Divorce & Separation
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Overview of divorce and separation
If you do not want to live with your spouse, you can take legal steps to end your marriage, or you can stay married and separate. If you separate, a judge can still order one spouse to give the other spouse child support and money to live...
How to file a Complaint for Divorce
if you and your spouse both want a divorce in Massachusetts, and you agree about all the issues, you can file a Joint Petition for Divorce. But sometimes only one person wants the divorce. Or you and your spouse do not agree about the...
How to file a No-fault 1A Joint Petition for Divorce
Filing a no-fault divorce means the marriage needs to end but neither person is to blame. You ask for a divorce because of the "irretrievable breakdown of the marriage." You can either file a No-fault 1A Joint Petition for Divorce or a...
How to file Complaints for Support and for Separate Support
You do not need to get divorced to get a custody or support order. Sometimes, you may want to stay married, but you need support and health insurance for yourself or your child. You may also need a custody order. There are two kinds of...
Separation agreements
In a divorce case, you and your spouse may sign an agreement that says how you want to handle things after you get divorced. The agreement is called a "separation agreement." Sometimes the separation agreement is a binding contract between...
Annulments
An annulment is a court judgment that says your marriage was not legal. That means the marriage has no legal force or binding effect.
How do I ask the court to order my spouse to help pay for my lawyer?
You can ask the court to order your spouse to help pay your lawyer’s fees in a divorce case. You will need to show that the judge that: You do not have enough money to pay your lawyer's fees. And Your spouse does have enough money to pay...
How do judges decide about alimony?
Judges must take into account: “length of the marriage,” ages of each spouse, health of each spouse, income, employment, the ability of each spouse to get a job, even if they need training, economic and non-economic contributions of both...
Understanding court-required parent education courses
As of February 12, 2024, parents who are part of certain Massachusetts courts involving children must take a 4 hour co-parenting education course. This course is called “ Two Families Now .” The goal of the course is to help parents learn...