such critical words from a local media source, in this case Boston Magazine. You definitely will not get such truth from the Boston Globe. And what a shame that is, as the Boston Globe is still the best newspaper we have in this state. Yet, by its

Fathers & Families Group Unsuccessfully Sought to Block Implementation of New Child Support Guidelines

The organization Fathers and Families (www.fathersandfamilies.org) has recently gone to federal court in an unsuccessful attempt to block use of the new Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines in our family courts. See The Docket » Blog Archive » Fathers’ group sues to stop new child support rules. I am writing an article on the new child support guidelines for a law journal, and am trying to keep

Single Custodial Dads

I just came across this article, The Life of a Single Dad, in which I am quoted, quite extensively, and not just as a divorce and family law attorney this time, but rather, primarily at least, as a single, custodial father. The article was published in the award-winning local Parents and Kids Magazine back at the end of May, but I have just now gotten around to finding it today. It's a good story

Cathy Young on Gender Gaps, Gender Differences and Competition

Cathy Young is back! For quite some time, I have patiently followed The Y Files, the blog by former Boston Globe columnist Cathy Young, one of the most fair minded, intelligent, reasonable, and important commentators on gender issues today, and author of what is in my humble view the best book of the last ten years on gender issues, hands down. (If it doesn't sound as if my view is very "humble"

Men As Caregivers

There was an interesting blog post by Leanna Hamill at the Massachusetts Estate Planning and Elder Law Blog yesterday commenting on a recent report that more men have in recent years taken on caregiving roles for aging parents or other relatives: Massachusetts Estate Planning and Elder Law: More Men Taking Over the Caregiving Role. It's interesting to see that just as men have become more active

New & Improved Child Support Guidelines To Go Into Effect on January 1

New child support guidelines have just been promulgated, and they will go into effect in Massachusetts on January 1, 2009. See the Massachusetts Court System Press Release - November 5, 2008. I am one of the many attorneys, litigants, and other concerned citizens, who have long complained before that our current guidelines are not appropriate for our times, particularly as they are not precise

Stimulus Checks Intercepted for Child Support: My Client's Story and a Rant

While I myself have been too busy to post this past week, a few of my clients have found themselves quoted in the news. There's only one I can mention here. Cheryl Hayes, my former client, has authorized me to discuss her case after she thanked me for directing Associated Press reporter Steve LeBlanc to her this past Tuesday, thus resulting in her interview an hour later and a photo session that

The Economics of Gay Marriage

I have long been waiting for the Law and Economics blogging professor duo from the University of Chicago - Judge Richard Posner and Gary Becker - to address gay marriage on their blog. Well, the wait is over, as they both specifically addressed the issue today. See Judge Posner's post The Economics of Gay Marriage and Gary Becker's post Should Gay Marriages be Allowed? Gary Becker's piece is

Double Standards and Gender Inequality

I want to point out a few more articles on gender equality (or inequality) I have read while on vacation this past week. I'm always interested in debates between those looking for fairness for women and those who seek fairness for men. If I can't find common ground, I at least hope to get a little closer to the Truth by paying close attention to the gender dialectic.First, I recently read the

Emily Rooney Discusses Alimony Reform

More on Massachusetts alimony reform. Boston's WGBH TV Show, "Greater Boston" with Emily Rooney, on Thursday evening, discussed recent efforts to reform alimony law in Massachusetts, including the recent push by the Second Wives Club. See WGBH's Recent Shows: "The Second Wives Club pushes for alimony reform". Appearing on the show to argue for reform was Elizabeth Benedict, whose recent Boston

Father's Day Gift From the MCAD

Just in time for Father's Day, and much to the apparent dismay of employers, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination recently gave a surprise gift to working fathers in this state. It seems the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination is now really getting serious about the issue of discrimination against men, and has abruptly decreed that the Massachusetts Maternity Leave Act

Massachusetts Alimony: Time for Reform?

In yesterday's Boston Globe appeared an op-ed article by novelist Elizabeth Benedict, critical of the Massachusetts alimony law and application of that law by courts in this state: Elizabeth Benedict: Boston Globe Op-Ed: The chilling effect of state's divorce laws. I actually know Elizabeth Benedict, and as one of the lawyers she talked to before writing that article, I must say that I welcome

The Divorce Generation

Now here's an interesting read, the cover story from the April 21 edition of Newsweek: The Divorce Generation Grows Up ("The Divorce Generation Grows Up - Grant High School's class of '82 were raised on 'The Brady Bunch'—while their own families were falling apart. These are their stories—in their words").As I was born in 1965, right on the line between the Baby Boom Generation and Generation X,

Professional Women More Likely to Get Divorced

Women with MBAs, medical degrees and law degrees are much more likely to get divorced or separated than their male counterparts, according to Robin Fretwell Wilson, a professor at Washington & Lee Law School, and a study she will be publishing next week. Her study is apparently based upon her analysis of a National Science Foundation survey of over one hundred thousand professionals.Although it

Still More On Proposed Joint Custody Presumption

After coming out against the proposed shared custody presumption last month, the Boston Globe has just this past week, on March 11 - in a welcome, even-handed gesture - published an opinion piece by a lawyer in favor of the presumption: Don't leave fathers out of custody cases - The Boston Globe. Penned by attorney Rinaldo Del Gallo III, this op-ed article makes his case for the proposed joint

Joint Custody Presumptions - And Now For The Opposing View

While we in Massachusetts are debating, most recently in the Boston Globe, the wisdom of the proposed joint custody presumption here in Massachusetts, it seems the legislature of Minnesota is studying a similar proposal in that state. In Minnesota Divorce and Family Law Blog: Joint Physical Custody Presumption Subjected to Study, Minnesota divorce lawyer Gerald Williams points out many reasons

Shared Parenting Bill: Some Responses to the Boston Globe

Just a bit more on the issue of shared parenting presumptions, the shared parenting bill, and the Boston Globe's recent editorial, which I criticized the other day here. In the following two letters to the editor, Paul Sawyer of Westford and Donald Miller of Boston both made some very good points. I especially like Donald Miller's analysis, which is in most respects just a more concise, and

Fairness for Fathers -The Boston Globe Weighs In, But Doesn't Really Get It

The Boston Globe yesterday opined on the shared parenting bill, introduced by State House Representative Colleen Garry, a Dracut Democrat, and cosponsored by about 50 other legislators, including many of the legislature's most thoughtful and courageous members, as well as the progressive Fathers & Families organization. In A fair role for fathers - The Boston Globe, the Boston Globe