Served With Divorce Papers in Massachusetts? Considering Divorce?
Your spouse has told you that he or she wants a divorce and you have been served with the complaint. Depending on your circumstances, you may be experiencing surprise, fear, anger and sadness. Although it's important to deal with these emotions, your first step should be to learn about your legal options.
Call Our Family Law Firm Immediately
You need a solid exit plan. Otherwise, divorce proceedings can hit hard. If your spouse has initiated proceedings, do not sign anything until you have consulted a lawyer. Take control and protect yourself. Call (800) 763-1030 or contact us online for a no-obligation consultation.
Each of Our Lawyers is Highly Knowledgeable About the Court Where Your Case Will be Heard
At The Massachusetts Family Law Group, our lawyers understand the confusion and anxiety clients are feeling when they first come to our office. They have more than 40 years of collective legal experience and many of them are divorced themselves. They know what you're going through and can get you started on the right path. In addition, each one is assigned to a specific courthouse so he or she develops in-depth knowledge of that court's procedures and personnel — knowledge that we use to help our clients.
What You Need to Know
At the initial consultation, we discuss issues such as these:
- How to select an attorney: Meet with an attorney to learn about the fees, his or her approach to divorce and the benefits of having an advocate.
- Put your children at the top of your agenda: Of all the parties to a divorce, children are the ones who suffer the most.
- Copy documents: Do it now because it is much more difficult to obtain these documents later. Find and copy documents such as income tax returns, pay stubs, personal property tax returns, insurance policies, bank statements, loan applications, brokerage statements, stock certificates and anything that might contain financial information.
- Open a separate bank account in your name: This establishes your own credit independent of your spouse.
- Get a copy of your credit report: You should close any accounts that are open but inactive to prevent future abuse by our spouse, and you'll find out if your spouse opened any new joint accounts without your knowledge.
- Safe deposit box issues: Ask the bank to require both your and your spouse's signatures to open the box. Inventory everything and take pictures. Finally, open your own box while you're there.
- Change passwords for ATM cards, home security systems, voice mailboxes, online access to bank accounts and any other service that requires a password.
- Inventory household and family possessions.
- Review powers of attorney and health care directives: If you have given your spouse authority to handle business or financial affairs or make health care decisions on your behalf, destroy the documents.
- Meet with a divorce therapist: You are going to experience some rough times, so it is enormously helpful to have someone to help you handle your new circumstances.
Our Attorneys Are Experienced and Trial-Tested
Our lawyers are some of the most sought-after domestic relations litigators in Massachusetts. Our aggressive and focused representation of high net worth divorces, coupled with our tireless pursuit of favorable results in highly-contested child custody battles is the reason our firm is often called in to take over cases in midstream. In one year, our attorneys are involved in more complex divorces than most general practice lawyers are in five years. At a time when many clients begin to resign themselves to not realize their goals, we have been able to redirect a divorce case and achieve what seems to be "the impossible dream."
For a free, no-obligation consultation with a Boston divorce summons attorney, call (800) 763-1030. Or, e-mail us to learn more about our comprehensive divorce practice. We serve clients from our offices in Norwood and and our offices throughout Eastern Massachusetts.
Visit our Flat-Fee Divorce page to learn about an easier approach to handling uncontested matters.
