Sequel Law

The Massachusetts  Child Support Guidelines Task Force  recently released updates to the Child Support Guidelines that serve as the presumed amount of child support that parents should pay or receive. Starting October 4, 2021, the new guidelines will be in effect, and parents in Massachusetts will see changes to how their child support is calculated. Every four years or so, the courts are required to review the state's  Child Support Guidelines  to make sure that they are clear, fair, and in line with any economic or public policy changes that impact parents. Over the following weeks, we will take an in-depth look at some of the most notable changes from the 2021 Child Support Guidelines update, but let's start with an overview of how child support is calculated and a preview of the changes we will explain in some future blog posts. Overview of Child Support in Massachusetts Child Support in Massachusetts is designed to ensure each parent is contributing...

People commonly use the term “custody” to generally refer to child custody issues. It may be important, however, to know that in Massachusetts, “custody” can refer to two (2) different topics: legal or physical .  If you are involved in a child custody dispute, it is relevant that you know the difference between legal custody and physical custody, as they have separate purposes. Legal Custody: Legal custody refers to “major decisions regarding a child's welfare including matters of education, medical care and emotional, moral and religious development.”  M.G.L. c. 208, § 31. It gives a parent the right to make decisions such as where a child will attend school, the type of medical care a child will receive, what religion, if any, a child will practice, etc. Legal custody can either be shared or awarded to one parent.  In cases of divorced parents, absent legitimate reasons why legal custody should not be shared, the court is likely to award shared legal custo...