Springfield MA Family Law Blog

As this blog has mentioned previously, couples in Massachusetts are legally authorized to enter into what are commonly referred to as prenuptial agreements, or even just "prenups." While these agreements can be very helpful in the event of a divorce, they are also useful for even happily married couples who, for instance, have children from a prior relationship.

Massachusetts laws about prenuptial agreements, which are legally called antenuptial settlements, specify that they can apply only to a couple's property. What this means is that while a couple can specify who gets what in the event of a divorce or even, for that matter, after the death of a spouse, prenuptial agreements cannot lawfully cover matters like child custody or support. In other words, if a couple attempt to bargain child support or custody in their agreement, the court will be under no obligation to enforce that portion of the agreement and will instead follow Massachusetts law.

Child support orders depend heavily on each parent's income and other changeable circumstances, so what may have been a fair child support order at one time may, over the months or years, become no longer reasonable. For example, parents in Massachusetts may change jobs or take on a different role in their company. There also may be other changes, like the cost or even availability of health insurance. There also may be changes in how much time each parent is spending with the children, a factor that can also influence child support.

Under these sorts of circumstances, a parent may want to seek a child support modification. A modification is particularly helpful when the parent paying support has a lower income or higher expenses and thus can no longer easily afford his or her current child support order.

There are many reasons why a single parent in the Springfield area may have to move either to another part of Massachusetts or even outside the state. Given that Massachusetts is relatively small in terms of land size and is close to a lot of other big cities in other states, it is, for instance, relatively easy to see how someone can find a new and better job opportunity that, while still geographically close to Springfield, is technically out-of-state.

The relocation of a child by one parent and following a divorce is nonetheless a relatively complicated legal affair in Massachusetts. Generally speaking, a divorced parent, even if he or she has custody, cannot legally just up and leave Massachusetts with the child, at least not if the child was born in this state or has lived in Massachusetts for five years.

There are many Springfield, Massachusetts, couples who are not only romantically involved but also partners in life and business. Happily married couples who own a business together will ordinarily be able to get along well enough when it comes to running the affairs of their company and, oftentimes, will be able to enjoy their profits together.

On the other hand, couples going through a divorce or separation, or even some other family or financial crisis, may either come at odds with each other or, for some other reason, have to figure out how to put a value on their business that they owned and operated together in happier times.