Gloucester, MA Child Support Attorney
Massachusetts Child Custody and Child Support Lawyers
Since 1981, the Danvers, Massachusetts, law firm of RA JAWORSKI PC has served the needs of men and women in North Shore communities such as Beverly, Lynn and Peabody who are involved in a divorce, child custody and child support dispute.
Our straightforward approach is to foster a sense of collaborative negotiation whenever possible in order to avoid the stress and expense of a trial. If litigation is required to protect our clients' rights and their children's well-being, our attorneys have the trial experience and proven skill to fight for what is right in court.
Please contact us to schedule an informative consultation with an attorney at RA JAWORSKI PC. If you have already filed for divorce and are seeking a second opinion regarding child custody or support matters, your initial consultation will be free.
Child Custody and Visitation: Crafting a Fair and Reasonable Parenting Plan
Massachusetts courts are generally very straightforward when it comes to approving child custody agreements or establishing custody in a dispute. Most of the time, the parents are granted shared legal custody.
The primary custodial parent before the divorce — the parent with whom the kids lived and who made most of the day-to-day decisions — is frequently granted primary physical custody in the divorce decree.
At RA JAWORSKI PC, we can help you iron out a workable parenting plan that will be acceptable to the courts and will serve the best interests of the child or children.
Our extensive family court litigation experience enables us to decisively address some of the more difficult child custody issues, including:
- Parental relocation (so-called move-away cases) and international custody and visitation matters
- Allegations of child abuse (physical, emotional or sexual), neglect or drug and alcohol abuse on the part of one of the parents*
- Changing custody to reflect the minor child's preference or other changing circumstances
- Enforcing a child custody order or visitation rights
*If you suspect that you or your child is in danger, contact your local police. Once the immediate situation is safe, then contact us. We can refer you to the appropriate authorities and go to court to protect you and your child with a restraining order. Moving forward, we can ask the court to order supervised visitation, mandatory drug testing or any other reasonable method to ensure your child's safety.
Establishing Fair and Equitable Child Support
The team at RA JAWORSKI PC takes a no-nonsense approach to negotiating agreements or litigating orders regarding child support. We understand that our job is to serve the needs and best interests of the child and to protect our clients' rights against any undue child support burden.
Our extensive divorce and family law experience enables us to effectively address the more complex issues that often arise in child support, including:
- College expenses and health insurance coverage
- Paternity for unmarried couples
- Paternity for single parents
- Changing support in changing circumstances
- Enforcing a child support order
Child support is always changing, both at the personal level and the legislative level. On the individual level, a person's income may have increased or decreased, necessitating an adjustment in payments, or perhaps a modification is needed to offset the rising cost of health insurance and child care. At the state level, new child support guidelines dictate that both parents have a responsibility for child support. This is different from the previous guidelines that based child support solely on the payer's income. This change — effective January 2009 — may call for a change to an existing support agreement.
To discuss your child's needs and your current financial circumstances with an accomplished Massachusetts child custody and child support lawyer, please contact us.
