Boston Family Law Law Firm

How family law cases proceed under Massachusetts law

Family law matters in Boston are screened on the same intake call as every other matter the firm takes. The attorney listens to the facts and either handles the matter directly or connects the client with a Massachusetts family-law partner attorney, at no extra cost to the client. Divorce, custody, paternity, child-support modification, guardianship, post-divorce contempt and 209A abuse-prevention petitions are the matters most often screened this way. Every divorce and annulment action in Massachusetts is heard in the Probate and Family Court, which under M.G.L. c. 215, sec. 3 has exclusive original jurisdiction over it, so a Suffolk County filing goes to the Probate and Family Court division covering that county regardless of who ends up handling the matter.

Most Massachusetts divorces proceed on the no-fault ground of an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. Under M.G.L. c. 208, sec. 1B, a complaint on that ground can be filed unaccompanied by the other party's agreement, and no earlier than six months after filing, the court holds a hearing and may enter a judgment of divorce nisi if the breakdown has continued through that period. Custody, in the meantime, follows the best-interest standard in M.G.L. c. 208, sec. 31: the rights of the parents are held equal absent misconduct, and the court weighs the child's happiness and welfare, with a presumption of temporary shared legal custody while the case is pending unless the court finds shared custody would not serve the child's best interest. A Boston parent who was never married to the other parent goes through a parallel but separate framework under M.G.L. c. 209C, sec. 10, where custody of a nonmarital child turns on preserving the child's relationship with the primary caretaker and on which parent has actually exercised parental responsibility.

The financial side of a Boston divorce runs on its own statutory structure. M.G.L. c. 208, sec. 34 lets the Probate and Family Court divide the marital estate, weighing the length of the marriage, each spouse's age, health, station, income, vocational skills and contribution as a homemaker, among other factors, and it separately authorizes alimony under M.G.L. c. 208, secs. 48 and 49, the Alimony Reform Act. That framework defines four kinds of alimony (general term, rehabilitative, reimbursement and transitional) and ties general term alimony to a durational formula keyed to the length of the marriage, with marriages over twenty years eligible for alimony of indefinite length. A family-law matter can also run alongside a M.G.L. c. 209A abuse-prevention petition; under secs. 3 and 4 of that chapter, a Probate and Family Court finding of a pattern or serious incident of abuse, as defined in c. 208, sec. 31A, creates a rebuttable presumption against custody for the abusive parent. None of this predicts how a particular Boston case comes out. Every family-law outcome depends on the facts the court is shown, and this page states the framework, not a result.

Massachusetts statutes and case law

• M.G.L. c. 208, sec. 1B. The no-fault divorce ground of irretrievable breakdown; a complaint may be filed without the other spouse's agreement, and a judgment of divorce nisi may issue no earlier than six months after filing.
• M.G.L. c. 208, sec. 31. The child-custody statute: defines sole and shared legal and physical custody, sets the best-interest standard, and creates a presumption of temporary shared legal custody while a case is pending, absent emergency conditions, abuse or neglect.
• M.G.L. c. 208, sec. 34. Alimony and division of the marital estate; lists the factors the court weighs, including length of marriage, conduct, age, health, income, vocational skills and contribution as a homemaker.
• M.G.L. c. 208, secs. 48 and 49. The Alimony Reform Act: defines general term, rehabilitative, reimbursement and transitional alimony, and sets durational limits for general term alimony keyed to the length of the marriage.
• M.G.L. c. 209A, secs. 3 and 4. Abuse-prevention orders: the relief a court may order (no-abuse, no-contact, vacate, temporary custody), the ex parte process for immediate danger, and the required hearing within ten court business days.
• M.G.L. c. 209C, sec. 10. Custody of a nonmarital child following an adjudication or acknowledgment of parentage; the court preserves the relationship with the primary caretaker and considers which parent has exercised parental responsibility.

Common case patterns in Boston

1. A Boston spouse files for divorce on the no-fault ground of irretrievable breakdown under c. 208, sec. 1B, with no major dispute over custody, support or property.
2. A Suffolk County custody dispute between parents, married or divorcing, where the best-interest standard and the shared-versus-sole custody definitions in c. 208, sec. 31 control the outcome.
3. A Boston spouse seeking alimony, or facing a claim for it, after a marriage where the durational formula in c. 208, secs. 48 and 49 sets the range of a possible term.
4. A Boston parent who was never married to the other parent, needing to establish or contest paternity and custody under c. 209C.
5. A Boston resident seeking, or contesting, a c. 209A abuse-prevention order that arises alongside a pending divorce or custody matter.

Typical timeline

1. The first telephone consultation captures the case type, the current status of any filing, and any hearing date already set, because that decides whether the matter is handled in-house or referred. The attorney listens to the facts and either takes the matter directly or connects the client with a Massachusetts family-law partner attorney, at no extra cost to the client. If a c. 209A petition is part of the picture, timing matters most: an ex parte order under sec. 4 is followed by a hearing no later than ten court business days later, and that hearing can shape custody and contact before anything else in the case is decided.
2. A filed divorce or custody matter then moves through temporary orders, discovery and, often, mediation or a pretrial conference. Temporary orders under c. 208, sec. 31 address the household's immediate needs while the case is pending. For a no-fault divorce under c. 208, sec. 1B, the earliest a judgment of divorce nisi can enter is six months after the complaint is filed, and that clock runs regardless of how quickly the parties otherwise agree on the remaining issues.
3. The final stage is judgment, and often what follows it. Divorce becomes absolute after the nisi period runs. Custody, alimony under c. 208, secs. 48 and 49, and property division under c. 208, sec. 34 are decided by agreement or by the court. Post-judgment work, a complaint for contempt or modification, follows when circumstances change or an order is not followed. Where a Boston matter needs specialist handling at any of these stages, Jim Glaser Law connects the client with a Massachusetts family-law partner attorney at no extra cost to the client.

What a Massachusetts family law matter can achieve

• A judgment of divorce nisi and, after the statutory waiting period, a judgment of divorce absolute.
• A custody order, sole or shared, legal or physical, decided under the best-interest standard in c. 208, sec. 31.
• An alimony order in one of the four statutory forms under c. 208, secs. 48 and 49, or a determination that no alimony is warranted on the facts.
• A division of the marital estate under c. 208, sec. 34, covering property, retirement accounts and other assets accumulated during the marriage.
• An established or contested paternity judgment with an accompanying custody and support order under c. 209C.
• A c. 209A abuse-prevention order, or a successfully contested application, addressing custody, contact and residence where abuse is alleged.
• Enforcement or modification of an existing custody, support or alimony order through a post-judgment complaint for contempt or modification.

Key terms

Probate and Family Court

The Massachusetts court that hears divorce, custody, paternity, guardianship, and related family matters.

Contempt

A post-judgment claim that a party violated a court order, such as a custody or support order.

Guardianship

Court authority granted to make decisions for a minor or incapacitated person who cannot decide for themselves.

209A petition

A civil abuse-prevention order request that can arise alongside a family-law matter.

Divorce matter vs. stand-alone custody matter

More questions from Boston residents

• Which court hears my Boston family law case?

  The Probate and Family Court. Under M.G.L. c. 215, sec. 3, probate courts have exclusive original jurisdiction over actions for divorce or for affirming or annulling a marriage, along with custody, guardianship and related family matters. A Suffolk County matter is heard in the Probate and Family Court division covering that county.

• How long does a Massachusetts divorce take?

  There is a statutory floor, not a promised date. Under M.G.L. c. 208, sec. 1B, a no-fault divorce filed on the ground of irretrievable breakdown cannot result in a judgment of divorce nisi any earlier than six months after the complaint is filed, and that judgment becomes absolute only after a further waiting period. Contested issues over custody, support or property can extend a Boston case well past that floor; an uncontested matter with an agreement in place can move close to it.

• How is alimony decided in a Massachusetts divorce?

  Under the Alimony Reform Act, M.G.L. c. 208, secs. 48 and 49, alimony comes in four statutory forms (general term, rehabilitative, reimbursement and transitional), and general term alimony is tied to a durational formula based on the length of the marriage, ranging up to half the number of months married for a marriage of five years or less, up to indefinite for a marriage over twenty years. The separate factors in c. 208, sec. 34, including each spouse's age, health, income and vocational skills, and each spouse's contribution as a homemaker, also apply. No figure or duration can be promised for a specific Boston case without seeing the facts.

• How does Massachusetts decide child custody in a Boston case?

  By the best-interest standard in M.G.L. c. 208, sec. 31. The statute holds the rights of both parents equal absent misconduct and asks whether the child's present or past living conditions affect their physical, mental, moral or emotional health. While a case is pending, the parents generally have temporary shared legal custody, unless the court finds that shared custody would not be in the child's best interest. Where the Probate and Family Court finds a pattern or serious incident of abuse toward a parent or child, as defined in c. 208, sec. 31A, M.G.L. c. 209A, sec. 3 creates a rebuttable presumption against custody for the abusive parent.

• What does Jim Glaser Law charge for a Boston family law matter?

  Family-law matters are billed on a fixed-fee or hourly basis depending on the matter, and the arrangement is set out in the written fee agreement signed at intake. Family-law matters are not handled on contingency. The first telephone consultation is offered without charge, and after that call the attorney either handles the matter directly or connects the client with a Massachusetts family-law partner attorney, at no extra cost to the client.